Expedition weight???

[TeriAnn]

I have to dissagree completely....we have a Caranex made for our '68 ambulance/camper.

Hi Jim. Our tents are different in that one that fits the rear of an ambulance is wider and I think maybe taller than the non-ambulance series version.

When did you buy yours? I got mine during a sale in 1996 and I don't recall any optional poles to put a peak in the flat section. If yours is significantly newer they may have made improvements to the design. I stand by my statement that my tent was a disaster in heavy coastal downpours.

Either way I glad that you are happy with your tent. Could be a better version than I had or it could be that you are just better at setting them up than I. As far as docking them, with the Dormobile lifting roof I had very little rear space for the cover that goes over the back of the LR and had to get the location just perfect to get a seal with that little overlap. Could be that a flat roofed Rover doesn't need to be criticaly placed to reseal the tent.

Either way I'm glad your tent works for you and I love your ambulance

[yorker]

Do you realize that weight is only 500 lbs more than a JK jeep? 300lbs more than an Unlimited and 1000lbs less than the curb weight of a Dodge 2500? It seems heavy when compared to a 2900 lb 88 but in reality it isn't huge. With a decently overbuilt axle and power train you'll be fine.

TAW- what is your curb weight fully kitted out for a trip like when you went to the ANARC ralley?

Matt Nelson

[TeriAnn]

TAW- what is your curb weight fully kitted out for a trip like when you went to the ANARC ralley?

Fully loaded for a trip, wine cellar stocked, all three fuel tanks full (42 gallons), the 15 gallon water tank full, me and an adult Irish Wolfhound aboard comes to 5650 lbs as the public scale reads.

Comfort weighs.

[yorker]

That really isn't that bad at all, I imagine it is a joy with the power to weight ratio you have now... Maybe I'll end up with a 302 in my 109. I'm curious to see how yours works out with the EFI conversion. I'm still in the planning stages but lately I've been moving in the Ford direction rather than a 3.5 Rover v8.

Matt Nelson

[Leslie]

I think I'll install a sail on the roof of mine....

[TeriAnn]

I imagine it is a joy with the power to weight ratio you have now... Maybe I'll end up with a 302 in my 109. I'm curious to see how yours works out with the EFI conversion. I'm still in the planning stages but lately I've been moving in the Ford direction rather than a 3.5 Rover v8.

The days of driving West into Flagstaff (slight uphill grade), into a strong wind blown storm with the engine floored, going between 40 & 45 MPH (depending upon gusts) and being on the CB telling the 18 wheelers coming up behind me at 70+ MPH about the slow Land Rover ahead are indeed over.

So are the days of focusing on each upcoming hill, gaining as much speed as possible before the hill and watching the tach to down shift at the best RPM. Now I ignore the hills and enjoy the scenery.

And no more failed ascents because the engine just ran out of power and ground to a halt.

The 302 has more torque and HP at idle than the 2.25L has at peak and can outrun 4.6 Range Rovers uphill. I have no problem going the speed limit anywhere. The funny thing is that with the carb on the 302, I have been getting identical fuel mileage as I got with the SIII 8:1 2.25L engine that the 302 replaced. And since I have the low compression heads, I do it with regular petrol.

The primary purpose of the EFI conversion is to see if I can get even better fuel mileage and a little smoother engine operation at high rock crawling angles. As it turns out the EFI conversion ended up being less than half the total project. I'm just now in teething phase.

During the previous start up phase I discovered that I had forgot to put the fuel pump relay it its socket and had purchased a dead computer unit off ebay. It started right up with those two items fixed.

So far in teething phase I've discovered that the throttle body I bought on ebay was mislabeled and wrong for my application. I'm in the process of replacing the plugs & plug wires today (I remembered that they are almost 8 years old and probably not at their best). My new exhaust headers leak on the right side. When checked I noticed that the collector flange was solid up against the corner of the starter motor. The muffler shop put a notch in the collector flange to accomplish the connection. The exhaust leak is upstream of the O2 sensor so is causing the computer to feed the wrong air/fuel mixture to that bank of cylinders. I have a smaller reduction geared starter on order and will reseal everything when it arrives. I'm finally starting to focus in on a proper intake air filter system.

My hope is to pick up 2-3 MPG highway and a 50-70% increase in fuel mileage around town and on the trail. The EFI is a LOT more flexible than a carb. The Ford system even has a atmospheric barometer that adjusts the air fuel mixture for altitude as I drive. I should end up with more HP & torque as well, but since I have enough already it is irrelevant to me. Cars that came with this same EFI on a 302 were stickered in the area of 26-27 MPG highway, 18-19 MPG city. I figure the LR's lack of streamlining will reduce those numbers somewhat.

I figure the advantages of using an American small block engine in North America over a GM/Rover V8 are numerous. The cast iron engine is way more forgiving of overheating, the American engines can be set up for better fuel mileage and more power on regular than Range Rovers get on Premium fuel. I can buy a water pump for $30 and a rebuilt distributor for the $60-70 range. Every auto parts store in North America has engine parts on the shelf and every shade tree professional mechanic in North American can rebuild the engines in their sleep.

I have yet to see anything except a weight advantage by installing a GM/Rover aluminum V8 in North America.

2.25L petrol engine (3 main) - 450 lbs
Ford 302 - 460 lbs with cast iron heads, 425lbs with aluminum heads
Chevy 350 - 575 lbs with cast iron heads, 525 lbs with aluminum heads
GM/Rover 3.5L engine - 318 lbs

Sorry I don't have weights for the 3.9 & larger GM/Rover engines or for he Jag/Rover engines. Weights depends upon accessories attached. US engines lighter with aluminum intake manifolds & headers.