75ZT Community

Hope everyone has had a good Christmas, sorry I don't post much anymore but I am still about and do read the forums as much as possible

My friend and I have been looking to do the Mongolian Rally in 2012 (yes 2012, we need to get organised and it's going to take a year!) and we need a 1ltr car in which to do it. Now my general car know how is poor, and doing 10,000miles without breaking down would be a miracle! So could anyone make a recommendation to a car that would be easyish to fix on the go, and from improvised parts! It needs to be cheap to buy (we're not looking to actually buy until its 100% confirmed we're doing it) as a) its going to get trashed over 10,000 miles, crossing deserts, offroad, dirt tracks etc... and b) we leave it in Mongolia when we fly back!

What we would like if possible is a recommendation to a car, or selection of cars, that we can revise up on, get ready and correct niggles that may cause mishap on the journey. This is still a maybe as my friend is checking he can get 2 months of work , we can prepare ourselves mentally for the trip, and can stop thinking about the warnings on the website!

http://mongolrally.theadventurists.com/

Many Thanks

I'd consider a Mk1 Nissan Micra, if you can get hold of one.

Hateful car, I'm afraid, but close to unbreakable, and I have tried.

My wife had one when I met her. I kept it running (change the points and plugs) for a few years, but it started to get rusty because of previous poor repairs. So I decided it had to go, and tried to kill it. Not possible I'm afraid. A firend at work at the time was trying to the same to his wifes so she could have a nice car, and had the same problem.

At ten years and 110k miles, it had needed only service items. Breakdowns were only ever because of improper servicing (cambelt not changed, fuel filters not changed). Even still had it's original battery. Straightforward carb, and points system, no fancy electronics. There is some clever idle control system, but this can be disposed of.

For simplicity, a moggy minor (yes there are smaller than 1ltr versions) or a 2CV are good, but finding a sound one (ie no terminal rust) is a major task.

An old Citroen ZX diesel? I know it's a 1.9 engine but a ZX won the Dacca rally in its day. And they are as cheap as chips on ebay.

The engine in mine is the Peugeot XUD NA (coz it's an auto) but the turbo version is far more common..
...

James.uk wrote:An old Citroen ZX diesel? I know it's a 1.9 engine but a ZX won the Dacca rally in its day. And they are as cheap as chips on ebay.

The engine in mine is the Peugeot XUD NA (coz it's an auto) but the turbo version is far more common..
...

There is a one litre limit on engine size.

Bernard wrote:

James.uk wrote:An old Citroen ZX diesel? I know it's a 1.9 engine but a ZX won the Dacca rally in its day. And they are as cheap as chips on ebay.

The engine in mine is the Peugeot XUD NA (coz it's an auto) but the turbo version is far more common..
...

There is a one litre limit on engine size.

So what is the problem - a few hacksaw blades and you have cut the engine in half

Duncans suggestion of a Moggie Minor I think is a good one - no sophisticated electronics just a few simple wires for the electrics side, the good old SU fuel pump (just take a spare), simple torsion spring suspension, a very simple engine with a simple carb. As for winning rallies - the Mini did ok with the A series engine which the moggie has.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming, it definately has to be 1ltr though I'm afraid. Not sure how the rally works as you go your own route and explore whilst completing the rally. Sounds like fun either way!

On the mog, there are 803cc (too slow) 948cc and 1098cc versions.

I would replace the SU pump with something more modern. There are modern equivalents, but you have to get the correct type. Other cars also use the SU, but some push and some pull so you have to get the correct version.

They can suffer from fuel vaporisation in the underbonnet piping (more common with the bigger engine versions) but a bit of heat shielding can resolve this.

When I last visited, had a very active and helpful web forum for the owners club, too.

Duncan wrote:On the mog, there are 803cc (too slow) 948cc and 1098cc versions.

I would replace the SU pump with something more modern. There are modern equivalents, but you have to get the correct type. Other cars also use the SU, but some push and some pull so you have to get the correct version.

They can suffer from fuel vaporisation in the underbonnet piping (more common with the bigger engine versions) but a bit of heat shielding can resolve this.

When I last visited, had a very active and helpful web forum for the owners club, too.

Sounds like it might not cope crossing two deserts if it suffers vapourisation in this country

How about a Mini?
A friend of mine did a trip to Tehran and back in 1976 with three passengers. The Mini performed faultlessly, it was already second or third hand and just had a good service before the trip. Obviously a decent one these days is going to be pretty expensive. The other option at the time was a VW bug.

I'd quite like to do it in a mini, there would only be two of us, or maybe three, so should be room for gear.

Mini would work, but a bitch to work on: there's no room underbonnet. Ground clearance might be an issue, and the ride will tire you I would think.

With a simple mod to prevent the heat getting to the fuel pipes, the minor is fine. Thre's a guy on the owners club messge board (forum) that did an African trip a few years back. He's done other events in a Landy. You could do worse than have a chat with him. His username is Rayofleamington. Send him my regards if you do decide to talk to him.

Cheers Duncan, I will certainly have a chat with him if we decide to go that way.

Or alternatively, if you like adventure, a Reliant 3 wheeler. However, would be good if one of the crew is a surgeon as any work on it requires keyhole surgery.