Paul and Helen Crittenden are half way through their planned overland circumnavigation and have just received an important boost from the guys at General Tire. Having fitted an original set of General Grabber AT2 tyres, their heavily laden Land Rover Defender 110 has made it through the steppes, deserts and mountains of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the forests of Siberia and did not have a single puncture or burst tyre during the 23,000 miles. Tyres do wear out though, and good news for the Crittenden’s is that General Tire think it well worthwhile sponsoring the couple for a further year and so have agreed to supply a new set of Grabbers.
If tyres haven’t been a problem on the journey, it hasn’t been all plain sailing; the Land Rover’s water pump gave out in the Gobi desert, they broke a halfshaft in Siberia and then hit a horse on the highway! With some help from the locals and some spares from a Russian UAZ they got back on the road.
If you’ve been following our Project TJ, you’ll know that we’ve now got our Jeep protected from the elements with help from Rustbuster and so it’s now time to get stuck into the more exciting area of modifying. First step has been to visit the Essex base of FTE 4×4 Specialists Ltd, Jeep specialists for over 14 years. Owner Steve Fagioli, is a veteran of modifying all kinds of Jeeps, although naturally Wranglers are the most popular, so he seemed the ideal place to start. Steve will be well-known to regular readers and he certainly practises what he preaches as an active participant in the UK Jeep scene; an all round good guy who knows his stuff. Which is just as well, as the last time I looked at modifying a Jeep was 15 years ago and the market has moved on since then. With the internet at hand as a research tool and credit card at the ready, the world is your oyster, which means you need a guide!
Shion Scudamore – contributor
Hils Everitt – Editor at Large
The recent heavy rainfall may be placating the poor farmers who were seriously worried about their crops not that long ago, but it has not been good for our long-term L200 Warrior. As the loadbed is open we can’t have a truck top as it is fitted with stainless steel sports bars and loadbed liner. There is an option for sport bars with retractable tonneau cover at £1479, but that is only available without the liner. I have to keep the L200 outside so that means that the loadbed gets quite filled up with water with all the torrential rain that has hit Kent recently.
Nigel Fryatt – editor
The anniversary of the purchase of our Toyota Rav4 led to something of a marathon drive, and a great week’s exploring and off-roading in Scotland. A tough test for a vehicle that clocked up the 100,000-mile mark on our return to Surrey. Best of all, however, the Toyota never missed a beat!
The second part of an amazing 4×4 tour through the Balkan state of Montenegro that is home to brown bears, the second deepest canyon in the world and scary homemade ‘brandy’, finds our Editor at Large driving tight forest tracks, desolate, high, mountain rocky roads and visiting the spectacular Adriatic Coast
When it comes to helping your 4×4 stand out from the crowd, a personalised number plate can be just the ticket. It makes a statement about you and your interests, or reflects some feature of the car. It’s straightforward to buy a plate, and there are plenty of options available. We look at how to go about it
New tool kits are always pleasing, aren’t they? No matter how many tools you have in that tool kit, you can always find room for some new quality items, can’t you? Kamasa has recently introduced three professional quality socket sets, all manufactured from chrome vanadium and feature smooth 72-teeth ratchet handles with cushioned grips. The 1/4”drive set features nine deep sockets, 13 standard metric sockets, six star sockets, eight star bits, three hex bits, 12 assorted screwdriver bits, a universal joint, 50mm extension bar, 150mm extension bar, sliding T-bar and screwdriver. Available at a retail price of around £55.95
The guys as Bits4Landys in Scarborough North Yorkshire are well-known for their high quality steel and aluminium sheet metal reproduction parts and accessories for Series Land Rovers. They also supply grit blasted and galvanized bulkheads, front panels, axle cases and wheels. The latest are a pair of bulkhead brackets suitable for Series 3 Land Rovers. New laser cut and CNC bent copies are made from 3mm steel and hot dip galvanized and there are claimed to be 100% accurate – which means they are going to fit!
There cannot be a single reader who hasn’t experienced a vehicle with an annoying squeak or rattle, that no matter what you do, you just cannot get rid of. Help is at hand it seems from Newgate Simms with the new aftermarket Squeaks and Rattles Kit. These guys have been supplying all these products to the trade for years, but now you can get your hands on them. This kit includes various anti-friction coatings, dry film lubricants and also specialist automotive felts and foams that you can use to try and stop those highly irritating noises.
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