Peugeot on CSR

Must try that in the wife's Citroen C4 VTS ;-)

His Mum and Dad, (lovely people) following in the 1982 Toyota Landcruiser woke us up EVERY morning when it was dark and the stars were still out (despite this, still lovely people :-). We broke camp with headlamps and were on the road as the sun popped up. We camped usually half an hour before sunset.

We averaged 140kms a day, stopped several times a day for smoko and sightseeing, but the early rising gave us more hours than most to explore.

we had a pug 504 and it was the best non 4x4 vehicle ever produced, maybe with the exception of our renault 12

Mechanically :

- Kunawarrity corrugations claimed both shock absorbers which made driving the sand dunes a little more technical.

- The clutch slipped a lot in the beginning and he had to wash out the sand regularly for the first few days.

- Andy Sutcliffe, the driver, had packed a lot of grease when he put a new clutch in for the trip but this attracted the sand. Eventually the excess grease washed away with diesel and soapy water and we could drive without this complication.

- Starter motor got sand in and had to be stripped and cleaned out - not long, Andy is a mechanic so this was no issue and quickly done.

- Lever throat thingy for the accelerator under the bonnet also jammed because of sand on occasion. Very funny the first time we reversed down for a second run at a sand dune and we found this out. I thought he was going a bit fast backwards :-)

All in all, no serious issues and great fun

Yes My mate mentioned her = she hitched a ride in the Peugeot

I am in Perth now and on my way back to South Africa. Have lots of photos of the Peugeot doing its thing and will write article and let the forum know when available to view. Might take a few weeks with all the continent hopping.

We met great people on the track - all very supportive of what Andy was doing - except one grumpy tour leader near the north end.

It was lovely to watch the expressions of fondness and support for the old car as people told us they too once owned a Peugeot. and recounted stories of their own. You would think they were talking of an old flame :-)

"spose the good thing is, if the Suzzi broke down or got stuck, you could carry it out on your back.

" It ain't wot ya got- it's wot ya do with it".

Very true - and Andy knew what he was doing. Tyre pressure was key - mostly 12 pound but he also knew how to ride the sand dunes and the rocky creeks.

14 years as an overland truck driver in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe teaches you a few things - and that was in the very old days when you were self sufficient for months with 20 people to look after and no communications like we have today.

Andy is also a motorbike trail and endurance rider and had just finished 2nd in his category at the FINK a few days before going down the Canning so he knows how to plot his route over difficult terrain.

Because we were in a two wheel drive we did not have force as a option to get us out of a situation. We had to float on top of the sand at all times and Andy did that very well. All in all we did about 10 second runs at some dunes and once we had to take three runs at a dune. Sometimes it was because we got distracted with chatting and got caught in the wrong gear.

We used the sand mats three or four times only and had three big dig outs - where we bellied on the centre ridge, and one of those occasions it was not even on a dune but at Well 24 when we took a short cut up the river bed. Not a good idea. My digging and pushing skills where used for half an hour!!!

But yeah, it was the combination of good car and skilled driver that made this adventure a success

He and the car did. The 505 was not flash but mechanically sound.

When we got to Kalgoorli I saw his other Peugeot - a 504. A work of art completely restored and slippery shiny. Beautiful!

Didn't a 203 win the first Redex Trial 55 years ago?

Any 4WD's on that one?

That's nothing. Toyota have been building all kinds of vehicles recently. A lot of them have had to come back too. :)

Gday Maaate
But the Reno's and Peugeot's didn't come back on warrenty or recall. They all drove back , mostly still in one piece.
Murray

my 504 would not stop! if they're doing it in a 504, i'd be willing to bet they'll make it no worries!!

He made it :-)

Just for anyone thats interested.
the car was a 1981 peugeot 505 sedan.The old girl has done 478,000.the only mods to the car were
a 110 litre fuel tank in boot from a Bedford truck
A uhf Radio
a skid pan to protect the sump
Apart from that she was bog stock in every way!
tyres were 195/14 8 ply light truck Bridgestone on std rims
Open Diff No LSD or Diff lock.
I travelled with 2 other vehicles.But i was completely self sufficient, and non-reliant on them.We never needed to be towed, nor did we have to winch ourselves at any time.I kept weight to a minimum, and i must admit the original plan didn,t include a 6' blonde South African Hitch hicker.But Gaynor was great, and an absolute bonus on the trip.I thank her for jumping in with the mad bloke in the Peugeot.Thanks also to all our fellow CSR travellers that showed an interest.
The old girl got a wash, a sevice, and a set of shocks, and nows she's back in daily use!Viva Le Peugeot

I must stress, please don't assume you can just jump in the Commodore, Falcon, or Rice-burner, and just head off down the CSR!The Standard Peugeot 505, has more ground clearance than many soft-roaders.Also, Exit and Departure angles are good.It Also had simplicity in it's favior.
I would maybe tackle it in a XR, XW, WY Falcon, or a Morris Minor, but once again these are old cars with good clearance.The Older Holdens only had 13" wheels. Happy Travelling Andy