Benji
Well-known member
Have you ever walked into a situation knowing that it was a bad idea and was going to cost you?
I found myself in such a situation on the last night of Bullrun in 2023. We were sitting around the campfire, well lubricated and exhausted, reflecting on the Bullrun when that expensive thought entered the conversation... Surely we could do something better for similar money... A Topgear style adventure to somewhere nice in some old cars? How bad could it be?
After a few more beers, we had a rough framework in place:
Must be a V8
Must be 4x4
Must be under R60k (lol...)
2 weeks adventure to Mozambique, avoiding highways were possible
The idea was a haze the next morning and all but forgotten by the time we returned to daily lives, but it raised its head again when I bought the L322 which met all these criteria...
"Hey, were we not going to do a V8 roadtrip to Mozambique??"
"Oh ya! But this Range Rover is too nice to be used as an overland toy"
So, the search for another offroad V8 started...yes, I need help, but none of you on this forum are offering any
FBMP was gradually trained to show only V8 4x4s...I was considering:
My FB was now only showing me MLs, I looked at a ML430 within budget but was a township special with a bent frame, popped airbags and pretty significant body welding. Must exercise patience...
Then a non-township ML55 AMG popped up in Mafikeng for R70k, it looked very tired, it was missing the AMG bumpers and had 330k on it, but apparently drove very well. I phoned the seller, he seemed like a proper gent...the gears were turning, but I decided against it (actually - my bank account said no)
A week later however, a ML55 popped up in the "dam-duiker" side of Pretoria North at R55k...it looked really clean, but also, very dodgy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained they say. I got off work early and hightailed it to the other side of the boerewors gordyn. It was proper dodgy and I had to break out my Afrikaans. Some story about the father in-law being sick and needing to sell his car, but the history checked out and the car was in surprisingly good condition if you could see past the dirt and powerful cigarette smell.
A deal was made at 53k - the Indian in me would not have slept that night had I not negotiated the low price even further down...
The car was left at my mates place for 2 weeks while I cleared space in my garage...Bonnet latch was adjusted, radiator hose clamp tightened to stop a coolant leak, steering and seat covers were removed to reveal a surprisingly good condition interior. The car even has full service history, some receipts for recent work done and matching Conti tyres. The AC, heated seats and all other electronics work as well. The battery was weak, but I found it was still under warranty and was replaced by Midas Montana at no charge! Score!
This is why I dont like black interiors, they hide dirt. It was disgusting in here. Remnants of brannies-and-coke, biltong, many used toothpicks, children, cigarettes, car oils and sticky human juices over every single panel. Yuck. I spent the better part of 3 weeks cleaning the interior and treating the leather. I went as far as removing the centre console, but it still stinks.
Anyway, I gave it a quick wash, it turned out quite nice actually
I had to break out the polisher to polish out that scratch in the front bumper...got a bit carried away and did the whole car...whoops! All original paint except for the front and rear bumpers.
Best get it dirty then. Off we went to de Wildts where the ML fell at the first hurdle. It could not even make the bypass of the first obstacle. As soon as one wheel was in the air, the car could not proceed...weird, as these are supposed to have a pretty good traction control system, 4-ETS, which works by braking the spinning wheel. Also, we noticed the ABS doesnt work, yet no warning lights on the dash...hmmm...
Note also the useless suspension travel...
Anyway, a bit disappointed and ready to sell it (not helped by a nice P38 for 60k on FBMP) , I went to the exhaust shop to sooth my sorrows. Centre silencer duly deleted, I was rewarded by the most catastrophic misfire. That was thankfully traced to ignition leads that were not properly clipped onto the spark plugs. I also discovered that a previous owner had deleted all the cats, so the car sounds awesome now Just on the right side of obnoxious; fitting for an AMG.
Next up was to get some "proper" tyres from your friendly neighborhood Nigerian dealer...From 255/55 to 285/65:
A bit more scouring of FBMP to procure front and rear stabilizers (-2mm in front, -1mm at rear diameter) and rear springs from a non-AMG ML to undo the greatest abomination of the car world...the performance SUV.
I added 30mm spring pre-load to the rear springs and a 3mm strut spacer - because that would allow me to reuse the stock shock mounts and also because 3mm is all I had in my garage. This is when I found a loose balljoint...which turned out to be a a worn knuckle...
After many hours of research, I bought Land Cruiser 100 series front shocks which apparently bolt straight in and give you 300% more front wheel travel. Spoiler alert: They dont fit. The shocks were about 20mm too long, making the driveshaft hit the control arm.
Shock duly shortened. I now have 1mm clearance between driveshaft and control arm
Stock vs new. The ML is designed to ride on its bumps stops and has about 40mm of shock travel before it hits the bump stop. Ridiculous.
Front torsion arms cranked all the way to their maximum and car looking suitably manly now It also rides so much better than before
Some very slight rubbage on the fenders, it will self clearance...
The front needs to be lifted a bit more and it needs wheel spacers. I have a engine light for a O2 sensor as well.
I investigated the ABS issue and found the pump motor did not work, but I got it working after cleaning the brushes, the issue now looks like the steering angle sensor which has failed. Also found that a previous owner had simply removed the ABS and ETS warning bulbs from the cluster...nice one restored:
This is definitely no longer a 60k build, blame it on inflation! I was at first disappointed by the ML, it was too subdued, rode very harshly and had too little ground clearance, but the loud exhaust, better ride quality and proper stance have won me over.
There is still some work to do to the car, but really looking forward to the adventure and starting to save for the fuel bill!
I found myself in such a situation on the last night of Bullrun in 2023. We were sitting around the campfire, well lubricated and exhausted, reflecting on the Bullrun when that expensive thought entered the conversation... Surely we could do something better for similar money... A Topgear style adventure to somewhere nice in some old cars? How bad could it be?
After a few more beers, we had a rough framework in place:
Must be a V8
Must be 4x4
Must be under R60k (lol...)
2 weeks adventure to Mozambique, avoiding highways were possible
The idea was a haze the next morning and all but forgotten by the time we returned to daily lives, but it raised its head again when I bought the L322 which met all these criteria...
"Hey, were we not going to do a V8 roadtrip to Mozambique??"
"Oh ya! But this Range Rover is too nice to be used as an overland toy"
So, the search for another offroad V8 started...yes, I need help, but none of you on this forum are offering any
FBMP was gradually trained to show only V8 4x4s...I was considering:
- P38 Range Rover - this would be cool, but probably characterize the roadtrip with breakdowns
- Discovery 1 2 door V8 manual - awesome, cool, capable, but a bit dated
- Discovery 2 V8 - Probably the sweet spot
- Jeep Grand Cherokee - not the worst idea, but I dont really like Jeeps
- Odd-ball choice, Volvo XC70 with a straight pipe - breaking the rules, but a 5-cyl straight pipe is a very convincing thing
My FB was now only showing me MLs, I looked at a ML430 within budget but was a township special with a bent frame, popped airbags and pretty significant body welding. Must exercise patience...
Then a non-township ML55 AMG popped up in Mafikeng for R70k, it looked very tired, it was missing the AMG bumpers and had 330k on it, but apparently drove very well. I phoned the seller, he seemed like a proper gent...the gears were turning, but I decided against it (actually - my bank account said no)
A week later however, a ML55 popped up in the "dam-duiker" side of Pretoria North at R55k...it looked really clean, but also, very dodgy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained they say. I got off work early and hightailed it to the other side of the boerewors gordyn. It was proper dodgy and I had to break out my Afrikaans. Some story about the father in-law being sick and needing to sell his car, but the history checked out and the car was in surprisingly good condition if you could see past the dirt and powerful cigarette smell.
A deal was made at 53k - the Indian in me would not have slept that night had I not negotiated the low price even further down...
The car was left at my mates place for 2 weeks while I cleared space in my garage...Bonnet latch was adjusted, radiator hose clamp tightened to stop a coolant leak, steering and seat covers were removed to reveal a surprisingly good condition interior. The car even has full service history, some receipts for recent work done and matching Conti tyres. The AC, heated seats and all other electronics work as well. The battery was weak, but I found it was still under warranty and was replaced by Midas Montana at no charge! Score!
This is why I dont like black interiors, they hide dirt. It was disgusting in here. Remnants of brannies-and-coke, biltong, many used toothpicks, children, cigarettes, car oils and sticky human juices over every single panel. Yuck. I spent the better part of 3 weeks cleaning the interior and treating the leather. I went as far as removing the centre console, but it still stinks.
Anyway, I gave it a quick wash, it turned out quite nice actually
I had to break out the polisher to polish out that scratch in the front bumper...got a bit carried away and did the whole car...whoops! All original paint except for the front and rear bumpers.
Best get it dirty then. Off we went to de Wildts where the ML fell at the first hurdle. It could not even make the bypass of the first obstacle. As soon as one wheel was in the air, the car could not proceed...weird, as these are supposed to have a pretty good traction control system, 4-ETS, which works by braking the spinning wheel. Also, we noticed the ABS doesnt work, yet no warning lights on the dash...hmmm...
Note also the useless suspension travel...
Anyway, a bit disappointed and ready to sell it (not helped by a nice P38 for 60k on FBMP) , I went to the exhaust shop to sooth my sorrows. Centre silencer duly deleted, I was rewarded by the most catastrophic misfire. That was thankfully traced to ignition leads that were not properly clipped onto the spark plugs. I also discovered that a previous owner had deleted all the cats, so the car sounds awesome now
Just on the right side of obnoxious; fitting for an AMG.Next up was to get some "proper" tyres from your friendly neighborhood Nigerian dealer...From 255/55 to 285/65:
A bit more scouring of FBMP to procure front and rear stabilizers (-2mm in front, -1mm at rear diameter) and rear springs from a non-AMG ML to undo the greatest abomination of the car world...the performance SUV.
I added 30mm spring pre-load to the rear springs and a 3mm strut spacer - because that would allow me to reuse the stock shock mounts and also because 3mm is all I had in my garage. This is when I found a loose balljoint...which turned out to be a a worn knuckle...
After many hours of research, I bought Land Cruiser 100 series front shocks which apparently bolt straight in and give you 300% more front wheel travel. Spoiler alert: They dont fit. The shocks were about 20mm too long, making the driveshaft hit the control arm.
Shock duly shortened. I now have 1mm clearance between driveshaft and control arm
Stock vs new. The ML is designed to ride on its bumps stops and has about 40mm of shock travel before it hits the bump stop. Ridiculous.
Front torsion arms cranked all the way to their maximum and car looking suitably manly now
It also rides so much better than beforeSome very slight rubbage on the fenders, it will self clearance...
The front needs to be lifted a bit more and it needs wheel spacers. I have a engine light for a O2 sensor as well.
I investigated the ABS issue and found the pump motor did not work, but I got it working after cleaning the brushes, the issue now looks like the steering angle sensor which has failed. Also found that a previous owner had simply removed the ABS and ETS warning bulbs from the cluster...nice one
restored:This is definitely no longer a 60k build, blame it on inflation! I was at first disappointed by the ML, it was too subdued, rode very harshly and had too little ground clearance, but the loud exhaust, better ride quality and proper stance have won me over.
There is still some work to do to the car, but really looking forward to the adventure and starting to save for the fuel bill!
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