The Tree

Today was the day to bring home the Christmast tree. We've had about 15cm of snow during the day, and the last kilometers of the way home to my brother's were not yet plowed.

Suddenly I had no ground under the car anymore...

















Fortunately a tractor with snow chains passed by a few minutes later that could pull me up. ...and I who had just been laughing to my self about the anti 4x4's resting silence... This day it wasn't even enough with diff lock and TC. :)


















And the tree? Yes I eventually brought a couple home... :)

Small parts

Many small parts for Plutten has been cleansed and checked.

They are sorted among various small parts for RRC, D2 and series.

I have also foud a new head for the five bearing motor that is destined for Plutten. It is now dismanteled and on a slow aim for the engine shop to get fresh edges for the valves.

What lurks under the snow?

It looks so smooth when you first look at the snow covered ground. But the stones under the white powder are as sharp as ever. Add to this that the grip, even with studs, sometimes are nill. The Disco is much lower than the RRC and a scratched paint work is not something that impress my wife at the end of the day. So, a carefull throttle foot and a rather turn back than take a risk was my word this day.

If it wasn't for the fear of damaging the sills or wings, I believe this car could be almost unstoppable.

A drive through the forest requires a rec walk before you drive. Having this done, planning the route bit by bit, always with the possibility to turn, there was no problem driving a quite difficult route.

The problem with the disco, as I see it, in the terrain is the low sills with no protection. You have to be really careful when driving of stones. Even if I had rocks and stones sliding less than a cm under the sills all the time (tearing of my 3rd mudflap this day) I only had to turn and find another way once.

Well, after had almost completed a good turn, after almost an hour of work and a lot of pleasure, I was overtaken by two men in a ballon-tired and rised Jeep. They drove as if it was the high way... Anyhow, I was really satisfied and proud over my self, while they looked rather bored. :)

Slide

I planned for work at the top of the slalom hill this week again. At the first attempt the wheels had about the same grip as on soap. (A thin layer of snow over wet rock.) Carefully I backed down and made a new attempt. The second time I got almost halfways up, but started sliding sideways on the rocks. With stiff spine, I very slowly in 5cm intervals backed down to more solid groud. This isn't the car you would like to roll...

I found myself another place at an old pick-nick site instead. :)

Spikes

Winter in Scandinavia means you have to have two sets of tires.

Forest office

http://www.youtube.com/user/kirefiel?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/gTAhQabe4No

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Today's view

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Well, actually last weeks view from the 'office'.


















All gadgets used when descending the slalom hill.
I'm not sure how important HDC really is, I rather rely on diff lock to help controlling descents.




To to get up it wasn't enough with TC. I'm not the kind who likes to floor the pedal over obstacles, I also here rather use diff lock and go slowly. However, TC is a great complement to the lock!

Usch!

I have spent some time cleaning, checking, fixing some of the small parts for Plutten. Just to get the feeling we're making progress I thought it could be nice to start painting a little bit. I had thought of something similar to the green colour of Moderskeppet or a very dark whine red. In the paint shop something strange hit my mind "Why not try something different!" So I brought home a tin of a pearl red on silver base mix. And it showed to be...

...horrible...

So now I'm wondering what to use the colour for. Because it will not be Pluttens dress!

My classroom

It's a pleasure to study when you are able to watch the autumn falling at the same time.


Today's view...


It's just me, the words and the birdsong. ...and that wonderful sound when you pour a mug of coffe...

Summertime

We spent a lot of time in our car this summer. First we went to Dalarna, then back to the west coast, followed by a trip to Norway which finally ended at the Swedish east coast before we arrived back at the western parts of Sweden again.

When you have a big loadspace, you don't have to choose what to bring, you just pack it in. And there is still leg room for the passengers...

This is one of my favourite roads. I have to drive it at least once a year. It leads to my grandparents mountain farm, which is one of the most beautiful places I know of.

The perfect place for a good cup of coffe...

My uncle, a few days later, led a bunch of us LR fanatics there by a more narrow way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbtesy-5ihc

My mother tells stories of how she as a child slept in the back of the 88" when their family were on holiday.

We use a tent...

More of the Norwegian Summer Camp and the Eurotrial competitions will follow...

Out in office

My new office has a grat view.
It also has the ability of changing views when ever I feel like it.

Cross Axled

Too much to do in the latest. Uppdates will follow soon :)

On road

According to Swedish law, you are not allowed to drive off road without special permission. The problem though is to define what's a road, and what's not. Måns and I clearly saw this as a road.

pack

Sometimes, not too often, I have a relapse and hop on a shorter tour. Since we are moving our studio at the moment I store some of my equipment at home. So, this was the first time the Mothership had the honour to take my gear down to the bus. An extraordinarily experience.

This car and my old 109 are the only cars I've owned where the back seat doesn't have to be folded. But, the narrow door and the hight of the 109 would have required a helping hand. To load the Disco is, now by experience, a one man job.


The cabinet in the big black case is a really heavy piece, but with the air suspension lowered it was possible to tilt it to get the wheels on the bumper and then shovel it in. Now the technique is there, but the plastic bumper got a crack at my first attempt.


I felt that the Disco is a big car. But it is dwarfed by the new tour bus.
















An extra floor made a huge difference in travelling comfort. The second floor has 16 beds, a closet and a couple of seat rows up front. The first floor has seats, toilet, kitchen and a storage for backline and smaller equipment in the back. PA and lighs travel in a trailer.

Lenny (the boss) serves coffe to Jessie (dancer) and Gabbe (hammondorganequillibrist)
















Daniel is checking sound (or what you maight call the noice we're shooting at him)
















Sorry for this digression, I'll try to stick to Land Rovers in the future...

Leaks

The repair I did on the coolant hose vent this winter gave in. A strap held the bolt in place until I got a new hose, so the problem wasn't imminent. I upgraded to later spec which has a more durable vent.

She still lost coolant though so I started to worry. I have experienced an overheated 3,5 a couple of years ago and wasn't that eager to unbolt the tops and send them away to a machine shop. £££. Fautfinding, I found no coolant in the oil or the exhaust, but a sweet smell somewhere in the front region. It showed to be a leaky gasket underneath the throttle housing. To find a replacement gasket was no easy task. Firstly I didn't know the name of the part, secondly every dealer I spoke to wanted to sell me the full throttle housing. £££. Why? All I needed was a small gasket. After two weeks of searching I had almost decided to make my own gasket, the problem was that this piece is under preassure and the gasket a metal reinforced one. A friend told me about a dealer in Stockholm, and from that company I was able to buy a kit with only the pre heater and the gaskets needed.

So, off went the throttle housing, and on the new parts. Done before supper and no oil under the nails.

Back in business

This little bugger was the cause of our problems. It's a timing device mounted on the flywheel housing to read the revs of the flywheel and tell the electronic ignition when to send fuel and spark. Unfortunately it worked (seems strange to say) when the mechanic plugged the diagnostic equipment in. This is why the troubleshooting took such long time. It was at their third attempt to read the computer information that they discovered the fault.

On our way home the Mothership immediately was put back in business. Most people need a trailer to bring home fencing material. We use our luxury saloon.

Play Therapy

I have tried everything I could think of. So, we had to send the Mothership to the doctor.

This traumatic event had to be followed up with som play therapy with our daughter.

I think I'll need some therapy too after have driven the rental car, audi A4, for a couple of days. It feels like driving an ice-cream box.

Going to the doctor

Today I was about to take the mothership to the doctor for diagnostic. She refused! I think that I'll have to inform her better since she seems to be afraid of the doctor.

Premiere

The proud driver!


Guess if this boy was serious today! I think it'll be more of this from now on...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URmAl9BdHkQ

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quhhiiiiiiiz

Guess which is the newest... :)

New things look nice!