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Sorry, it's been a while since I did an update. I finished the sleeping/storage platform and stapled some auto carpet to it. The table is finished as well, I can cook outside or use it as table inside. I installed a 20" light bar as well as a Pioneer head unit for Apple Carplay. Today I replaced the rear brakes/rotors and installed Honda Insight springs in the back. They are about 30% thicker and supposed to give a 1" lift. I also test fitted some 195/65/15's and had very minimal rubbing, only on the side of my car that was in an accident. As it turns out that side finder sits almost an inch lower than the other side. But mileage dropped nearly 10mpg, I couldn't accelerate in 5th or climb a hill. So I ordered 185/65/15's, essentially just going up 1 size instead of two.
Clearly I did a horrible job of keeping you all updated. The Mongol Rally was an absolute blast. Here are a few pictures of the trip. You can see more on Instagram
First night of camping in Tajikistan On the Tajikistan Afghanistan Border A peak into Afghanistan by drone. Milky way over Afghanistan Mongol Rally finish line in Ulan Ude, Russia D-915 in Turkey, one of the Worlds Most Dangerous Roads. It wasn't bad at all. Me at the Gates of Hell (Darvasa Gas Crater) in Turkmenistan
I became popular while stuck at a railroad bridge crossing in Uzbekistan On the Pamir Highway towing a team from Germany after they shattered a hole in their gearbox. Towed them for 30 miles at 14,000 elevation. Lake Camping in Kyrgyzstan Another lake camp in Kazakhstan and a view of my mobile office/RV.
Camels in Mongolia A camel in Tajikistan Gergeti Trinity Church in Georgia with Mount Kazbek in the background (16,500' tall). Beach Party in Romania My first flat, on the way home in Russia. Plugged it and drove the 5K miles home.
Ok, last bit of pics. Thousands more to go through but don't want to spam everyone on here.
A pre celebration at the Genghis Khan monument in Mongolia, just a few days before the finish Mongolia has some amazing wide open landscapes. The Southern/Central route though Mongolia is pretty dry, this was the biggest water crossing. The Northern route is a different story. This is what the road situation used to be like for all of Mongolia. The last few years they've put in thousands of miles of pavement. Why not ride some camels Waiting patiently at the Mongolian border. This ended up being an 8 hour process. The fresh pavement in Mongolia. It was welcomed after thousands of miles of crap roads, but sad that even Mongolia is getting tamed. A few scenes like this in Siberian Russia, I didn't enjoy the 3K miles from the finish to get to Moscow. Moscow is a fun and beautiful city.
Fort those of us that dream of something like this, would you be willing to give a short "After Action Report?"
What did you end up taking?
Which modification helped the most?
What did you wish you took?
What would you not take again?
What gave you the most physical comfort on the trip? Snacks, chairs, stove, pillow?
What gave you the most mental comfort on the trip? Extra of anything? Being in a convoy? A good plan?
A little bit of everything. As I was solo and living in the UK it was fairly easy to build the car how I wanted and to bring whatever I wanted. Beyond a basic tool kit (pliers, screw drivers, socket set, spare fuses etc) I did bring an Air Conpressor by Viair (highly recommend them now).
18 volt Ryobi drill & impact wrench, impact sockets for my lug nuts and jack. Complete luxury items but made tire swaps so fast for me and the guys I convoyed with. The drill got used multiple times for some vehicle modifications. For me, only fixing the roof rack.
A good tow rope (something like a 30,000 lb), ended up getting used for hundreds of miles.
Which modification helped the most?
I think the lift did. I rarely had to worry about ground clearance in normal driving. I could make it up and over obstacles many of the other cars had challenges with. Partly as I was solo and didn’t have 3 people plus gear in the car. As for the lift I did Honda Insight rear springs and 1” strut spacers in the front.
For comfort, I made a slide out table for cooking. And it worked as a self when not in use.
I also installed a 12v split charger kit and a spare 110ah leisure battery. It let me run a 12v compressor fridge continuously and up to 2-3 days while not driving. I had cold beers every night and could keep luxury foods like cheese and yogurt.
What did you wish you took?
I used a bolt together cheap roof rack. It disintegrated and fell apart along the way. I ended up throwing it in the dump in Russia for the drive home. I’d get a solid metal one next time. Or worst case the same kind but use locktight on every bit and bolt.
What would you not take again?
I brought a 12v rechargeable power shower. With a bucket of water it would give you a good shower. In the real-world if I was cleaning up while camping it ended up being swimming in a lake or cleaning up in a stream. It was the only thing I didn’t use.
What gave you the most physical comfort on the trip?
My 30” wide memory foam mattress was pure comfort.
A camping chair is a must. I brought a hammock as well but never used it. We usually got in late and it was a matter of cooking, checking the cars and then hitting in the sack. I honestly forgot I had it otherwise it may have seen a few days of use.
What gave you the most mental comfort on the trip?
Sadly just having a cell phone and getting SIM cards in each country. They were usually less than $10 with data. I downloaded offline maps along the way on google maps. I used maps.me for strictly offline usage. iOverlander is great for finding camping spots along the way.
Extra of anything? I brought too many clothes. But it did come in handy not needing to do laundry as often.
Being in a convoy?
The most fun I had on the trip was convoying with other teams. Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Mongolia in particular. I did about half the trip solo without convoying too.
Food:
I’m not much of a cook so I usually stuck with bread and cheese for breakfast or oatmeal.
Lunch some sausage, tuna, more cheese or grabbed whatever we found along the way. Pringle’s can be found in nearly every country.
Dinner:
I stuck with pasta, can’t screw up boiling water and throwing some sauce on it. Easy cleanup too. Some teams made pretty elaborate meals I got to enjoy at times. I usually returned the favor with cold beers.
A good plan?
I was probably overly prepared. Coming from a military background we plan for the unexpected to happen. I know the Mongol Rally is supposed to be no plan and just drove. But I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much that way. I really don’t think there is a wrong way to do the rally.
I’ve been back for 4 months now and itching for the next big excursion. Or doing the rally again on a motorcycle.
Last edited by Davis2001r6; 02-07-2020 at 02:57 PM.
This was behind the drivers seat. I used ABS plastic sheet off amazon to cover the battery terminals to prevent and inadvertent shorts. Built a little multi charge box. I had this hooked to the second battery and it ran the fridge and air compressor. The basic tools I brought.
Transalpina in Romania Pre-rally in Switzerland Bear in Romania Another bear in Romania Transfăgărășan Romania, amazing road, wish I had two days just for this area. D915 in Turkey, supposed to be a deadly road. I drove far worse in Georgia, this one just had more drops. Camping in Romania after seeing bears. I didn’t leave my car while it dark 😳 D915 Turkey In Georgia near Russian border, also near Russian held territory in Georgia.
Thank you so much for the response! Funny when I asked about which mod helped the most, I was so curious if you would come back with the lift as the number one. It sure is nice to not drag over stuff. The battery and fridge system simply amazing!
I appreciate your style of planning. I come from a Jeep background and always wanted to drive to the place where we would be offroad.
Very well done!
Thank you for taking the time to deliver the details. Also, great photo's.
Roadside ramps can be found pretty easily in Central Asia. This one was Russia. Getting ready to remove my skid plate. It eventually got bashed in and was resting on the engine, giving me a small vibration. This thing really saved my a$$ though. Had it put on in Azerbaijan for about $80 USD. I really nailed the crap out of it a few times though. Mostly me driving much faster than I should have been.
Do you have an opinion on the light bar? I know the lower a light gets mounted the less it does in terms of shining on the road. I have been on the fence with the idea of mounting one behind the mesh. It was considered on my 2015 and now again on my 2018... In the past when I mount lights to Jeeps, I have had an arming switch set up that allowed them to be turned on and off with the high beam function. This way you can run a back road without having to deal with shutting off high beams and finding a switch.. Thanks again!
p.s. Sorry to space these questions out, I am asking as they come to mind.
Do you have an opinion on the light bar? I know the lower a light gets mounted the less it does in terms of shining on the road.
I think it really only matters in hilly terrain. I was happy with the light bar, especially the few times I actually needed to drive off-road at night.
I had read multiple people complain who had mounted there’s on the roof racks that it was giving them too much windshield glare. So that was one of the main reasons I went with the bumper install.
A closer look at the roof rack setup. The water was nice to have just for cleaning up in some places. I think I’d just bring one 5-gallon Jerry can next time. By the time I hit Tajikistan the roof rack was falling apart. Metal was bending. Screws some off everywhere. It was really just too much weight for the cheap basket.
02-26-2019, 05:35 PM
