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19th July 2002 The Range Rover now has an internal roll cage, with roof bars running front to rear to which we will fit the old (and heavily modified) roof rack, accomodating two spare wheels, jerry cans and an Eezi-Awn roof tent. Brackets fitted to the roll cage will house the CB aerials and allow us to fit a side awning - oh the luxury of shade! Richard has recently finished fitting a Mocal gearbox oil cooler and replaced the split charge relay with a heavy duty system. After much deliberation, we have decided to fit a solar panel to the roof of the trailer to charge two of our three batteries. Although we have three deep cycle batteries - one dedicated starter battery, a second fitted in the engine bay and a third in the trailer - we would still have a problem with running the batteries down if we are stationary for more than a couple of days. While it is possible to ration the amount of power used by limiting light, computer and stereo usage, a solar panel will give us an unlimited supply and greater flexibility - after all, there will be no shortage of sun where we are going! The dashboard has been redesigned to house extra power sockets, the stereo, a panel of switches and two temperature and pressure gauges. The roll cage has proved extremely useful as a shelf support - we now have one shelf running down the centre of the car from the roll bar behind the passenger and driver's seat to the front, which will be used to store maps, paperwork etc and which accomodates the CB radio and amp. A second shelf will extend back to the rear roll bar. Motorbike cargo nets provide excellent storage space on the underside of the shelves - although, by the time we return they will probably look more like hammocks! Behind the passenger seat and between the two LPG tanks is space for a 70 litre water tank to which will be fitted a water pump and filter. We haven't quite worked out how we're going to get the water into the tank without turning the Range Rover into a paddling pool but we're getting there... My efforts have now been turned to the trailer - the exterior has just had its final coat of paint, and the interior will be lined with wood and have a partition running down the centre. The trailer's function is essentially a mobile dive centre, containing the portable diving compressor loaned to us by Bauer, our scuba tanks and diving equipment and closed circuit medical oxygen system provided by DAN Europe. We are considering fitting a water tank to the underside of the trailer to allow us access to plenty of fresh water for washing down diving kit and for showering - how extravagent! - but until the Range Rover is finished that is fairly low on our list of priorities! |
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