Contained excitement.

In the final chapter of the first stage in our Expedition it is time to say some thank you’s.

This Monday, 5th March, Matt and I drove down to Felixstowe to drop the Jeeps off at the docks ready for shipping. The trip went well and is documented, with route, here, using the Spot Location device.

We left Matlock fully loaded with the Willy’s MB in ‘knock down’ form in the back of the Land Rover 101 and the Ford GPW on Matt’s trailer. We had not tried out the trailer idea with a fully loaded 101, but it pulled well, cruising at 50 - 55 mph. Approaching Felixstowe the sky turned from sunny blue to heavy black clouds at the coast. We have made the decision to off load the Willy’s that afternoon to avoid doing it in an unknown yard in Felixstowe the next morning. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish.

As we pulled into the car park in Aldeburgh it really lashed it down with rain, pushed by a strong wind. In the cab of the 101 we formed a plan - Ford off trailer, trailer off 101, roof off 101, Willy’s out of 101 (the long bit of the operation - 1 hour) trailer back on 101 and Willy’s onto trailer ‘dock ready’. The wind and rain made this very difficult and after an hour we were cold and wet, but we carried on getting the whole process completed in a record 1 hr 40 minutes. Fortunately the Hotel was only 100 yards away and soon we were warm and enjoying a pint of Adnams Bitter!

Tuesday morning the rain had stopped and we made good the bits of packing rushed the evening before and set off for Felixstowe, 40 minutes away. Having found Pentalver’s yard the process could not have been simpler. Within half an hour both Jeeps were secure in a 40 foot container and should set sail for Alexandria in the good ship Moranto on 12th March.

We have not had any special deals from anybody really, but many have been more helpful than they needed to be.

A big thanks to:

My son, Matt Savage, who along with Barry and Andy, build both Jeeps retaining much of the original 1943 steel. And young Edward Savage - chief test driver!

‘Wet Paint’ Tony Sinclair at All Drive UK for mechanical help and MOT’s on both Jeeps and the 101.

The friendship and support of John Carroll and Sam Watson. The three of us shared this dream about 3 years ago.

Jason Paterniti, Bob Attwater, Karl-Gunnar Noren, Mike Van Pelt and Rick Pewe for sharing the same idea. Mahmoud Maria for making arrangements in Cairo.

Mike and Anthony Deacon at AMD 4 Wheel Drive who sold me the Jeeps originally. Just what I wanted and at a reasonable price.

Jeeparts in Shrewsbury for having all the parts needed and if not, getting them to Matt’s the next day. Great service.

Jason Woodward for convincing me I really needed his Land Rover 101 and organic milk. Then agreeing to store the 101 at his farm when I didn’t need it.

Paul Cordle at Michelin tyres for help in supplying tyres for the Ford Jeep and the 101. Great tyres!

Andrew Graham at AlliSport for fitting a double sized intercooler to the 101 and making it pull like a train!

The test drivers on two weekends last Autumn: Matt Savage, Will Savage, John Carroll, Karl-Gunnar Noren, Jason Paterniti, Stephen Riley, James Platt, Paul Warren, Bob Attwater, Alistair Calvert and not forgetting Keiran Johnson of Free Spirit 4x4 for putting together a great route in The Peak District.

Magazine Editors’ Jonathan Hanson (Overland Journal USA), Rick Pewe (Petersens 4x4 USA) Simon Ward- Hastelow (LRW) Hils Everitt (4x4 UK) and Nigel Fryatt (4x4 UK) for kindly running Press Releases and articles relating to the trip.

Jonathan Mansfield at Web Design Works for creating an excellent web site.

Chris Jennings at Noodle Doodle Design for designing the logo.

Paul Gowan at the RAC for arranging the Carnet de Passage.

Mariana Uzunova and Matt McHale at SeaGo Line for arranging the shipping from Felixstowe.

And finally my partner, Jo Halford, for putting up with me and proof reading all articles, press releases and text.

The next Blog report should be from Cairo!

Back room boys.

There are two businesses, without whose help none of this ambitious project would be possible. Jeeparts UK, in Shrewsbury, run by Graham and Amanda, and my son’s business, Matt Savage, up in Matlock.

Any phone call to Jeeparts is greeted with a knowledgeable reply borne out of a lifetime of Jeepery and the answer you want - “yes, we have that in stock”. Likewise, any call to Matt gets the response - “Yes, we’ve done that”. This level of service is rare these days, and I speak as someone who has had a few ‘Main Dealer’ confrontations over the years.

Today was the penultimate visit to Jeeparts for bits. All those little bits that you don’t know you need until you (Matt!) come to join one bit to another. Light units, Speedo, dials and cables. Meanwhile, up at The Matt Savage Overland Preparation Barn, there was a bulging box of wiring components to fabricate a new loom and much progress since my last visit a week ago. The aim is to have it running by the end of next week.

With such professional chaps on the job that should happen.

A tight fit

A productive day up at the Matt Savage Overland Preparation Barn in Matlock. I went up in the 101 to have a few minor jobs done - new brake linings, oil and filter change and general check over. This accomplished, we thought it would be prudent to try and fit the Willys MB in the back. The master plan is to stick one Jeep in the back of the 101 and tow the other on a trailer, as far as Venice, where we shall drive them onto a ferry and head for Alexandria. The great news is that the measurements proved correct and a Jeep will just fit in the back of a 101. It’s tight, but with a set of 15 inch Suzuki SJ rims, no tyres and the steering wheel removed, we shall be able to have the roof on for the 2000 mile return trip.

Following in their tyre tracks.

It will be 70 years ago next year, that Ralph Bagnold was asked to form the Long Range Desert Group. Their forays behind enemy lines caused havoc amongst the Italian forces - blowing up airfields, destroying communication lines and knocking out remote desert outposts. They mainly used Ford and Chevrolet 30 cwt. trucks, but when David Stirling came along with his newly formed SAS, the Jeep gave them a big advantage in speed and manoeuvrability. Colossal distances were covered in heavily laden Willy’s MB’s and Ford GPW’s. Tales of heroic ‘walk outs’ are still unmatched today. Next Easter we shall be driving many of their routes - down to The Gilf el Kebir, 8 Bells, up to Shaw’s Cave, Big Cairn and finally, their base for much of the conflict, Siwa.

Full details will be on our web site, going live by mid October.

Link for the day!

Leaps and Bounds.

Back in September 2007 I detailed the rebuild of the first Jeep on the Blog, ‘1943 Jeep Rebuild’. (Scroll down to the bottom) That Jeep has now clocked up a trouble free 1500 miles and after a very small list of snagging problems have been sorted out, will be ready for it’s big Egyptian challenge.
The second Jeep rebuild will be detailed here, but not in so much detail, as it is much the same story.
Progress is going well, and on schedule for a completion at the end of October, or beginning of November. So far all the brakes and wheel bearing have been rebuilt with new parts and the floor of the body tub has been repaired with panels supplied by Jeeparts in Shrewsbury. The rolling chassis has now been painted in Desert Sand and the next stage will be fitting the body tub. The engine was a runner and we had an amusing run up and down the farm track with no brakes and little in the way of steering! It has now been fitted with a new clutch assembly and water pump and we shall reassess the engine condition when it’s easier to drive.

A Grand Plan

Four of us - Myself, John Carroll, Sam Watson and Mahmoud Marai, have long harboured the dream of driving authentic World War 2 Jeeps across the Sahara, following the routes taken by The Long Range Desert Group. With the first Jeep finished and having clocked up 1500 trouble free miles and the second nearing completion in the Matt Savage Overland Preparation Barn, plans are going well for this unique adventure next Easter . Many e-mails have been exchanged, but with John and Sam up in Yorkshire, me in Leicester and Mahmoud in Cairo, the opportunities to meet up are rare.
This month, Matt had a stall at the Peterborough Land Rover Show and us three Brits were all going, so as the show drifted from shopping to partying we met in Matt’s marquee for a barbecue (hence the smokey picture) and a chat to finalise plans.
This Blog will detail the build up to our Easter 2011 departure.
The main photo is a montage of the one finished Jeep, duplicated and set against a background of the Gilf el Kebir, shot back in 2004 on my last visit. The second shot is the four of us Brits - left to right, Matt Savage, in charge of Jeep rebuilds and helping me get both Jeeps to Venice to catch the ferry to Alexandria, Sam Watson, ex Cairo resident and expert of the Long Range Desert Group, John Carroll, life long Jeep enthusiast who has driven more Jeep miles, in more countries, than most and me, enjoying a beer!