The last week has been full of goodbyes to family and friends (those that we haven’t got to see we’re really sorry, time has caught up with us), as it seems that we will hopefully set off on our travels on roughly the 20th of this month.

Both our vehicles have been sold, and many thanks to Jacs sister Kaz, for lending us her sporty little number for a few days. We haven’t booked the Channel ferry yet as we need our International Driving Permits to arrive before we actually leave. Hopefully they will arrive this week some time.

I’ve given the Daf a quick service, new engine oil and filter, and new air filter, and am going to try to fit the military spec snorkel kit that I purchased from eBay. It seems the kit was supplied to the Forces to fit both the Bedford and the Leyland Daf, and the hose may need a reducer made up for the hose to fit the air intake. If that’s the case then time may run out, and I might have to leave it behind. The idea behind the fitting of the snorkel is not only for the water crossings but also to get the air intake up higher, and so out of the dust and crap kicked up from the front wheel and other vehicles.

A joint effort from my brother Alan, and my nephew Glen, has resulted in a perfectly fitting rear recovery point.

This is bolted directly to the chassis rail, and at approx 32mm thick, should prove strong enough when required. Once again thanks guys.

We have also fitted a bit more security to the cab.

I pinched this idea from another Daf T244 owner, it simply involves a double “lollypop” padlock, inserted through a 13mm hole through the wing (fitted with a rubber gromit), and once fitted it prevents the door being opened. Its highly visible and would be very hard to remove. You can also see the application of the antislip tape on the wing, this I’ve also fitted to the rungs of the stainless steel ladder. These were very slippery when damp, and the tape has made climbing up on the roof much safer.

We’ve also got additional locks to fit to the cabin (living area) door. The existing lock is not very secure and is quite flimsy, the new locks will allow us additional security from both inside, and for when we leave the truck.

As you can see below, we have also fitted the Jerry can holders to the roof rack. (Gun Hatch in the centre)

Most of the time, these will remain empty and so fairly light, and only really filled up when there is doubt about fuel availability ahead of us. The main tank should give us a range of about 800 miles, and the Jerry cans (80 litres) will extend our range for about 200 miles.

Following a discussion with the RAC, it was decided that we wouldn’t apply for the Carnet de Passage until we get to Morocco, then they will post it to an address in Rabat, and we can pick it up from there. This means that we can take our time travelling down through France and Spain, visiting a few people en route, and seeing a few sights along the way. A chill out before the onslaught that will be Africa.

Slightly excited now.

V