For Australia we felt we were a bit short of frontal protection, hitting a kangaroo at some point in our trip is pretty much a certainty and the radiator is a bit vulnerable. We didn’t want to go too overboard  but felt that some extra protection would be worthwhile. We settled on adding a simple A frame to the top of the bumper that sits around half way across the exposed radiator area. With a bit of luck if/when we get a roo strike it will reduce the chance of any serious damage to the vehicle.

With hindsight we probably should have got a winch bumper with an A bar in the first place but didn’t really like any of those available. I had to call on the services of Patrick at Maddison 4×4 to bend up some CDS to approximately the right shape and I then made up some spreader/mounting plates that bolt to the top of the bumper using the existing bumper mounting bolts and a couple of additional bolts at the front.

I added an aerial mount to the A bar while I was at it but it wasn’t until after it was welded, painted and fitted that Pam pointed out we should have added provision for a sand flag mount ! Sand flags are a good idea regardless but they’re expected to be mandatory on the Simpson Desert routes for 2014. I might add a mount to it and repaint… or we might just end up using some tie wraps and duct tape !

While I had the drill out I also drilled the mounting holes for the front LED spotlight bars to mount to and connected them up to the wiring loom I’d already added.

Another “major” piece of kit has been acquired now and ticked off the list. We’ve decided to go with a satellite phone for emergency use rather than a radio set although we’ll have the VHF set for “local” communications.

To save some of the budget we went for a second hand one so have been keeping an eye on eBay for the right combination of price and condition. The one we eventually bought came complete with a waterproof Peli case and 60 units prepaid so we can experiment with it and get familiar with it’s features without worrying about the cost.

We went for an Inmarsat Isatphone Pro which seems to be well regarded and certainly initial impressions suggest it’s a well put together piece of kit. It has a whole load of features and options but I guess the most important for our use apart from voice communications is the ability to quickly email or SMS our exact location.

We’ve never been completely happy with the glass sunroof on the 90. Apart from the fact it leaks (don’t they all !) we probably don’t want a sun roof in for Australia. As well as the obvious problems of heat there’s also the fact that it’s quite vulnerable, especially when Pam is doing her roof tent monkey act. A number of times she’s stepped on the sun roof, albeit only lightly, but inevitably one day it’s going to shatter.

The solution was to buy the military version of the sun roof that was fitted to military Defenders and termed an escape hatch. Essentially this is identical to a normal sunroof and fits in exactly the same way but the glass panel is replaced with a substantial aluminium panel. Being military the outside is painted in matt green but that will get sorted when the weather warms up a bit. The aluminium panel also lifts out completely if required, allowing you to exit the vehicle that way or access the roof.

It only took an hour to get the old sunroof out and the new escape hatch in, it then rained and, fortunately no leaks, even with the hose pipe on it.

Another job completed today was to replace the factory spare wheel carrier with a Mantec one. This will transfer most of the weight of the spare wheel down to the chassis rather than relying on the door and door hinges, hopefully preventing the door from disintegrating on the Australian washboard road surfaces.

Well, the roll cage is now fitted apart from one bolt on each side that will need the rear and the sides of the cage to be removed before I can drill the holes.

It took some fitting but I think the end result is worth it, giving us a mounting system for the tent and anything else we want to put on the roof, supplying separation between the passenger and luggage area and increased safety should the worst happen.

While I’ve certainly saved some cash by fitting it myself, I would strongly recommend anybody fitting one to a “shiny” motor to get P&P to do it – a LOT less stress that way !

Spent today at Maddison 4×4 fitting the roll cage and getting the 90 through it’s MOT.

I have to say that when P&P gave me a quote for fitting the cage I immediately thought, “how much !”. Having spent the best part of the day fighting with the cage I now think the price they quoted was a bargain.

The cage itself is fine, it all fits beautifully but the stress and pain involved in checking and double checking every measurement before drilling holes in the body work and then fitting and refitting the cage sections without scratching the paintwork is something you don’t appreciate until you try it.

Still, MOT passed OK and with the occasional help of Patrick, Izzy and Terry at Maddison 4×4 it’s mostly fitted now and tomorrow should see the last bits fitted. Pictures courtesy of Terry’s phone 🙂

We ordered the roll cage today from Protection and Performance, should be ready in 4-6 weeks. We’re having it delivered to Maddison 4×4 so I can go over and fit it there where there are some extra hands available as and when needed.

It’s an expedition external cage to minimise any loss of interior space but with an internal hoop with cross braces that should make it a lot stronger should the worst happen. The cross should also make a handy mounting point for hanging “junk” from.

The roof tent will mount onto the cage too, giving it a good solid method of mounting.

We’re getting a snorkel with the cage so it matches 🙂