1974 FJ40 through the Sahara and sand dunes!
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- Thread starter
- #104
Zagora
We all went to a well known mechanics among of the numerous ones in Zagora, this city used to be a Dakar base for a long time and has maaany 4x4 specialists garages.
For very cheap they'll grease everything, clean the airfilter and radiator, and inspect the vehicle.
HZJ79 said he had a little noise from one of his wheels, 30 minutes later they had re-tighten all 4 wheel bearings.
I didn't take a picture but on the KDJ90 they found a airline crack on the chassis on the rear chassis.
When leaving they had already teared apart the whole rear end to start the repair for the car to be ready next morning.
I also let them do a full exterior clean on the 40.
And I went to find myself a nice hotel for the night with a good couscous served in the garden.
We all went to a well known mechanics among of the numerous ones in Zagora, this city used to be a Dakar base for a long time and has maaany 4x4 specialists garages.
For very cheap they'll grease everything, clean the airfilter and radiator, and inspect the vehicle.
HZJ79 said he had a little noise from one of his wheels, 30 minutes later they had re-tighten all 4 wheel bearings.
I didn't take a picture but on the KDJ90 they found a airline crack on the chassis on the rear chassis.
When leaving they had already teared apart the whole rear end to start the repair for the car to be ready next morning.
I also let them do a full exterior clean on the 40.
And I went to find myself a nice hotel for the night with a good couscous served in the garden.
such amazing videos and photos. with all that desert travel you’ve done so far have you actually been stuck at all? i’m impressed how well the 40 moves though the sand in the videos you’ve shown.
- Thread starter
- #106
Nope, never got stuck yet, shovel and Maxtrax still brand new. Never even needed to reverse from a situation.
Weight is a big factor, of all the vehicles I drove with the 79 was the worst as much as getting bogged down.
Sure Franklin, but don't forget that he's...
"Driving a Legend, Driving a Land Cruiser"!
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believe me i had no doubt!! i have two!! i’ve just never driven on sand. loads of snow. but no sand!!
middlecalf
SILVER Star
Ok, you killed me with that last pic. Stop it. We have snow and freezing rain here in lovely Idaho.
- Thread starter
- #110
Humbly following along on such a great adventure on so many levels, safe travels.
Question... what type of cooler / refrigerator are you using?
Question... what type of cooler / refrigerator are you using?
- Thread starter
- #112
Same than this one except it's not branded Dometic:
It's a 14L thermoelectric cooler, depending of how it's loaded it will keep things around 10-15°C under external temp.
It draws 4A constantly and I have it wired on the radio fuse, so only running when key is on ACC or ON.
In numerous restaurants and hotels where I stayed I asked for iced (tap) water bottles that they gave me for free. With one 1.5L iced bottle + the Pelletier plate it stays cold for 2 days. Otherwise it's just a little colder than outside which is still better than nothing for beers and cheese x)
Got it used for cheap and as it's fabric on the outside (still have a solid insulated basin inside) and small it's easy to wedge somewhere in the cargo area between other things.
But otherwise that's very bad compared to any compressor based cooler, don't cool very well and use a lot more energy... But compressor coolers take soo much space, even small ones...
The beer has to be cold! 
Boss Hog
Cutty say he can’t HANG!!
I love the sound of your well-running 2F as work through the sand. And I am in total agreement with you on minimizing your weight. That Aussie Swag tent (vs a big rooftop) looks perfect for this trip in your 40. I would pack my 60 similarly.
- Thread starter
- #115
After a good rest night in Zagora I'm going again solo with my plans.
I'll take a piste in the far south from Tagounite (last fuel stop), following the Draa river bed, then crossing the famous Erg Chegaga by the south and finishing by the crossing of the dry lake Iriki to then find my way through the mountains to Foum Z'guid. This trip should take me 2 days.
Most people and particularly organized groups only go by the north of Erg Chegaga to join lake Iriki.
In M'Hamid where civilization ends I can't find a proper trace of the original piste I had plan (purple) so I decide to follow an alternative piste that goes south of the Draa using the last bridge crossing the Draa. Obviously I will need to cross back the Draa later, at this season it is a dry river bed and no rain on weather forecast.
This route will give me the opportunity to cross another Erg, Zahar and its famous Lion's dune.
Zoom on first day part.
As I start my progression toward Erg Zahar I can still see many traces of camel tour groups in the sand, so at least I'm not completely alone for now. But the further away I get from M'Hamid the less camel traces I see.
I'll take a piste in the far south from Tagounite (last fuel stop), following the Draa river bed, then crossing the famous Erg Chegaga by the south and finishing by the crossing of the dry lake Iriki to then find my way through the mountains to Foum Z'guid. This trip should take me 2 days.
Most people and particularly organized groups only go by the north of Erg Chegaga to join lake Iriki.
In M'Hamid where civilization ends I can't find a proper trace of the original piste I had plan (purple) so I decide to follow an alternative piste that goes south of the Draa using the last bridge crossing the Draa. Obviously I will need to cross back the Draa later, at this season it is a dry river bed and no rain on weather forecast.
This route will give me the opportunity to cross another Erg, Zahar and its famous Lion's dune.
Zoom on first day part.
As I start my progression toward Erg Zahar I can still see many traces of camel tour groups in the sand, so at least I'm not completely alone for now. But the further away I get from M'Hamid the less camel traces I see.
- Thread starter
- #116
As I feel more and more alone I start my learning of the driving conditions.
The ground is a solid compacted clay and tracks often used eroded this clay and are really easy to follow. But soft sand patch moves with wind and create small dunes on the track on which traces quickly disapear. Some you can go over but sometime you have to play the labyrinth game to find the way through the maze small dunes.
The ground is a solid compacted clay and tracks often used eroded this clay and are really easy to follow. But soft sand patch moves with wind and create small dunes on the track on which traces quickly disapear. Some you can go over but sometime you have to play the labyrinth game to find the way through the maze small dunes.
John McVicker
SILVER Star
Dude, you are alone. When you have to ‘look’ for camel tracks…you are ALONE.
Great read.
Great read.
- Thread starter
- #118
I'm entering Erg Zahar and can immediately see the Lion's dune in the distance.
The sand in this Erg does not look like any other. The color and texture are unique, it's so soft it almost look like it's flat paint in the background.
For no particular good reason I decided I wanted to try to get as close as possible of Lion's dune by car. Here I am way of tracks playing the labyrinth game.
The sand in this Erg does not look like any other. The color and texture are unique, it's so soft it almost look like it's flat paint in the background.
For no particular good reason I decided I wanted to try to get as close as possible of Lion's dune by car. Here I am way of tracks playing the labyrinth game.
I've never been in a situation where I was looking for camel tracks to stay on coarse. You have a great adventurous soul, keep at it!
I want to make the sound of your FJ40 pushing through desert sand, my ringtone.
