Unscathed is quite common if you are sensible - there is no need to do every hard section as there are 'chicken tracks' around most of the hard bits. The people who come unstuck are those gungho types who must try everything. It is not worth damaging your car when you are 600km from no where.

Last year my 4wd club did the trip with a couple of RRS and D3s (not me on this occasion) and they did OK. A Nissan did die on the Creb Track.

Garry 07MY RRS TDV6
Arctic Frost
Aspen Interior

was it a 3 litre diesel nissan Garry, hearing some scary stories about GU2 models, in particular 00 to 03 models,
commonly referred to by the Nissan brigade has Hand Grenades not as reliable as many make out
as it took 4 years for nissan to resolve it apparently and yet still avoid liability for a poorly designed power unit Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

Was a Navara. Definitely do not go in in non CRD 3 litre patrol - they are grenades and Nissan never fixed them - I hope that is 4.2 diesel Patrol you have there - tough as old boots.

Whatever you go in, it will be a great trip.

enjoy

Garry 07MY RRS TDV6
Arctic Frost
Aspen Interior

Nissan fell through and after another weekend of fruitless searching i took the plunge today and ordered
everything for the Sport, Gordon (GOE Perth) has a nice order for the sliders and extenders, compressor plate
and EAS kit, Opposite lock have my bash plates, ordered the bull bar/winch, ATR's and Snorkel.. 2nd battery
and anderson plug to be sourced and fitted, i will post pictures when the conversion is complete

Cheers

Jim Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

Blimey,
Thats a comprehensive list there Zilchy. Looking forward to a thread on the conversion  ON THE WAY: BMW F21 M140i
MERCEDES GL350 - Metallic Navy Blue w/Grey interior

GOING: BMW F31 335D MSport+ xDrive Touring
GONE: Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE - Stornaway Grey w/Black Interior (wish we'd kept it )
GONE: BMW F10 520D MSport - Carbon Black
GONE:MY12 RRS SDV6 HSE Sumatra/Ivory/Grand Black Privacy glass

comprehensive cost as well BC about $7K all up Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

About £3.5-4k. Sadly, such kit is almost impossible to source for the RRS here in the UK.

I wonder how much it would cost to ship a box wih that lot in to the UK...  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Zilch wrote:

Nissan fell through and after another weekend of fruitless searching i took the plunge today and ordered
everything for the Sport, Gordon (GOE Perth) has a nice order for the sliders and extenders, compressor plate
and EAS kit, Opposite lock have my bash plates, ordered the bull bar/winch, ATR's and Snorkel.. 2nd battery
and anderson plug to be sourced and fitted, i will post pictures when the conversion is complete

Cheers

Jim

GC, in terms of the snorkel i am just not taking any chances of hitting any potholes on
crossings and flooding the engine, pure precautionary, apparently many of the depths given
are averages and not absolutes due to the uneven territory i can get a satphone from
work, i have maxtrax and most of the recovery kit already, air compressor was
on my own list list, but need a new jack and locator beacon
radio yes need to find one that can be professionally installed without ruining the
look of the cabin, no to the LLAMS, that could cause a headache if there was an accident
and i got into protracted discussions with the insurers and the sport only being a tad over
3 years old not a risk i am willing to take.

Bull bar is purely for damage limitation if i hit any big and furry things such as a
Landrcuiser or Patrol  Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

I don't disagree with your list of goodies for the long term but I took it that the mods were just for this trip.

As far as I am aware there is no snorkel for a RRS so you will need to use the LR RAI and modify it to seal it. This means sealing holes in the airbox and sealing or replacing the pipe that takes the air from the RAI to the air box. As well the lower housing of the RAI needs to be sealed against the body. There are chicken tracks around most deep spots but I do agree better to be save than sorry.

As far as UHF goes I have a built in unit in my 101 but I also have 2 $80 5w handhelds that I use in my other 4wds including the RRS. So have a think about a high powered handheld as an alternative.

I can accept your point about LLAMS but I would discuss getting rods with GOE or else you may have problems in more open areas with needing clearance but not being able to go over 50kph without the car dropping down. Have a think about it.

What bar are you intending to get? Opposite Lock is the only company that makes one for the RRS and that is in fact a D3/4 bar with some different mounts and the gaps do not fit well on the RRS but I agree it will protect you from those feral Asian 4wds. When you get it make sure it has a compliance plate attached that specifies that it is compliant for the RRS - this may protect you from your insurance co if the worst happens with a furry animal.

My personal view is that the Achilles heel of the RRS/D3/D4 on this type of trip is the air suspension compressor as it has to be used constantly used in the very humid climate (this is why it is best to set offroad height and leave it there but you would LLAMS or Rods for this). Because of the humid environment the desiccant clogs and causes issues with the compressor. You have got around this with the EAS kit but make sure it is fitted and not just carried and that the air compressor that you have will actually raise the car.

I think it is great you are using the RRS for this trip and I will look forward to the trip report. Oh the trip did not happen without pics

Garry 07MY RRS TDV6
Arctic Frost
Aspen Interior

Garry, Opposite lock at Brookvale are fitting it, they have already done one for a company who do mine
engineering, including the winch etc. The only difference is i want my colour coded with the car, either
sprayed or a wrap.. I raised the compliance issue today and they stated it is certified and not an issue.

RAI is ordered and OL said they can seal it to turn it into a proper snorkel, they have fitted one to the
same MY12 mentioned above.. Jimmysalsa (JS) provided some advise which i have passed on..

Agree i might just go for a handheld UHF, already have a cheap one but may have to find something better

I am going to speak to a LR specialist/dealership about taking spares on a Sale or Return basis so will include
either an authentic spare Compressor or maybe OEM (had one fitted to my older sport when that failed).
One thing is that we are going up in the dry weather so hopefully the humidity will not be a factor in July,
it lived in North QLD for 2 years so should be acclimatised

A question i have is in regard to the suspension, with all the corrugations etc, i was wondering whether the
existing shocks/springs are up to it..

The vehicle will have a full major service the week before it goes.. and must remember to get the diff
breathers checked Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

Zilchy.... horror, you will have to buy a new "limo" RRS when you get back. Why not take the disposable Jeep?

Well you are certainly thinking alone the right lines.

I think MR Spares in Brisbane put together the spares packs that you mentioned.

As far as suspension goes, certainly the airbags have a good reputation so if you start off with these in good condition then there should be no issues. The standard shockies are pretty ordinary but if yours are relatively new then they should be OK but will probably need replacement if the corrugations are bad. Make sure you gte some extra airline joiners and pipe form GOE as there have been some reports of holes from chaffing that may need repair.

Cheers

Garry 07MY RRS TDV6
Arctic Frost
Aspen Interior

hey Garry, can you replace the shocks seperate to the airbags? Regards, Marty

Now: 2008 RRS TDV8; 1975 Rangie ute

Then: 2010 Defender Puma TdCi 110; 1996 Defender 300Tdi; 1997 Disco V8 on vsi gas; 1976 Rangie 4.4l; 20 yrs of back breaking Tojos

I haven't had to change mine but as far as I am aware they are two separate items and shockies can be replaced independent of the airbag. I suspect the whole lot comes out as a strut and the shock then changed. Apparently not such a big job.

Garry 07MY RRS TDV6
Arctic Frost
Aspen Interior