Driving across Australia, What supplies/spare parts ?

Twinklz,
it might be obvious but is often overlooked and that is your battery. Have it thoroughly tested if it is not new, and consider replacing it. Nothing more painful than having to be constantly jump started.
And speaking from experience you can be well prepared and have an accident that will leave you stranded. This happened to me many years ago in north west Australia. Only through luck I am still here !
 
Ratbag said:
Even my brother's Hyundai Elantra has done around 300,000 kms without major repairs. It has had about 3x rebuilds of its air-con and a few other things though. Not bad for a really cheap car IMO.
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Thats not too bad, it's pretty good actually


Red XS said:
The number one thing is knowing your car well and problem solving.
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Exactly.
You also must be self sufficient :cool:

Twinklz said:
I'll be taking a epirb
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Thats a must in my opinion, especially as you'll be a long way away from help should anything happen.

TheInterceptor said:
If the engine is reliable and not blowing smoke or doing anything bad, id stick with it till after the trip as it is a proven motor and known to be reliable.
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I agree.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Twinklz said:
Yeah aftermarket lsd and complete rebuild underneath
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Consider what type of LSD you want to put in. El Freddo has a OBX (Torsen style) in his & I was impressed with how much grip he had. This doesnt have any understeer on the road but you need to dab the brakes if you lift a wheel. Its also maintenance free (a big plus in a gearbox!)

The other style is plated which transfers torque better with a lifted wheel but can have understeer & is way more expensive plus needs maintenance.

TheInterceptor said:
If the engine is reliable and not blowing smoke or doing anything bad, id stick with it till after the trip as it is a proven motor and known to be reliable.
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Gotta agree with this. You can then flog it on the trip & not worry about damage as you'll be replacing it anyway lol

Are HF radios any good? Do we need one?
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Apparently VHF radios work better over very long distances but are not very clear. I have one you can have for cheap if you want
 
I'll be going with the OBX torsen style then, as long as it's reliable.
 
The OBX is a cheap knock off of the Torsen, still works but you need to file down some of the bolts to make it fit & the build quality is meant to be pretty bad. Look for a genuine Torsen from ebay, thats what I'll be doing

EDIT: OBX centres are going for about $500 +shipping but I cant find a Torsen. Plenty of Cusco, KAAZ & a few other plated diffs
 
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NachaLuva said:
Apparently VHF radios work better over very long distances but are not very clear. I have one you can have for cheap if you want
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Are those are the ones with the massive bases and tall mast that i see occasionally on touring rigs and on cars from remote areas?

If its worth having i might be interested haha.
 
Not sure, I think so. Or maybe they're just the ones who to show off lol :rotfl:

Mine is just the base unit & mike, no aerial, but you can get aerials pretty much anywhere
 
I'll be mounting the antennas for the cb's on my sidesteps good idea? Bad idea?
 
Gidday Twink

Twinklz said:
I think an epirb might be sufficient
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A friend has lent me his spare Spot Messenger (Gen2) for the duration.

Having used it a bit, and being not unfamiliar with how they work, I will buy my own before I go.

When we have access to this sort of technology, it's plain bloody stupid not to avail one's self of it, IMNSHO.

It's not as if it costs thousands of dollars as it did not so very long ago.

A Spot Messenger Gen3 costs under Oz$200 (and can be had for less than this), and the 24/7 monitoring for a year costs US$165. Flaming cheap life insurance, as I said before.
 
Twinklz said:
I'll be mounting the antennas for the cb's on my sidesteps good idea? Bad idea?
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Bad idea ... :(.

Should have as little obstruction from the body metal as possible, and be as high up on the vehicle as possible.
 
Well, we'll have a nurse and a pretty well equipped first aid kit,I think it's not needed
 
Ratbag said:
Bad idea ... :(.

Should have as little obstruction from the body metal as possible, and be as high up on the vehicle as possible.
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Say about 50-100 mm cleared of the roof?
 
HF radio is used for long distance communications and can be a pain in the backside. I think it would be much easier to rent a sat phone for the duration of the trip. A standard VHF 5W cb will get you around 10kms dependant on terrain and is more of a car to car communicator. The best antenna location is on the roof, but not always pratcical and 2nd best is bullbar/bonnet area.
 
+1 for bonnet/bullbar. You can buy a little Z clamp to mount your aerial on the rear of the guard next to the bonnet
 
Ok, how do they stand up to wind? Do they bend?
 
I just drilled a hole in the bonnet hinge (there's a fit at the edge of the windscreen that holds a trim plug) since the z bracket i had just spent a year grinding away the edge of my bonnet.
 
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