YOU DROVE THAT, HERE ??!!

That's what they usually say, as they are looking at us in shock.  Then we tell them we are going to Panama and back again to Canada and they don't know what to say.  Sometimes they ask us if we've come from a safari in Africa!

Driving the Land Rover gets us smiles, waves, honks, our picture taken but most usually we get the thumbs up.  Our friend Rasta says Justin is a 'rock star' because of all the attention he gets driving, as he noted from being a passenger in the truck.  We've had offers to purchase the vehicle and have been asked to take groups on jungle tours (this happened three times).  The Land Rover has broken the ice countless times, especially at border crossings and at military check points.  It has taken a hardened look of a soldier and replaced it with a smile, especially after they take a look inside.  If another Land Rover owner (past or present) spots us they go out of their way to stop and talk.  The Land Rover seems to be a star attraction, we never knew how much attention it would get!

after almost 100 days, we have only passed on the highway four vehicles

On the flip side, there has been a learning curve to driving this star attraction.  The roads here are narrow and heavily rutted.  Given the narrow width of the truck and the manual steering, the truck likes to change lanes spontaneously, keeping my total focus and arm muscles intact.  The erratic driving styles in Mexico and the 1967 braking system is a constant battle.  You have to not only watch the road in front of you, passing vehicles coming towards you and impatient vehicles behind you - overtaking you any chance they get (blind corners included).  On top of that throw in an eight speed manual gear box with two shifters and no tachometer, making this the ultimate multitasking experience.  At the end of a long driving day I am mentally and physically exhausted.  Because of this I feel I am earning my vintage Land Rover driving diploma.

"is that a Perkins or a Mercedes" they ask as they hear the clatter coming from the engine bay

one stream crossing so far

its also works as a kitchen counter

This vehicle isn't just nuts and rivets - it has its own fiery personality.  It likes to cruise at 80-85 km/h (feels like 150 km/h to us!)  It enjoys low seaside elevations and tropical heat, like us.  It does not like to pass other vehicles, its more than happy to draft a semi truck.  In particular, it enjoys having its fiery red knob shifter pulled back into 4-low, so it can really flex its muscles.

replacing the rear shocks

removing the rear diff

BROKEN, REPAIRED AND ADDITIONAL WORK SINCE LEAVING

• temperature gauge, proving to be inaccurate 
• broken Hella headlight lens, rock chip early on in the trip
• lost cover to the fuse box
• speedometer and odometer quit working
• replaced rear shocks
• replaced worn bushings in leaf spring
• replaced broken trans mount
• replaced universals in front prop shaft
• wedged front axle to prevent further universal wear
• broken step on driver side
• broken weld on roof rack
• some rivets are coming loose on the body panels
• one flat tire
• and the grandaddy of them all so far - an exploded rear end (differential) As an update to our current problem we have a donor used rear end on route to us and a small army of people sourcing new parts and a True Trac from Canada and the UK to rebuild us a new rear end

finding specific motor oil has proven difficult

WISH I WOULD OF...

• put in both front and rear limited slip differentials (Eaton True Trac)
• frame mounted spare tire on the rear (lowering the center of gravity)
• rear mounted the high lift jack
• installed windshield washer nozzles with pump 
• added in rock grills for headlights
• installed hazard lights
• purchased a Rover Drive Overdrive
• purchased steel, locking jerry cans for the roof
• installed a rpm gauge

first flat tire

WHAT WORKED

• Corbeau Baja Suspension seats - so comfortable
• Rocky Mountain Parabolic Suspension - stable in all road conditions
• Toyo M-55 off-road tires - only one flat and wear like rocks
• Tuffy locking center console 
• Wolf 16 inch rims - 1/4 inch thick steel never bend
• Snorkels on all driveline components - has made wading depth 2 feet
• B-Quiet sound proofing - Amazing, if you own a rover, you know they are deafening 

After we bought the Land Rover we started making lists of spare parts, tools and other necessities we thought we would need for this trip.  We added a lot of items for comfort and security. We did some repair work and inspections to make sure our forty-four year old vehicle was up to the task.  We thought we thought of everything.  We ran through scenarios, methods of roadside repair - etc.  The thing is, something two control freaks like us need to learn, is that regardless, things still do go wrong.  Shit happens.  The Land Rover is sure teaching us a lot - how to adapt and overcome.  So when something breaks on it and it is hurting we feel its pain (except on occasion, Nadine wants to drive it into the ocean with me inside)  This current breakdown has caused us sleepless nights, anxiety, and many pesos spent on phone cards.  Our Land Rover support team back home, you know who you are, have been incredible!  It feels like you guys are riding along with us on this adventure!

Even though we have been having a lot of problems lately, the choice to bring a difficult, labor intensive and rare truck on this trip was still the correct one.  The truck has added another dimension to this experience and has become a member of the family.

DELAYED PART 3

Hopefully this is a trilogy and we're not in some saga like Friday the 13th because its sure starting to feel like it!

in pieces

So it goes like this - we were out getting fuel and money for our early departure the next day.  We went the back way to our hotel and had to drive up some hills to get there.  As we were going up the last one we hit a bump and heard bang, clank and then a clunk.  We looked at each other in fear, Justin stopped and pulled the emergency brake and hopped out to get a look under the truck but didn't see anything initially. He thought that we had twisted a half shaft.  This was a very precarious spot, so he got back in and limped us to the top of the hill.  It was dark but thankfully we were under a street light (the only one on the road).

We had a security guard join us and with his limited English and our limited Spanish we looked for the cause of all the noise.  We started with removing the half shafts (axle shafts) and then the prop shaft (drive shaft) but neither of these were broken.  The pinion didn't turn with the half shafts out.  After about two hours we were able to grease the wheel bearings and engage the transfer case in four low and drive home.  At this point, we were both exhausted and freaked out about what this could mean for us.

The next day, Justin took apart the differential and these pictures show what happened.  The cotter pin on the spider assembly let go (it appears a long time ago).  The spider gear stayed in place until this night, when it came out of position, jamming and shattering the differential.

cotter pin polished to a smooth finish

this is the pin that the spider gear was polishing (because of no cotter pin stopping rotation)

We are actually lucky that this happened where it did because it seems it was only a matter of time, it was going to break sooner or later.  So now we are relying on some good people back in Edmonton to find us an upgraded rear end with a limited slip Detroit True Trac, and ship it down to us.

the way this broke the open diff was now posi allowing us to go up the hill

So we are now in the outskirts of Manzanillo, not sure how long we'll be here but knowing the guys in Edmonton they'll have us on our way as soon as possible.  We will be able to fix this and continue on our adventure, it just really sucks!!!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

After our two week vacation in Sayulita, our Land Rover decided it wanted to stay an additional two.  This actually ended up working out in our favour as the timing was perfect - we had family flying down and they invited us to come and stay with them in Nuevo Vallarta.  Being with family gave us a comfort we haven't had in a long time.  Seeing our great nieces and nephew, late night talks, tasty food, a comfortable bed and many Starbucks gave us renewed energy that will take us to our next visitor from home.  The nine of us also shared a nasty, highly infectious flu, that we know none of us are soon to forget!!  That aside, it was a wonderful visit and it was hard to say goodbye!

After thirty-seven days without really driving, we are back on the road again.  The first few hours was tough but as the miles clicked away we slid back into our groove.  We got that excited feeling again to roll down the highway and see new places.

driving along mex 200

We are still heading south, following the pacific coast. Enjoying the last we'll see of the ocean before we start to head inland.  We are currently in San Patricio, a town we both instantly like.  Its clean, laid back and has a great beach.  We're stuffing ourselves with great Mexican cuisine, hanging out on the beach and wandering the streets of the neighbouring towns - all the things we love.

San Patricio - Melaque

Barra de Navidad

incase of earthquake - stay calm and extinguish your cigarettes