4x4 challenge

That just about sums it all up. Monster cars, monster obstacles, lots of noise and mud and roll-overs. Pretty standard stuff for a challenge.

This is Dave Radcliffe's crazy jeep. He wins most challenges quite easily in it. It cost around R750 000 to build up but still can't make him coffee in the morning! And it is probably the best example of a tricked up jeep in this country, but won't even come close to anything in the States. Sorry for us!



Another woopsie: This Jeep rolled onto its roof and was then pushed upright by a whole bunch of really strong guys because it flipped right back onto its roof again. Ha ha







There were some funny cars, some awesome cars and a couple of Landy's for Pepper to speak to.




Some puppies that were there too. One day I will have a puppy like that to drive around with me in Pepper when Kate doesn't want to come wiv.




We went driving on another part of the track, one which I have done about a million times so I decided to try and do it as fast as possible. The result: not many photo's. We did get some though because I would race off and then stop when I was stuck or thought it would be a cool photo.

Spash! Ah haaaaa aa! I like driving in mud and water and making big splahes. Pepper, on the other hand, does not. The next day at Phillipi the starter motor died because it had got water in it. Pepper's diffs need draining and the swivel pins need draining, cleaning and refilling. All for a splash!




Pepper also like to show off and drive over things that other cars can't or their drivers are too scared to. That makes it fun for her when she goes to play with Space: The Last Frontier because either it can't drive over fun lumps of clay or through muddy bogs of slime or it won't. I don't know which it is (can't or won't) but I suspect the latter.

This photo is one of a series of three, but someone who will remain nameless did not load all the images I gave her. And someone's sister deleted everything else (again) that was worth looking at. So you, the viewer, had just better count your lucky stars that there are any images on this site. The pitfalls are great, the hazards numerous but when you persevere (and do it myself from now on) the rewards are incredible.

AAAAAAAAAAAH!

Pepper's dad has a spreadsheet of how much money has been spent on her. It was added up yesterday and the figure has morphed into a whole new scary beasty. It is very big and scary, and so I won't do that again for a long time. But considering that Mike van As's challenge vehicle cost R400 000 to build up, or Mike Porter's suspension cost R50 000 I am not doing too badly.

I think what Pepper should do is go and play at the challenge at Melkbos this weekend, and then go and play in the sand on Sunday in Phillip with the Land Rover Club. So there should be a couple more photo's to post next week. And a couple more things to fix!

You can look at a picture of the White Knight in the meantime, the meanest monster 4x4 in the whole world!


Oops:



Apparently that hole is full of engine oil and stinky water and stuff, and the driver had to sit in it for a while until they recovered her. Sorry for you!

Please be patient

While I move photo's around and generally mess everything up. Fanks a lot.
I am still busy, these things take a while. Sorry for all of you!

Pepper and Friends

Here are more pictures of Pepper and her friends. This one is of her in Buffelspoort near Montague. Lots of old and new Landys.


And here is another one of her and her Mom and her Series friends. I have called the photo McSeries.


Pepper is going today to get a free Waxoyl treatment, which will include all sorts of cool things like cavity treatments, paint protection, engine cleaning and all sorts of cool stuff. Why is it free, you ask? Because Pepper is cute and her dad asks nicely for things! This post will then lead on to another which I will call "Benefactors of Pepper"

More stories about Pepper

As requested by her aunt.

Pepper is currently sitting in her garage. She is scared of the petrol price increase, which puts her favourite tipple at R4.93 per litre. That is quite expensive for one that drinks the stuff at an alrmingly quick rate. She also has a funny knock emanating from her front right hand side, which could be something to do with the front right shock absorber or a spring shackle bush. In any case she is too scared to do much driving in case she breaks.

Here are two pictures of her friends, both driven by people called Mike.

This is Mike van As's Green Mamba. It is a Series 3 on Range Rover running gear with a 4.6l V8 from a Range Rover HSE. It runs on 35" Goodyear mud tyres and eats most obstacles.


And here is Mike Porter's Beasty. It is a LHD Series 2 running on Discovery running gear with a 3.9l V8 under the hood. There is a Scorpion Racing Extreme suspension kit where it should be and a 4.6lV8 with Roots supercharger waiting to be transplanted. One of the neatest Landy's you will ever see.

Mods that Pepper has

Which follows on from: Money That Has Been Spent.

4x4ing is not about driving your car over things and up mountains to see pretty things. 4x4ing is about spending money and breaking your car and then spending more money to ix it. I chose the perfect vehicle to spend money on. It seems that there is a black hole which sucks figures out of my bank account whenever I go near Pepper.

Mods are stupid things that people do to their 4x4's to make them break down more often so that they can have more fun fixing them. And so that they can spend more money. My list of mods is short because my bank balance is small.

Extended shackles, 15 inch steel rims, 31x10.5 Pirelli Scorpion Mud Tyres, extended axle breathers, spare wheel carrier with jack attachment, CB Radio with 109 inch aerial, bonnet mounted compressor, canvas canopy and frame. Here is a picture of some expensive mud tyres:



No mods to the engine yet because that would be like modding a fried egg to open beer cans. It won't ever work. Similarly my engine won't ever use less fuel or make the car go faster. Although it does have a paper air filter instead of the usual oil bath type. It seems that I now have to create a new post about my Pepper's specs. Specs are not what nerds wear but what the car is all about. Like engine size, kW at the wheel and crankshafts and conrods. Pepper's aunt and mother don't believe that there are things called conrods, but one day when I open up Pepper's insides to do reconstructive surgery I will show them a conrod.

Mods Pepper wants: Pepper would love to sit on a Disco S1 chassis and running gear and have a 3.9l V8 in her bonnet. She would also like 25 inch Simex mud tyres and all sorts of other nice things. But all this requires lots of $$$. One day she will have all the mods she desires and then she will eat obstacles up before breakfast.

From this post you can see what DAD posts are about (conrods, breaking things and money) and what MOM posts are about (pretty pretty and lovely and nice). So neither mom or dad will have to sign their names at the end of the post. Read some posts and test yourself! Sometimes dad hijacks posts and corrects spelling and puts stuff in about breaking things. But those are easy to spot.

Pepper and her aunt.

Pepper has a father (Andrew) and a mother (Kate). Andrew's Israeli sister (Katherine) is therefore Pepper's aunt.
Pepper's aunt has had very few 4x4ing experiences (two), but both have had a great impact on her life. Kat's first time was in the Cederberg on the Kromrivier trail. We were in a Land Rover Discovery Series 1. 3.9l V8, Old Man Emu suspension, upsize tyres. More than capable vehicle. And yet, Kat thought that the driver was trying to kill her even before the trail had started. She decided to climb out and walk. And walk and walk and walk. The trail is about 20 km long. It is difficult, hot and rocky. Sounds like fun if you are Pepper's dad. Not fun if you are walking. The upside of Katherine walking next to a 4x4 doing a trail is that a million photo's are taken, some of which are bound to be good. They will be posted because they are pretty.
Kromrivier

Katherine's next 4x4 experience was in the Matroosberg to see some snow.
Matroosberg
or
Matroosberg on 4xforum

The first time Pepper went to see the snow it was sunny and fluffy and warm. Next time it was windy and wet and cold, which made it more fun for Pepper, but less fun for those stuck in the back under a leaky canvas canopy. Up the mountain we went, over and through and in the mud we fell until eventually we got stuck. In a blizzard with 70km/h winds, sleet and cold cold cold. Pepper's dad jacked her up while the remaining members of the party either decided to lie down and concede defeat or fetch rocks. Those that fetched rocks got cold and wet. Those that hid and cried and moaned also got cold and wet. But eventually after much cajoling Pepper decided that it was time to go and hopped out of her little hole. And not five minutes later another Landy appeared out of the gloom. If only we had sat and waited they could have towed us out...

So those are Katherine's two 4x4 experiences. They aren't all as hard core, but she chose the best two to come along on.