I'm sure you've all had the old '"what if " scenario ....
it's how we learn I believe..?
evolution ??
Scenario 1;
Mid 70's
Young buck with wife & 9 mth old daughter
Took off on a working LAP round Oz
1960's Mk1 LWB Ford Transit, 2ltr mtr (ugly hunk of a boat anchor that was)
Fully decked out as a camper
6 new Uniroyal GT tyres fitted
Nullabor Hwy SA side, still dirt. New road awaited us, snuck on for a few Kms...... just a bit of fun.
Arrived in
Perth after wandering about the Goldfields, up to
Leonora, S/West etc.
Light bulb moment before we move on from
Perth; Better rotate tyres
International Harvester light truck depot - VicPark,
Perth.
The bloke had to use a 1.8m breaker bar..and stand on it..... to crack the wheel nuts.....
WT....??
MORAL OF THE STORY;
ALWAYS
CHECK YOUR WHEEL NUT TORQUE TENSIONS before the big trip
(Extra Note)
well travelled 80 series Toyotas have a known outback habit of breaking wheel studs..so if you are unsure, at least buy a full set as spares ..or replace them before you go....much easier in the conform of your concrete garage floor than groveling in the outback dirt & flies...
Also back left wheel can work itself loose, so if you are doing serious corrugations etc,
check studs & nuts daily when having that first beer.
Scenario 2
Move on to 2003; bought a 2000 312D Merc Sprinter MWB, ex ambo & converted it into a camper
Smarter now in 2003 !!
Bought, FROM THE MERCEDES DEALER, a new serpentine & seperate A/C belt, plus a few other necessary but basic spares just in case.
Move to June 2016; 13 years later, planning an extended 17000km WA trip
In one of those reflective moments this week & noting that between 2003 & now we've travelled
Adelaide -
Darwin, ADL-
Cairns, ADL-Tassie and multiple other intra-state trips, 100,000 odd kms in total
Better
check the belts / full service etc...plus
check the spare belts.....
you guessed it.....
after a bit of research & help from REPCO, neither belts we've carried around for the past 13 years are correct for our particular motor !!!!!!
& THE MORAL IS ?
WHEN BUYING SPARES,
CHECK AND RECHECK YOUR VEHICLE'S PARTICULAR BUILD CODES, USE THE VIN & ENGINE #'s and any other identifiers, AS THERE ARE PROBABLY MULTIPLE SUBTLE VARIATIONS IN MANY VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS
....& DONT TRUST THAT THE SPARE PARTS BLOKE GOT IT RIGHT !!!!
Happy travels ExplorOZ possums