Spent most of the day checking oil levels etc, fitting a CB and packing kit.

Fuel tank is full and we're all ready to go. We're aiming to leave by 09:00, so a reasonably leisurely start to the day and we should miss the rush hour traffic.

Well a quick trip to test uot certain theories about how much distance can be covered per day greenlaning proves not so possible!

Now, just throwing a few bits of camping kit in the back and clearing off turns into days of prep and shopping to ensure all eventualities are covered (quite a bit of money spent too). Still I supose it's sensible give we'll be travelling as a solo vehicle with nothing to support us but a route card lodged with nearest and dearest coupled with planned calls to confirm check point arrivals.

We'll be adding more on here and on the trips pages as we progress.

The bar's complete!

I've fitted the lights and aerials to it and it is now riveted to the screen. The wiring of the lights is still to be done and I've yet to source a CB to use the aerials but it does look good.

I'll post pictures in the gallery page as soon as I've taken some.

I've started making a combined auxillary light and CB aerial bar for DVO.

I'm intending mounting four halo spot lights and a pair of co-phased CB aerials on a single bar that is mounted on the screen frame so that she can be run with any combination of roof (or not) without affecting the bar and it's attachments. I had wondered about canterlevering it so that it stayed functional with the screen folded down but have decided this might be a step too far!

So far the basic bar and brackets are cut, folded and welded, just got the lugs for lights and aerials to cut and weld. Then it's painting, fitting and kitting.

Since the last blog we've proofed the canvas hood (£35.00), fitted the spare wheel mount on the bonnet and replaced the series 2a military heater in the cab with standard units under the bonnet.

There are still some of the dashboard ducts and spiggots to collect up and fit to complete the refit back

In collecting the tailgate chains I found the chap I was buying them from also had a complete 109 FFR he was breaking/scrapping and it still had it's hood and sticks!


Well a couple of weekends back we went up to Stowmarket and removed the canvas hood, hood frame, windscreen and near side door top (it was in better nick than the one on DVO) for a very reasonable price.


All fitted now, just needs re-proofing but doesn't she look good?!

The Idea.

My 13 year old son, Aaron, and I are contemplating a couple of days combined greenlaning and camping in DVO!

We are looking at either a two or three days/nights travelling up into Norfolk and Suffolk and back again or more adventurously up to Cumbria then coast to coast (as per the greenlane feature in last month’s and this month’s LRO) and back home which would probably be more like 4 days/nights. We would probably look to use Camping and Caravanning Club Sites for the overnight stops.

The idea for either trip would be to travel as much on the journey as possible on greenlanes rather than normal roads. Thus providing us with both an organisational challenge as well as a driving one.

We thought we might use this trip to promote some fund raising for Arthritis research as it should be quite a challenge to cover this sort of mileage in DVO given that she is only starting to shape up into a more reliable vehicle and has a top speed of about 50mph. Also she is still in need of various bits of kit etc. for how I want her to end up and so would mean the trip in completed in an essentially standard car.

The Help Needed.

As she doesn't have any self recovery kit such as a winch so for safety we really need another suitable vehicle and driver as a travel companion, so that's the first bit of help I'm seeking.

The other help I’m looking for is firstly any local information with suitable lanes following as straight a line as possible from Cambridge to St Bees and from Robin Hood Bay back to Cambridge (the other possible trip I have more of this information for). Secondly is advice/help to promote sponsorship (I have a Just Giving page set up) and interest at relatively short notice.

If anyone thinks they can help in any way please let me (Jason) know at lostlaner@hotmail.co.uk.

Well, we're still having the occational blockage o9f the fuel pickup filter. But these are easily recognised and rectified now that I know what they are! I will clearly have to remove the tank so I can flush it to prevent this from keep happening.

A short spell of good weather and I decided to take the hard top off despite not having aquired a canvas top and frame yet. This makes for a fun ride to work on the days it has rained over night! Oh, and of course the weather hasn't been anywhere near as good since!!!

The one new bit of kit is the tailgate, hinges and chains ready for the canvas top.

After a fair bit of fiddling I finally turned to the wonderfull Land Rover Forums for advice on the engine/fuel problem. As I say, 'wonderfull Land Rover Forums'. It only took a few hours to have a fist full of views on what could be wrong, and they all were on much the same theme..... some sort of fuel starvation (lift pump, fuel filter blockage or leaking line etc.)

Well not wanting to just throw money at it I checked the fuel supply from the lift pump by hand operating it with the line from it to the main filter disconnected and found next to nothing coming from it. I checked the fuel line back to the tank, all seemed fine, so took the combined fuel guage sender and pick up pipe out of the tank only to find the little guaze filter on the end of the pipe totally blocked. This replaced everything s fine and she has been running like a trooper ever since.

Whilst driving a short journey when I slowed at a roundabout, foot off the throttle, the engine tick over stayed higher than usual.

Then the next time it stayed higher still, not exactly racing but high enough to be uncomforable.

A bit further on and it felt like it was loosing torque then as if it was only firing on 3 cylinders.

A short while later it petered out. After ba while not running it started with a bit of a struggle.

A bit further on and it did the same thing again.

It kept doing this but at shorter intervals until eventually I called the RAC.

I had wondered if the head gasket was giving out but the RAC patrolman was aderment it would have to be down to the diesel injection pump.


Any ideas would be greatfully received!