Team SandBug, Plymouth-Banjul Challenge 2006

Suited & booted!

2005-12-06T18:53:00.000Z

Lots of jobs have been done since the last update, the most noticeable being the shiny new paintjob. We matched the livery of our fuel cost sponsors - Oasis Overland, so the bug is now a nice bright yellow.
Anyone interested in an overland expedition to Africa or South America should check out their website and brochure as their prices are incredibly inexpensive - how about 14 days in South Africa for £245 or 26 days for only £345!!
Their website is www.oasisoverland.com

Lots of other mechanical work has gone on too, mostly out of sight so it appears that nothing is different but basically it's now going to be a lot safer and more reliable than it might otherwise have been.

With three weeks to go before departure it's now mostly interior jobs needing finishing off so with luck all will be ready on time.

She's a (left) hooker!

2005-10-28T19:13:00.000+01:00

At last, after lots of setbacks, the conversion to LHD is finished.
I never imagined it would be so complicated.
Most of the problems were down to VW's decision to build their RHD Beetles with none of the mounting points for the LHD steering parts. This necessitated having to cut holes in the bulkhead for the steering column, brake master cylinder etc etc.
Next I'll finish off checking over the braking system then it's on to sorting out the interior.

Jackin' up!!

2005-10-11T00:02:00.000+01:00

Since the last entry I've serviced all the rear brakes and raised the rear suspension height.
I was planning on raising the front as well but, with the big tyres on I think it looks high enough already.
Yesterday I picked up the bits I need to use to convert the car to LHD and I also picked up the Rover 600 reclining front seats so we'll have somewhere comfortable to perch during long delays at border crossings etc.
Still to decide whether to repair or replace the holed fuel tank.
I was able to actually drive the car under it's own power today. All the gears seem to be there & the clutch feels fine so that's good news.

One step forward, one step back...

2005-10-07T00:13:00.000+01:00

A frustrating day today.
There was a very strong smell of fuel hanging around the car this morning.
A quick look underneath showed me there was a leak somewhere around the fuel tank.
I took the tank out for a better look and found it had a hole in it,caused by rust.
I think I may know someone with a used tank but if not, I'll just repair this one.
I got the monster wheels fitted so there was at least some progress there.
Also, with the fuel tank out of the way I was able to have a good look at the steering setup in preparation for the conversion to LHD.
Weather permitting, I'm hoping to raise the rear suspension height tomorrow as the wheel arches are currently very near to my oversize tyres.

Now for an experiment, in an attempt to lure Go*gle to spider the http://www.sandbug.co.uk website, I just listed the url here.

Body panels refitted..

2005-10-04T22:29:00.000+01:00

Bonnet, underbonnet panel and front wings now sorted. Waiting for some wheel bolts to arrive so the giant wheels can go on and it'll really start to look the part.

I'm still waiting for the new carb to arrive though I picked up a new fuel pump today as the old one seems to have suffered from water damage in a similar way to the old carb.

Last night I won an ebay auction for a pair of velour front seats from a Rover 600. I've still to collect them but for just £10 the pair, how cheap was that!!
The old seats didn't recline at all and as I think there'll be times when one of us may want to sleep whilst the other drives, I thought it best to change them for something more comfortable.

Hopefully the new carb will arrive tomorrow so I can get it to run on petrol rather than Easy Start!

Steady progress..

2005-10-03T01:27:00.000+01:00

Nothing too exciting to report.
Over the course of the weekend I've managed to get the exhaust and the engine cage fitted and have started test-fitting the body kit.
To date, I've got the engine cowling panel fitted plus both of the rear wheel arches.
Tomorrow I'll be starting on the front panels.
I've found a cheap new carburettor on ebay to replace the one that came with the car and which proved to be full of water which had corroded the insides beyond repair.

She's a runner!

2005-09-29T19:56:00.000+01:00

Another milestone today, got the engine running at last!

The only problem is, she only runs whilst someone sprays 'easy start' down the carburettor!
As soon as you stop spraying, she dies again.

I've tracked the problem down though - the fuel pump is hardly pumping anything through and the carb was full of water which had been there for years and had turned into a whitish sludge that blocked every jet and orifice!
The carb looks to be behond cleaning so I'm looking out for a replacement.

Once I had the reassurance that the engine was capable of running, I started to fit the Baja body kit I picked up on ebay a few months ago.
By the end of the day I had the engine cowl and both rear wings fitted so, from the back at least, she's starting to look more like the desert eater we're planning.

Team news..

2005-09-28T23:14:00.000+01:00

My two keen 'possible co-drivers' have both had to pull out, one for health reasons and the other because he can't get the time off work.
Fortunately, just as I was starting to wonder who else I might ask, a message appeared in the Challenge newsgroup with details of someone looking for a place in the event.
After exchanging a few emails I have a new co-driver - Mark Eveleigh.
Mark is a photojournalist and author, who is based in Pamplona, Spain.
Maxim magazine once described Mark as "a borderline insane modern-day adventurer" so he'll do very nicely!
Check out www.markeveleigh.com for more details on his previous escapades.

First posting..

2005-09-28T22:46:00.000+01:00

The story so far...

I first read about the Plymouth-Dakar challenge in a newspaper early in 2005.
I tracked down the official website that evening and registered my interest.
I had no idea who might come along as co-driver but when I told some friends about the Challenge, several expressed interest. These were later whittled down to two who were keenest to come along.

In May 2005 I heard that I'd made it into the event so I started looking for a suitable car.
I wanted to go in something a bit unusual and decided on a VW Beetle.
Whilst looking for a LHD one on ebay I came across a beaten-up Baja body conversion kit including a set of enormous wheels & tyres. I couldn't resist them and managed to win the auction at a ridiculously low price.

After months of seeing all the LHD Beetles go for more than I was prepared to pay, I decided to grab a cheap RHD one and convert it myself.

The car I bought was described as having had lots of welding professionally done. The listing also said that the car needed reassembling.
I took this to mean replacing the carpets & seats etc but, when I went along to collect it, I was presented with a rolling shell plus a semi-stripped engine and a pile of boxes containing hundreds of unidentified Beetle parts! Apparently the car has been in this state since 1992!

On Monday 26th September I arrived home with the car and the following morning started on getting the engine back together. By evening it was ready to be refitted.

Today, Wednesday 28th I managed to get the engine back in and ready to run.
First attempts at firing it up weren't successful as it turned out that the carb was completely full of water and I seem to be missing a large part of the engine wiring harness. Sadly rain stopped play before I got the engine going today but it's getting close now, firing intermittently.