Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club UK™

D&C · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Winchester

dot.dot.dot dash-dash-dash dot.dot.dot

Well, that's a start... Getting close to departure time, and beginning (rather too late) to think about what we should already have checked / replaced, and what spares to take as well.

The current plan is to head: Morocco => Europe (up to Estonia) => Russia => Kazakhstan => Mongolia. Then ideally into China / Tibet but issues with having to have an official "guide" (plus accommodation, transport, etc for them) if driving, so maybe back into Russia instead?

All visas now sorted (after Russia rejected us twice!), but no doubt many of you have already recognised our distinct lack of mechanical know-how! Yup, this is quite an experiment in being ill-prepared and relying on good luck... Worst-case scenario, we recover the vehicle back to the UK from Europe and hop on the Trans-Mongolian train - although we'd obviously rather not go down that route. So whatever advice you can offer would be gratefully received.

Check / Replace Before Departure:
- Steel wheels rather than alloys
- Glow plugs?
- Air filter
- Oil filter
- Fuel filter
- Sump plug washer? (Where?)
- Sanity!

Spares:
- "L300 Pocket Mechanic" manual!
- Assortment of bulbs & fuses
- Engine belts (cam, alternator, AC compressor?)
- Air / oil / fuel filters (from Milners?)
- Rolls of "black'n'nasty" (duct/gaffer tape)
- Cable-ties
- Superglue!
- Butane soldering iron
- Head gasket (- TBC)
- Windscreen wiper replacement blades
- Electrical wire
- Strong "fencing" repair wire & pliers
- Jerry cans (fuel & water)
- Sense of humour!

Recovery / Repair Equipment:
- Fire extinguisher (Foam? CO2?) & fire blanket by stove
- Two spare wheels & tyres
- Two hi-vis vests
- Warning triangle
- Various "Cyalume" glow sticks
- Emergency blankets
- Towing strop
- Hi-lift jack & "D" shackles
- Bottle jack (What rating - 4Ton as unladen wagon is already 2200kgs?) & stand-board
- Axle stands? (1 or 2? What rating? Divide by 2?)
- Hand winch (and ground anchor?)
- Sand-mats (with cord to tie to bumper so they don't get left behind after use!)
- Headtorches with spare batteries
- Toolbox (yep, including a hammer!)
- Tyre weld
- Radiator weld
- Folding shovel
- 12v air compressor / tyre inflater
- Steel tube (handle extension / lever / blow-pipe!)

Other:
- Substantial first aid kit (plus emergency dental kit, hypodermic travel kit, etc)
- Water purification tablets / straws
- Industrial wet wipes
- Camera / mini-camcorder
- SatPhone (yep, we really are taking one to keep the in-laws appeased...)
- Decoy wallets
- Toilet roll (- that's why we've fitted such a big roof-rack!)

Documentation:
- Full driving licence (photo card and paper counterpart)
- International Driving Permits
- V5 logbook
- ICMV (as Carnet du Passage not recognised on our route)
- Vehicle insurance (albeit only valid in Europe)
- Green card (on green card!)
- Passports!
- EHIC (new E111 reciprocal European med cover)
- Dog-tags (blood group, passport number, etc)
- All above photocopied (in vehicle as well as copies in UK, plus securely scanned on Internet)

We hope to keep updating this list with your suggestions as we work towards the "defacto answer"...

Thanks LondonSteve & MrBin! And more recently, DanTheMan, SafetyMan73, Lift-It, AusDean, Lewis, Carstairs, PinkPig, Bentos. All much appreciated!

Leeandeb - will PM you about your experiences travelling eastwards...
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LondonSteve · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 15:46 Post subject:

I'd include a decent 1st aid kit/basic medical suppllies as well

MrBin · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 16:09 Post subject:

Camera! :D

Under Spares: fuses and engine belts (alternator etc)

Duct/gaffer tape
Cable ties
Superglue

Dantheman · Joined: 07 Nov 2005 Posts: 312 Location: Zumerzet

Have you got a tool kit?!
I'd include a hammer Smile

Also some easy but useful spares:
Windscreen wipers.
Roll of spare wire (for electrical bodges / tieing stuff up)
An old wallet with old credit cards / bank cards in (for people to steal!)
A bit of wood to put under the bottlejack in sand / use as a pry bar.

Dantheman · Joined: 07 Nov 2005 Posts: 312 Location: Zumerzet

I've got a 10ton bottlejack for my Van, I wanted one that had a longer extension and that just meant getting a higher weight allowance! Its not that big though. Think I got it on ebay for less than £20

safetyman73 · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 16:59 Post subject:

I would add the following:

1. Hypodermic travel kit.
2. Water purification tablets/straws.
3. couple of emergency blankets.
4. some 12hr light sticks.
5. tyre weld for emergency puncture repair(new tyre will be needed if used)
6. Rad weld.
7. 12v compressor for reinflation of tyres.
8. folding shovel.
9. Some nice new jerry cans for water and fuel all mark with the aproprate lables.
10.wet wipes

this is just a few item i would carry as well as what you have.

Hth
Eddie
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lift-it · Joined: 13 Nov 2008 Posts: 141 Location: Devon.

hilift jack.plus can also be used for winching.
couple decent D shackels.

think your going to need a trailer aswell :D
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leeandeb · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 274 Location: torbay

green card cover must be printed on GREEN card, silly but true as police/ border gaurds Can't understand much of the roman alphabet and know we must have a green card to prove we have insurance.

all borders outside the eu you must pay a road tax this ranges from $10 to $45 euros. but barter them,
you will also need to buy 3rd party insurance while in there from turkey onwards.

after Istanbul you will need US dollars to use the exchange as some places do not change the £
there are ATM'S all over and u can draw money from them in the local currancie so don't carry shead loads of cash.

Jabs
hep A
hep B
rabies
typhoied
diptheria
tick bourn encephalitis

get local maps as the English ones towns don't spell them the same so unless you convert every place you want to go you will have little idea of where you are.
SO if you pull up to a local they Can't read the map as its in English. Stanford maps in london for destinations from turkey onwards and don't forget that A roads over there mean NOT much road but it will get you there.

recormended camp site for you in Slovenia is Kidriceva 10c 4260 bled tel +38 645 752 000 ......top notch views.

also since you have sat phone make sure you have the british embercy in every place you visit, just in case Smile

rabits foot for luck.
2009 and we still feel the need to explore the world....
well *beep* done that man notworthy

P_S sorry for war and peace above...lol..
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now driving a pajero mrk 2...
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ausdean · Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 94 Location: Lake District

For a ground anchor, take a shovel, dig a hole. put a spare wheel in, upright and at an angle, and there's your ground anchor!

I would take strong fencing wire and pliers. good for replacing nuts and screws and when your leaf spring breaks, you can get a big tree branch and wire it on!
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1990 L300 Delica
31" M/Ts

Lewis · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 18:14 Post subject:

Leisure battery. Wired up so that it charges during the day and can be used with low power lamps lamps at night when camping.

A night vision viewer for if you are parked in the middle of nowhere. Something like the Bushnell Guardian Nightvision Unit Will suffice (See:- http://www.uttings.com/?Sections/Specials/Nightvision/ ) A 1,000,000 candle power 12V handheld lamp (so you can recharge it whilst driving), plus a sheet of dark red plasti-glass (No 10 or 11), fixed on the front will only let the infra-red light through, giving a virtual daylight ability for the night vision viewer. Most useful for working out if those 'night-time' noises are coming from two or four legged locals, without letting them know you can see them. Wink

As part of your 'Tool kit' carry a 3' length of thick-walled steel tubing with an internal diameter around 3/4". This will double up as a 'cheater bar' (used to extend the length of ratchet handles to aid getting wheel nuts off and on, when you don't have a breaker bar) and also as a security/self defence aid! Twisted Evil

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Carstairs · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 19:42 Post subject: don't forget

Toilet roll
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There is a man with a mullet going mad with a mallet in Millets

PinkPig · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 21:55 Post subject:

A large bar of chocolate, full hip flask and some cigarettes....just in case :-)

Thinking of smokes, half a dozen cheap cigarette lighters for the camp fire
and a selection of muggers money stashed around your person/van.

Make photocopies of all your docs and try to reduce them to smallest size, laminate and stash them under the carpet or somewhere else hidden. Also give a copy to someone in the UK.
and/or type up a document in smallest font possible with things like passport numbers / licence numbers / credit card (inc cancellation phone numbers) etc etc (but just the numbers, not what they mean). make a few credit card sized laminated cards of them and stash a few around the van/luggage/wallet etc. Handy if you do loose documents.
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The PINK PIG!
1988 Delica L300 Star Wagon 2.5TD 5sp Manual.
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A never ending camper/restoration project
Project 1 - Pop-top camper conversion 2011-2015
Project 2 - Campervan the sequel - 2016 restoration, welding, respray, new interior, vertical pop...

bentos · Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:00 Post subject:

Fire Extinguisher? Some countries require you to carry specific items - more info Here
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leeandeb · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 274 Location: torbay

andyrep · Joined: 22 Sep 2006 Posts: 344 Location: macclesfield

scan all your documents and upload them to a photo hosting company such as photobox etc

then if you loose everthing all you need to do is go to an internet cafe and download them and print them off

Andy

Lewis · Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 23:47 Post subject:

Dantheman · Joined: 07 Nov 2005 Posts: 312 Location: Zumerzet

Not really for you, but some nick-nacks to barter / give as gifts / make friends with in the likes of mongolia..

Perhaps some small poundland torches, pictures of David Beckham (everyone in the world knows him and its easier to explain you come from his country!(yes i know he lives in USA)), lighters etc!

Also some small pictures of family and friends, useful for you if you feel down and also fun to show people.

Lots of spare mem cards for your camera Smile

Carstairs · Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 21:23 Post subject: take me

Take me. Please
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There is a man with a mullet going mad with a mallet in Millets

Ozklee · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 133 Location: Sydney Australia

Have a great trip, & yes I'd be hiding a copy of docs in the panels somewhere.

Don't forget your tyre repair kit, you can even get small enough bead breakers if you need to change tyres yourself.

Ya lucky, lucky bastard

Cheers
Ozklee 8-)
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L400 Series3 2.8TD, with Helical LSD, custom winch bar, Warn winch, Tough Dog shocks, Kings Springs (2" lift), running 31" BFGs & other goodies.