Tripping across the countryside.

[BlackBedford]

Good evening
I am home finally! Got home about 4pm.
For those that do not know I have sold the off white CFL van to photol because he wanted it.
http://www.buga.com.au/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=2&topic=515.0

I delivered it on Saturday doing 860kms to get there. It was a pleasant and enjoyable trip across the countryside.

I bought a CFL pantech van from Frankston and drove it 905kms home.
What a trip...
The auto shuddered and slipped and the motor boiled if not moving, but I got through Melbourne mostly OK and stopped to say goodbye to everyone. I then went to go onto the Hume Highway. The van wouldn't turn over. There was an intermittent problem with the starter motor that would give me trouble all the way home. I got it to turn over but it would not start. The points were stuffed and were replaced to get it going so I did not leave until 3pm. There is a very loose tie rod end and when traveling below 80km/h the whole van shook uncontrollably. So I had to keep my speed up however over 90km/h the motor started rattling badly. The radio knobs, and aerial, fell off so no music. The bolts fell out of the engine cover, so I had to hold it down with my left foot. I fueled up a couple of times OK (about 210kms to a tank) but when I got to Jerilderie, I fueled up and had trouble starting it. It was getting dark and I turned on the headlights. They worked for 5 minutes and then started to yellow. The alternator was not working. I drove by moonlight for 2 hours, pulling over to the side of the road when a vehicle came the opposite way. I ran out of battery 55kms from West Wyalong at 11:30pm. I checked out the alternator and wiring to determine it was stuffed. I wired up the ignition to my power pack but had to wait for a car to come by to ask for a jump start. None came so I went to bed about 2:20am. Bed being the floor in the back of the Pantech. Big trucks went past every quarter hour or so shaking the Van so I did not get sleep.
I got up at 5:30am and waited an hour for a car to pass. I got a jump start and drove 220kms to a mates place. I put a battery charger on and checked the oil, water etc. When I leaving I left a 300mm wide oil slick down the street and all the way out of town onto the Highway. The motor was blowing lots of oil out the dipstick. I stopped it by wrapping a bit of rag around the dipstick and jamming it into the tube. I got covered in oil while doing this.My mate saw it later and got worried and drover 80kms to make sure that I had got home. Well 30kms from home with me traveling at 90kms/hr, a family in a late model Landcruiser tried to overtake me at high speed and lost it, crossing back diagonally about 30cms in front of me and running off the road and rolling about 4 times. I stopped and checked what happened. By some miracle nobody was hurt. Police, Ambulance and Tow Truck sorted it all out and by chance a mate drove past and gave me a jump start and so I finally made it home with the motor rattling real bad. I don't think that I will try a trip like that again.

I am going to bed.

[doofhard]

I bought a CFL pantech van from Frankston and drove it 905kms home.

Frankston, FRANKSTON, FRANKSTON!!!!!

That's my home town, should of popped into rest.  Where are the photos of the 1 you bought, the running gear doesn't sound too flash what's the shell like?

[Tweaker]

Damn! What an adventure!

[ben]

hey doofhard i slept outside your house for about 2 hours sunday morning hahaha..

it was way to early to wake you thou. i remember last time i woke you up lol.. it was like lunch time!!!! you had no hope. 8am!!


faro out chris thats a lot more trouble than ive ever had driving a van home interstate!!!!
hmmm i think ill be putting one of those jumper battery packs in my tool kit for next time.

cheers
ben

[maria]

wow. sounds like a really long tiring movie where the doors of the cinema are locked and you're the only one there. those landcruiser folks are so so lucky. i've had near death on the road. i know what luck is. 

[BlackBedford]

Sorry doofhard,
 it all sorta happened at short notice and I didn't know you were nearby.
It was at Langwarrin.


Here is a pic:




My grandkids have adopted the pan as a cubby house.

The brakes are definitely very good. I started unpacking this morning and found that when I did the emergency stop everything in the back of the pan slid to the front including a 202 motor and trimatic that was securely roped in.

This is the third 4WD accident I have witnessed.
I saw a Landcruiser loose it and go under one of the trailers of a big cattle truck. It was a mess.
I saw a Patrol snap a power pole at speed.

The loneliest time on the trip was broken down in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, and no cars passing for hours.

There were other stuff I forgot to mention such as the seat had sagged and I scrounged in a dumpster to find some packing to raise the height.
The speedo mileage bit broke so I had a hard time tracking how far I had traveled and how much further I could travel before refueling.

I am still very tired.

[Tweaker]

You must be!..... I'm tired just reading about it. It's a good and lucky thing you made it home alright and didn't get taken out by the loony in the car that should be in the bush!

[doofhard]

hey doofhard i slept outside your house for about 2 hours sunday morning hahaha..

it was way to early to wake you thou. i remember last time i woke you up lol.. it was like lunch time!!!! you had no hope. 8am!!


cheers
ben

Sunday I was up early actually.  It's not always a miday wake up, just last time you came was after a 21st.

[Tweaker]

Asleep by midday, after a 21st? Ida thought you'd still be up!

[doofhard]

I had only just gone to bed haha.