It was a defining moment - the day she really came into her own: no longer ex-army ambulance, but campervan and home; no longer a star of military vehicle shows, but sturdy, adventurous traveller yearning for the African landscape. This was the day she turned from Nato green & black to civvies in two shades of blue. This is Bronwen - our shelter, friend, probable pain in the arse - this is the one "person" who will be sharing the experiences of Claire & Jamie for the next year on their travels through Africa.
A few lines about Claire & Jamie...
Not wanting to find ourselves stuck in the rut of working all our lives, with 40 approaching all too quickly and, spurred on even more after getting caught in the tsunami in Sri Lanka, we knew we had to take some drastic action.
So, having both packed in our jobs in IT, rented out our house near Brighton, lent our 3 cats to friends and family (thanks to Lyndsey and Andy for looking after Bob and Tank, and Jamie's parents for taking care of the other Bob) we'll be on our way to Devon to say farewell to family and getting on the ferry to Santander to start the long drive South.
A few lines (!) about Bronwen....
When we finally made the decision to go ahead with this trip, there was never any serious doubt about what the vehicle would be. Having spent the last few years around (elderly) military landrovers it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that we would get ourselves a 101 Forward Control Ambulance - robust, great off-road, pretty reliable, and with plenty of room to install some of life's little luxuries in the back - bed, cooker, fridge, piped water, a light, etc. In fact the only drawbacks the ambulance seemed to present were: it is 30 years old, has a very thirsty V8 petrol engine, the low roof forces a permanent stoop, poor spare parts availability, and an unfortunate tendency to tip over on its side due to a high centre of gravity. Anyway, after a couple of nights of deliberation in the pub, we saw one advertised on a Saturday and bought it on the Sunday. It looks the business!
That was August 2004. The rough plan being to strip it down and check the mechanical bits over the winter, replace anything likely to be worn/perished, and spend spring 2005 stripping out the rear and installing the bed/fridge/cooker etc. We could then take a trip somewhere hot (Spain/Italy) during early summer to shake down any problems and make any changes, prior to leaving for Africa in September.
Well, winter, spring, and now summer have been and almost gone, the plan sounded great but everything took twice as long and cost half as much again as we expected. The landrover is still not quite finished, and we are now focused entirely on getting the 101 ready to leave in Sept. The date is now fixed as we have tenants moving into the house on the 12th.
One major change has occurred though - at some point during this process "the 101" acquired the name of Bronwen, inspired by her previous home in rural north Wales. Since having her colour changed in August, she now looks more than comfortable with the name.
For those who are interested in these things, the following is a simplified list of what we have done to her in the last 12 months - if you don't care, stop reading now!
MECHANICALS:
All wiring removed, redesigned & replaced.
Front springs replaced (rears cost £235 each!).
Polybushes.
New clutch.
Repair kits installed for clutch/brake master & slave cylinders etc.
Newtronics electronic ignition installed.
New radiator.
All water/heater/vacuum hoses replaced.
New brake/clutch fluid reservoirs.
New dash boards & instruments installed.
Replaced every gasket easily accessible.
New thermostat/oil pressure switch etc.
Bargrips replaced with Michelin XLs.
Compressor.
Brake shoes replaced all round.
New water pump.
Rimmer Bros large bore exhaust installed (sounds gorgeous, will probably be annoying as hell after 5,000 miles).
Carburettors reconditioned (expensive!).
Optima red top battery.
New door locks/seals etc.
Lots of new oils & filters - 15w/50, EP90, ATF, wallet lube, and others....
CAMPER CONVERSION:
Fold out double bed.
Gas cooker/grill.
Engel fridge/freezer.
Brownchurch water filter & shower (mmmmm!).
Various cupboards/drawers installed.
Inside toilet (well, a bed pan from a medical supplies company, un-used).
Little curtains.
125ah second battery.
Solar panel.
GPS.
Sand ladders/waffles.
Roof rack installed with spares boxes & Jerry cans.
Home made roof tent installed.
Awning to provide a bit of shade.
Tent attached to rear doors.
Table and chairs.
Fire extinguishers.
Various (secret) security measures for both us and Bronwen.
Radio & MP3 player installed (very very important).
A lovely new colour scheme - two tone blue, very non-military and hopefully quiet enough to render us slightly less obvious in the big wide world
If you are still reading, well done! Having just written this I am trying to work out how it has taken 8 months to get this far. I can only assume the quality of work is exceptionally high (hmmmmm...).
It is now the 24th August and Bronwen is still not back from the garage having seized bolts removed from the timing/water pump cover. The bits that are still left to do have now been categorised into "absolutely essential", "can do en-route", and "have every intention of doing en-route, but will probably never ever get looked at". The first category unfortunately includes the fitting of a second petrol tank which is quite important to us but hasn't been delivered yet, so fingers crossed.
Whatever happens, we will now be leaving Brighton on the 11 Sept. How long we remain in the UK completing preparations after that remains to be seen.......
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