Onwards to the far south desert tracks, Lac Iriki and the dunes of Erg chaggaga.
There are people that think I do not prepare well enough or worry enough about preparation or I am just too damm lucky sometimes.
So……….
We are well on the way to the vastly enlarged tiny village of Mhamid were the tarmac road end to spend the night for new years eve when we get a rear end wobble, we couldn’t move far and it was clear a rear wheel bearing had collapsed …
Milly got stressed, and I ……got out the spare …ha ha , see I am well prepared,
however Range Rover P38 wheel bearings and Discovery 2 bearings cant be changed at the side of the road like old classic /Defender style axles, the bearing has to be pressed into the housing, off came the bits out came the spare, 20 seconds later I am in a locals car wizzing along to a tiny shitty looking garage with my fingers crossed after convincingly telling SWMBO all will be OK.
However going through my mind is ..what if they don’t have a hydraulic press, what if they crack the casting.. or … or… Oh well optimism abound I enter the workshop to 5 mechanics eating lunch. They look up and we converse in ‘wank French mechanic speak’ but he understands I tell him it is from a Ranger Rover MK 2, his face changes !!!!
While they eat I look at the Rangey classic outside with a cage and rear hockey sticks, a WATTS link, yes it looks shit and I start to worry more , he appears from his workshop gloom and tells me its an ex racer that was crashed and left behind he is rebuilding it slowly to race around the desert.
He asks again what the bearing is from, I say Range Rover mk2, he looks at me strange, we are at the farthest point down Morocco right at the end of the tarmac he is a the only mechanic for 200km with any tools what am I to do.He insists I walk over the road he want to show me something.
VOILA
A 1998 4.6 MK2 Range rover in very tidy condition and complete except for the engine which he has put in his racer, he even reckons the Air Suspension works fine.
So now I have a full car of spares less gearbox and engine.
You know, its all POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE.
30 minutes later we had pressed out the old and in with the new, 20€ changed hands and a 2000km/h ride in his very old Land Cruiser I was back with Milly, 50 mins later we were camped next to a dune eating home made burgers from the home made BaaBee.
Remember the five P’s perfect preparation prevents…. Ahhhh bollocks sometimes luck is all you need, but wait , I didn’t need the spare car but I know where it is now !!!
Oh and a Compomotive PD 16″ wheel rim on the door for spares 🙂
