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Witt and Jen’s
Car
In setting up for this trip we have made substantial modifications to the
cars. Though boring to many the following list provides info on most of
the major modifications and additions done to our car.
Adventure Light (ARB supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
The ARB adventure light is a 1 amp draw fluorescent light on a 16 foot
power lead. It plugs into the power points on the truck.
Air Filter & Oil filter (K&N supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
We have upgraded the air filter to a K&N filter. Great for long
expeditions, the K&N can be cleaned and re-oiled instead of replaced. It
also allows greater air flow and thereby slightly increases power.
We have added K&N oil filters which offer fantastic filtering
technology. We are carrying spare filters for oil changes on the route.
Awning (Technitop supplied by Technitop)
The technitop awning attaches directly to the side of the roof top tent
and provides welcome shade and rain protection.
Bull Bar & Skid Plate (Safari Gard supplied by Safari Gard)
We chose Safari Gard for their functionality and strength. The Safari
Gard bull bar allows a fantastic approach angle and allows mounts for
tow points and the winch. The skid plate is integral to the bull bar and
provides protection for the steering linkage.
Center Console (Tuffy Security Products supplied by Pangaea
Expeditions)
The Tuffy center console fits perfectly between the front seats and
provides a lockable and very strong security compartment. It also has a
compartment for the stereo.
Compressor (ARB supplied by Henry and Kathy Sparks)
The ARB compressor has a small on board air tank and a quick connect for
attaching air lines. It runs at about 0.9 CFM. Witt built a bracket to
mount the compressor in the engine bay.
Curtains (custom supplied by Kathy Sparks)
Kathy made a large curtain to drop behind the front seats, separating
the load bay from the front. She had it silkscreened with the Africa
Overland logo.
Diff Guard (Safari Gard supplied by Safari Gard)
We have a diff guard on the front (more vulnerable) diff to protect from
rocks and road debris. Graham welded the guard on since the standard
bolt on mount has a tendency to come loose and leave the diff guard
somewhere on the trail.
Dual Battery System (Optima and Hell Roaring supplied by Pangaea
Expeditions and Hell Roaring)
Witt installed an Optima Red Top for the vehicle and winch and an Optima
Yellow Top deep cycle for the house equipment. These batteries are
connected through a Hell Roaring battery isolator which allows each
battery to be isolated and independently charged. Witt also designed a
monitoring system so that he can keep an eye of the state of the house
battery from the driver’s seat.
Flashlight (Pelican supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
Witt mounted a Pelican rechargeable flashlight on the back door. Great
for bathroom breaks in the night.
Fridge (42 Quart ARB supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
An essential piece of equipment for keeping beer cold. ARB supplies the
same equipment that Engle does. Low power draw with the ability to
freeze. Very cool stuff.
GPS Mount (Ram mount)
The Ram mount affixes the Garmin Rhino to the top of the dash and allows
a great deal of mobility for placing the GPS in exactly the required
position. Power for the GPS comes from the car so that batteries are not
relied on.
Interior Lights (Generic and Hella)
We wired three additional lights inside the truck. A Hella fluorescent
light in the rear cargo area and two standard lights in the centerline
of the ceiling forward of the Hella.
Inverter (Coleman supplied by Alpine Rodman)
In order to run 110v appliances like chargers we installed a Coleman
inverter under the rear seat.
Long Range Fuel Tank (Excel Tanks supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
The long range tank mounts in the passenger side rear wing between the
filler cap and the standard fuel tank. It increases the fuel load to
about 33 gallons and can be filled from the regular fuel filler. With
the tank and additional jerry cans we can increase our range to over
1000 miles.
Map Light (Hella supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
Map light is installed on the dash board to provide non-driver
interfering light for the passenger.
Oil Storage Box (Custom supplied by Alpine and Verna Rodman)
Alpine and Verna build a fantastic drop down storage box under the
passenger floor for holding a full oil change for the truck. It is
lockable and does not protrude past the frame.
Power Points (Generic)
In order to supply power to all of our lights, fridge and other
appliances we installed four additional power points in the car. One on
the dash next to the cigarette lighter, two under the back seats next to
the inverter and one next to the rear door. The power points are much
smaller and more compact than the standard cigarette lighter plugs, so
Witt replaced all of the plug ends on appliances with the newer, smaller
plugs.
Rear Bumper Ends (Safari Gard supplied by Safari Gard modified by
SpriderTrax)
These bumper ends provide protection to the fuel tank and water tank
mounted in the rear wings. They also provide a mounting location for the
roll cage, a jacking point at the rear and the first step for the ladder
to the roof rack.
Rock Guard Kit(Safari Gard supplied by Safari Gard)
The Rock Guard kit provides bolt on protection to the vulnerable track
rod behind the front axle.
Rock Sliders (Safari Gard supplied by Sfari Gard modified by
SpiderTrax)
Sliders provide sill protection as well as a jackable base along the
side of the truck. SpiderTrax strengthened the sliders to be able to
mount the roll cage to them.
Roll Cage (SpiderTrax supplied by SpiderTrax)
SpiderTrax custom designed and built the roll cage for us in record
time. Some of the design elements they took from the standard Safety
devices external roll cage, but the one they built is fully external.
Roof Rack (Custom supplied by Justin)
Justin designed and built the roof rack to our specifications. It had to
be able to mount to the roll cage and hold the roof top tent as well as
other luggage. Justin also designed a hi-lift jack mount on the right
side of the rack.
Roof Top Tent (Technitop supplied by Technitop)
Roof top tents originated from South Africa and Technitop is based
there. The tent we are using features a hard shell and an internal
mattress and opens out over the hood of the car. Very comfortable and
convenient.
Spot Lights (Hella supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
The two Hella 4000’s on the bull bars provide an amazing amount of light
forward. They are assisted by two Hella FF300’s on the front of the roof
rack. To the rear two additional Hella FF300’s provide light from the
back of the roof rack.
Storage System (Custom supplied by Henry Sparks)
Henry designed and built a removable two drawer storage system for the
load bay of the truck. It fits between the wheel wells and can easily
contain all the tools and spare parts for the trip. The front of the
drawer shell has enough space for the large speakers that Witt wired in.
Suspension (OME supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
To cope with the heavy load in the car as well as the rough terrain in
Africa we chose an Old Man Emu suspension. This uses OME heavy duty
shocks and springs.
Tinted Windows (custom)
For security and some protection from the sun in the Sahara, we had the
windows tinted.
Tire Rack (Safari Gard supplied by Safari Gard and Land Rover
Flatirons)
The rear door spare wheel mount on the Defender 110 is notoriously weak
and prone to failure in rugged conditions. Because of this we fitted a
Safari Gard tire rack that also features a platen for holding two jerry
cans. Land Rover Flatirons supplied us with the standard Land Rover D90
soft top hinge mounts for the tire rack.
Water Tank (Excel Tanks supplied by Pangaea Expeditions)
Excel makes a seven gallon stainless steel water tank that fits in the
driver side rear wing behind the rear wheel. This tank also provides a
convenient lockable spigot on the rear crossmember for access.
Winch (Superwinch X9 supplied by Superwinch)
Superwinch gave us the X9 which is a 10,000 pound winch. We mounted it
on the bull bars and mounted the controller plug on the top of the wing.
Window Protection (custom supplied by Verna and Alpine Rodman)
In order to effect security on the windows, Alpine and Verna cut steel
mesh and designed a mounting system to attach it to the car.
Wing Top Protectors (Land Rover)
These diamond plate aluminum sheets protect the tops of the wings from
damage when they have to be stepped on. This happens a lot when game
viewing or accessing the spare tire mount on the hood.
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