Toyota Hilux Surf cheap African explorer

[cozmcrae]

This is my Hilux Surf 3.0 turbo diesel I bought 10 days ago from Essex and drove back up to Aberdeen.



I have loved it so far although I haven't really had a chance to get it off road yet apart from maybe a cheeky wee blast across some wasteland behind my house but I won't count that . Its remarkably clean and everything works on it with the exception of the trip counter, the rear suspension is sagging a bit and just 2 days ago, both batteries died. I was bricking it thinking it could have been the alternator but the leaking battery acid at the terminals gave it away.

My plan with it is to replace anything mechanical that is even hinting at going, MOT is due next month then to give it some off roading goodies such as a slight body and suspension lift, big ass tyres, bull bars, undertray, winch, spotlights and a snorkel. If anyone has any of these bits cheap around Aberdeen or even Glasgow/Edinburgh, give me a shout. This all needs to be completed for January which is when I'm going to drive down to Africa in it with a couple mates.
So far, I've done nothing to it apart from fail to replace the batteries after I found out one of my mates still has all of my tools in his boot. Over the next few days, Its getting the engine and trans oil replaced, fuel and air filter, brake discs, pads, rear shoes, brakes bled, coolant flushed and then I have bought a 2" body lift kit which will hopefully be fitted without to much difficulty. I'll also try wire up my CB radio for that true long distance experience.
I should probably mention that this is my first proper 4x4 so I'm very new to them as up until this point I've been an 80s/90s BMW guy so expect mistakes to be made. I also need to learn how to properly drive off road but I'm hoping the good old North East winters will have taught me most of what I need to know.

[SlowMoped]

Sounds like an epic trip! Do you have anymore details on your route and where you plan to go in Africa?

[cozmcrae]

Not yet. The stability of so many African countries are dubious at best and the whole Ebola thing means I'm going to have to put a lot of time into planning a safe route. I do want so see as many "safe" countries as possible though

[Shelsleyf2]

Viperz888 said:

If I were going to drive around Africa, I'd want to do it in something interesting.

I think the driving around Africa is the "something interesting".

Before modding too much I would do a lot of research and establish just what sort of roads you will spending most of your time driving on, I guarantee the locals will be driving near standard vehicles, if you remember the Top Gear source of the Nile...the guys managed quite well in what looked to be totally unsuitable cars.

[cozmcrae]

I've seen that pleanty of guys have gone down Africa in banger rally's but, although I know I could make it down in a standard car, I'm not doing it for the "challenge" of driving down and really can't be bothered struggling off road and on stty surfaces just to try and be a bit more original. I recently drove to Georgia in a 206 that was falling apart and I actually got stuck down a road in Bulgaria because of how destroyed the road which resulted in a 4km walk in 30 degrees heat with no water. I want something I can be sure won't get stuck and that I can rely on wherever I go.

[eltax91]

cozmcrae said:

I've seen that pleanty of guys have gone down Africa in banger rally's but, although I know I could make it down in a standard car, I'm not doing it for the "challenge" of driving down and really can't be bothered struggling off road and on stty surfaces just to try and be a bit more original. I recently drove to Georgia in a 206 that was falling apart and I actually got stuck down a road in Bulgaria because of how destroyed the road which resulted in a 4km walk in 30 degrees heat with no water. I want something I can be sure won't get stuck and that I can rely on wherever I go.

Yes, but in standard guise this won't get stuck on anything that could be called a 'road'

In my experience, what modding does to a 4x4 is make them LESS reliable. As you are changing how things were designed, angles etc.... Also, modified parts won't be easy to find in Africa, standard just might.

Leave it standard and enjoy the trip

[cozmcrae]

eltax91 said:

Yes, but in standard guise this won't get stuck on anything that could be called a 'road'

I do intend to go off road when I get the chance. The rear suspension is starting to sag and the tyres need replaced so I decided I might as well just lift it a few inches and put some big, wide rubber on it. I have been looking up the pros and cons of lifts and it looks like the only thing that is an issue would be increased wear on the front CV joints which I could live with. The handling would be worse but I never bought the car for its handling.

[Viperz888]

Shelsleyf2 said:

remember the Top Gear source of the Nile...the guys managed quite well in what looked to be totally unsuitable cars.

Because Top Gear is a purely factual documentary and isn’t staged at all; nope, never.

[witko999]

I would like to do a surfing trip down through Europe/Africa sometime in the future, in a similar manner with a 4x4. How are you dealing with the car insurance side of it, and what are 4x4s actually like to insure?

[Shenanigans]

witko999 said:

How are you dealing with the car insurance side of it, and what are 4x4s actually like to insure?

Also interested in this aswell. Are the servicing costs okay? Are parts readily available?

I like the idea of simply crawling under without the need for jacks.

[P I Staker]

cozmcrae said:

I do intend to go off road when I get the chance. The rear suspension is starting to sag and the tyres need replaced so I decided I might as well just lift it a few inches and put some big, wide rubber on it. I have been looking up the pros and cons of lifts and it looks like the only thing that is an issue would be increased wear on the front CV joints which I could live with. The handling would be worse but I never bought the car for its handling.

Remember bigger tyres will also stress the drive train more as well as raising the gearing.

Personally I would go for standard replacement springs with aftermarket gas dampers, replacing wear items as you go. Matched with something like BFG all terrain tyres or similar in standard size.

Don't forget about under body protection.

[cozmcrae]

witko999 said:

I would like to do a surfing trip down through Europe/Africa sometime in the future, in a similar manner with a 4x4. How are you dealing with the car insurance side of it, and what are 4x4s actually like to insure?

I've just got it insured with admiral just now for about £500/600 if I can recall but I wasn't happy with that amount since the UK model with the 2.4 engine was only £300. There are companies that can insure it in non-EU countries but I haven't got a quote yet. You can aparently buy insurance for certain countries on the boarder but I will have to look into whether that is a cheaper option and if it would give me cover incase the thing got stolen.

shenanigans said:

Are the servicing costs okay? Are parts readily available?

So far I've bought all the usual stuff like filters, fluid and brakes and its been pretty reasonable. It does take 7.5 litres of oil but apart from the sheer quantity of fluids and the larger size of parts, they are not that expensive. Parts should be really easy to get in Africa as the older hiluxs are common there and was actually a major part of why I bought one so I wouldn't be stuck for weeks waiting for parts in some back and beyond town with no transport.

P I Staker said:

Remember bigger tyres will also stress the drive train more as well as raising the gearing.

I'm not lifting it a huge amount. I've got a 2" body lift kit (which is aparently the most it can go without modifying the steering) and I'm looking at 2 or 3" suspension lift to fit 33" wheels. Its a pretty torquey thing so I don't think the raise in gearing will be enough to really hinder me getting up hills or anything but the under body protection is something I'm looking into.

[Usget]

I'd be very interested to hear what route you end up taking. A mate and I started to think about a similar trip a while back, but basically every route down to the East Coast (where we'd have headed) is blocked by a war of some sort.

[cozmcrae]

Quick update. The hilux has been serviced, new dvd head unit installed and a cb radio fitted. It was put up on ramps today and it is so clean underneath which is very odd for me being in Scotland.
The plan was to change the driveshaft, discs and pads but there were some spacers/hub things between the wheel and the disc that were seized on so progress was halted until a mates uncle who is a blacksmith can be summond. This has proven problematic as it's booked in for an mot tomorrow.

Other than failing at getting it mot prepped, I've bought a set of standard bull bars with spot lights which are waiting to be fitted this week. Also it's been run on 100% veg oil now so 50/60 mpg cost equivalent has made running costs much more reasonable.

[cozmcrae]

Well this whole story took an interesting turn. Long story short, I didn't go to Africa because the whole Boko Haram stuff scared the utter living st out of me. The Hilux has been slowly getting more love and attention over the past year and I've fitted the following parts
Landcruiser rear springs
Monroe 2" lift shocks all round
Every last ball joint or bush under the car
Polybushs for the front and rear ARB
A silicone intake hose
Discs, pads and shoes
2nd hand nearside hub
31" Modular mud and snow tyres on 16" steel wheels
And I've done all the fluids at least once.

The car now looks like this


Sitting at a friends digs in Suffolk

Its probably not visible but it is now riddled with dents after I was convinced that a paintball gun wouldn't dent a car. Oh how wrong I was.

It has also been used to transport a MK2 Escort from Porto, Portugal to Ayrshire, Scotland so its done well so far

But the challenge now is to drive the beast from Scotland to Mongolia. I would take it further but unfortunately taking a foreign plated car into China is very expensive and over all just more hassle than its worth so its going to (reluctantly) be up for sale in Ulaanbataar.

I'm currently in Poland and heading to Riga, Latvia tomorrow to kill some time until my Russian visa kicks in on the 15th then the fun starts with the crazy Russian drivers . I should be In Mongolia around mid November trying to find the Hilux a new owner to make happy as long as she holds together.

And on a final note, I've been running it on straight veg oil since shortly after I got it and its been running flawlessly. Its been getting 50mpg+ cost equivalent to diesel so it has been a pleasure to run so far and the boot is big enough that I was able to bring 320L of veg oil across on top of a full tank of it so I should be able to make it to Russia on Costco's finest before I have to start using their pump diesel. I would have taken more but the veg oil would most certainly freeze in the Russian climate this time of year and I heard that diesel is 40p a litre there after Putin decided to go a bit wobbly and ruin the ruble.

I'll try get some more pictures of the car En Route.

[Dr G]

Great project; have you read Ben Coombe's book or his blog? He's on here as V10ben.

In the book he drives an old 944 the length of Africa and on his blog (V8nam) he takes a Corvette to Singapore including crossing China.

[austinsmirk]

A friend of mine drove a vw t25 synchro to Afghanistan some years back. When the country wasn't mental !

[cozmcrae]

No Dr G I have not read that book unfortunately. I'll have a look for it once I'm through my current read

I thought it would be a good time for an update as thats the hilux now burned through all of the veg oil and the 2L of white spirit I had to lower the viscosity in these colder countries. I was hoping to make it to the Russian boarder with the veg oil but I'm happy enough with where it got me. Its a bit mad looking at the map and seeing that where I started in Scotland is almost just as Northern as where I am now on the verge of entering Russia.

Here is a picture taken yesterday of it in Kaunus Lithuania

Its running flawlessly still and at this rate it actually seams like Mongolia is a realistic goal. The only issue is that it has used about 1 litre of engine oil but considering that is over the course of 2000+ miles I am not worried.

[John Boy 616]

Fair play! Some trip and a nice looking truck

[cailean]

Have fun, keep posting on your travels, very interesting.