2010winter

RoverRoverXchange Winter 2010

2 RoverXchange ANewsletterforLandRoverAficionados

Winter 2010PresidentialROVINGS

We’re nearing the end of my first year being the Solihull Society president. I’ve learned a lot and will continue learning, making strides and doing my best in this position.

After wrapping up and reviewing how the 2010 National Rally went, the National Rally team is working hard planning our next rally, which will be in Breckenridge around the last week of July. By the time

you read this we should have some information on the rally site for next year, and I’d like to point out that for this year’s rally we donated over $4000 to the Humane Society of Moab, Grand County Search and Rescue, and Stay the Trail.

We don’t have many planned events during the winter months, but keep an eye on the forum for updates, unofficial trips, and Rover gatherings.

I hope everyone has had a happy and safe holiday season.

Jeff CorwinPresident,Solihull Society

RoverXchangeThe Rover Xchange is a mostly quarterly publica-tion of the Solihull Society 4-Wheel Drive Club, Inc. All material in Rover Xchange, unless oth-erwise noted, is the property of Solihull Society and may not be reproduced without permission.

Solihull Society contactSPresident Jeff Corwin [email protected] Eugene Higby [email protected] Hans Schulze [email protected]/Membership Paul Donohue [email protected] Events Coordinator Jim Hall [email protected] Events Coordinator Wendy Vaughan [email protected] Sponsorship Coordinator [email protected] Issues Coordinator Jim Hall [email protected] Tate Crumbley [email protected] Admins David Garbs [email protected] Dan Russo [email protected]

Website – www.solihullsociety.org

Newsletter Articles and Photos – Articles must be submitted in either Word (.doc) or text (.txt) format. Digital photos can be emailed or mailed on CD in either a JPEG, TIFF , PDF, or EPS files. The articles can be submitted either via email ([email protected]) or mailed on a CD to Tate Crumbley at the following address: 2010 E 98th Ave, Thornton, CO 80229. Materials will be returned upon request.

Photos by Pamela Blair, Roving Photographix

RoverXchange Winter2010 www.SolihullSociety.org 3

in thiS iSSue

RoverXchangeVolume 14, Issue 4, Winter 2010

life and Death of a Rover 4

the neverending trail 5

Moab Rally in Pictures 7

Series Wiper Motor Rebuild 8

trip Report: Metberry Gulch 11

trip Report: Belize camp 6 14

Member Profile: Paul Froschauer 15

Member Profile: Rob Smith 17

Membership application and Renewal 18

Cover: Rob Smith drops off a ledge on CliffhangerBack cover, top: Paul Vangura’s LR3 Moab lightBack cover, bottom: Mike McUne directs Pogo down a ledge


by Sid AltumLife and Death of a Rover

Life began in August 2007 when she was being turned in as a replacement for a new Rover at Land Rover Den-ver South. I was a novice and look-ing for off-

road wheels. On a whim, I decided to look at Land Rov-ers. A trip to the dealer led to an amazing “we’ve got one in the back that just came in.” I never heard that one be-fore, ha! After being led to the inner recesses of the re-pair bays, there she was. Gleaming, almost new, still with plastic on the back seat and rear deck. “Want to try her out?” asked the salesman. “We can take her for a drive, if you want,” the sales guy said indifferently. “You bet,” I said. Thus began a love relationship with my “new” Rover.

After several weeks of getting adjusted to her and hav-ing fun, I was looking for other people to have fun with. Talking to the dealer, I learned of the Solihull Society, a group of Rover aficionados. Over the winter, things were kind of slow for off-roading, but she did wonderfully in the bad weather, ice, and snow. I did some local off-roading and by the spring was ready to get in the brush.

After several fun and adventurous trips locally, it was time for the 2008 National Land Rover Rally in Moab, Utah. Off we went, to try out this fantastic machine. The Fins and Things trail was luxurious, with straight up and down slopes, lots of rock, and excitement. She could hold on to an 80% rock face and not fall off, wow. After getting stuck on the back bumper, a decision was made. “I’ve got to get her more off-road capable,” I mumbled to myself, envious of the other trucks that weren’t getting stuck.

So, life rambled on, going on many off road treks locally and some in the mountains. Then in August of 2010, I decided to take a week long road trip, just her and me. Up through Wyo-

ming, Idaho and Montana we went, having fun and seeing lots of sights. This is what trucks and men are meant to do. A bonding of man and machine. Heading into the wind with no destination in mind—just you and the open road. Much time was spent on backcountry roads, in National Forests, sucking in the beauty of this magnificent country.

National Rally time came in October and we dutifully shipped off to Moab, Utah on October 18. Driving around Moab is always a trip into your imagination. Visions of cowboys and Indians, buffaloes, and elk dance in your brain. The beauty of the surroundings is breath taking. So, after eight days of this beauty, we sadly headed home.

Driving into a snowstorm around Glenwood Springs, we became a little leery as we proceeded into Vail. On one of the most dangerous curves in Colorado (or so I am told), I was driving and felt that sickening feeling of the rear end of the truck taking on a life of its own. The rear end slipped on ice, and after several more corrections and slips, we banged into the center wall and slid off to the side of the road. The passengers were shaken up, but no worse for wear. However, the insurance company, as it turned out, totaled the truck.

So, Mother Nature and the insurance company ended my love affair with this wonderful truck. After spending time removing personal items and add-ons, it was time to say goodbye. Standing there, knowing this was the last time I would see her, a tear came to my eye. She was more than just steel, aluminum and glass. She had a soul and had lived a glorious life. But the thing that gives me strength is the knowledge that there will be another. It won’t be ex-actly like her, but it will also enchant me and give me life.


by Tedd BrennerThe Neverending Trail

Let us start out with a theory about 4-wheeling: if you bring everything you need in case of carnage, nothing will happen, but if you go unprepared, you will inevitably break something. The rub, however, is just how much gear and/or spare parts must you bring to cover yourself in case of major breakage. If you carry too much, you lose space need-ed for the most important items on the trail (passengers, a cooler, and some beef jerky, of course). Or worse, if you don’t carry enough and you get stuck, how do you get out?

This is especially important to consider when embark-ing on a trail such as Golden Spike, a trail actually consist-ing of 3 trails: Poison Spider, Golden Spike, and Gold Bar Rim. We thought we would have no problems—our total carnage included 4 driveshafts, two 1-ton chromoly axles, 1 transmission, a destroyed a ring gear and locker and twist-ed 2 more chromoly D1 axles 20 degrees, shearing 5 axle bolts. This ultimately caused the group to leave two trucks on the trail to be rescued later, and have the truck I was in towed over some of the most demanding terrain in Moab.

Being towed has always been a frustrating feeling for me and for good reason. To start, if there is any slack between the trucks, you get jerked around like an American flyer wagon, and you wind up feeling like a human bobblehead. Obviously, you have no choice but to deal with the frus-tration that your truck is gimped in some way as to have to be towed, and you either have to plan your repair or trailer strategy to get home. Worst, you have no control of where you are going. This became an extremely interest-ing situation as the truck towing us was a D110 300tdi on

35’s with dana 60’s. The driver of this truck liked to take it on some extremely difficult lines. He could clear most obstacles with ease no matter how rough, and even showed us how easy it ran by walking next to it as it idled in a low gear across some bowling ball sized rocks. Of course, this meant that there were a few iffy obstacles that our truck was complacently dragged over as we braced ourselves for what was usually a steep ledge drop. It was obviously more fitting that the majority of these close calls also hap-pened in the dark as Golden Spike is over 35 miles long.

This felt like the trail that wouldn’t. We got to Moab on Saturday night, unloaded the cars, grabbed some burg-ers last minute from Milt’s and finally went to bed, ready to get going for a prerun to see what this trail was really like. On the first day we stopped at the supermarket for coffee. Like any meetup at a coffee house, there is the in-evitable wait for the people in line for coffee, and the oc-casional straggler. In our group, there were both, and I’m pretty sure there were a couple of last minute tagalongs, as well. So we started a bit late, expecting a smooth day. We got to the trailhead about 11 am, quickly aired down and got running up the first of the three trails. We were not up a half mile into the trail when, on a double stair climb obstacle, the first of the carnage began: a D110 broke both of the rear u-joints in his rear driveshaft, leaving him with two driving wheels. Luckily we were carrying new u-joints and a vise! We were able to repair the driveshaft but after the field repair and lunch it was already 2pm, so we decided to try again the next morning and get an early


start, and run through the trail with no more problems. We left the next day in the same group at 9:30am for Day

2, with some rain, but still high hopes. About 11 am, near the beginning of the second leg of Golden Spike, the first axle broke. It was a quick pack-and-go-on-three-wheels situation (the truck did fine the whole way until on a ledge on Gold Bar Rim where it broke another axle, and had to be left on the trail for later rescue). The next big break was in the truck I was in, a built-to-the-hilt ’97 Discovery I. After locking up the differentials, we were clearing obstacles that were getting gnarly. Finally, on a curved-in ledge, we tried to bump the truck up and over and as we bounced, I looked out the passenger window and to our right was a driveshaft with no u-joints in it, lying on the rocks. I quickly alerted the driver, and we backed off to assess the damage. The driveshaft was trashed and would have needed to be welded to go on, which we could have done, but we went on to save time. Here’s a bit of irony—I have to laugh because we usually have spare driveshafts, axles, and most everything that could break on the trail with us. My truck, which had the spare driveshafts and axles, was still in Colorado, and would meet us in Moab later that night. So, we were stuck and chose to take a tow from the mighty tugboat D110.

After leaving the group to be towed off, we later found out that another truck from our group had been left on the trail with a broken driveshaft and a dry transmission. We continued over the golden stairs, crossed the crack, and got down Gold Bar Rim to be met with new parts and hot food, both of which were much needed and much appreciated.

The next day, Day 3, we went back to rescue the trucks that were left. On the first truck we freed up the broken front axle. On only 2 opposite axles: 1 front and 1 rear, the truck was able to make it over pretty much every obstacle, with minimal help. The other got a new dose of ATF and a new driveshaft and was on its way. We got off the trail and were happy that we only had to run it one more time...for Day 4.

Letter From the Editor

It hasn’t been that long, and my 1997 Discovery, nicknamed “Pogo,” still has some Moab dust on it from the October rally. The pic-tures are sorted, but I still haven’t fixed the weird rear A-arm bolt failure that was welded by Moab’s 4x4 Outpost, but have fixed

the leaky master cylinder. There was a good turn-out, and lots of people hit the surrounding trails. I got the chance to speak with people in from Canada and even England. This issue recaps two Rally ex-periences. If you’d like to share a story in a future is-sue of RoverXchange, please drop me an email.

They are only somewhat related to Land Rovers, but I recently got a chance to drive two other renowned British vehicles: an Aston Martin V12 Vantage and a supercharged Jaguar XJ. With three times the horse-power of my Discovery, the Aston had unbridled pow-er but was remarkably composed during acceleration, an amazing driving experience with a guttural roar from the massive V12. The Jaguar seemed like a mod-ern Range Rover with less ground clearance, as they share the same supercharged V8 and LCD gauges and have a similar level of interior luxury. Many thanks go to Sill-TerHar Aston Martin/Jaguar for the experience.

Tate [email protected]


2010 Rally in Pictures

Photos by Dena Prochorchik

Photos by Dave Harmon

Photos by Paul Vangura

Photos by Tate and Norma Crumbley


by Al RicherSeries Wiper Motor Rebuild

Having had the unmiti-gated pleasure of rework-ing the wiper motors on my Series IIa 109 pickup, I’ve decided to pull the lessons learned in this process together into a tutorial for those fortu-nate souls who haven’t had this pleasure... if that’s what you want to call it.

First off, this applies to the Lucas motors used on Series II and IIa vehi-cles. These are the newer motors with the rounded casings. The older mo-tors, with their squared-off casings, from what I am told are mechanical-ly similar but I haven’t had one apart to check this personally, so beware.

Secondly, any road vehicle must have functional windshield wip-ers. This means that they have to be on the truck and working or the local constabulary can and will pull you over and ban your vehicle from the road for this. If you’re going to rework your motors, plan on doing the job in one sitting if at all possible. On to the show, then....

1: Dismounting the motor from the truck:The motors on my car were held in place by a double-nut on

a threaded shaft. Two of these were used to mount each mo-tor, and both were badly corroded on my example. The threaded shafts ended up unscrewing from the motors, and are being re-placed with the proper thread of stainless-steel bolt. With the wiper blade removed by loosening the mounting bolt and pull-ing it off the shaft, the motor was free to be withdrawn into the cab.

I got off relatively unscathed in this process. I have heard of cases where the wiper mount, motor and windscreen have corroded themselves into an immovable mess, and one case where a windscreen had to be scrapped because the corroded hardware could not be removed (Hi, Dixon!). Re-placement parts for the mounting bits are available, but make sure to pro-tect the wiper shaft if you have to resort to force in removing the motor.

Take care with it and expect to use penetrating oil and persuasion if yours are badly corroded. Also, for your own peace of mind, expect to replace the mounting studs. They can be easily fabricated from stainless-steel threaded stock, or barring that, cut-down bolts of the proper size.

The two wires on the motor were then disconnected, noting the respec-tive terminals they attached to. Pay attention here, as one of the terminals is mounted o the motor shell (and as such is grounded to the chassis). NOTE: For those of us thinking of converting positive ground cars to nega-tive ground, these motors work quite well with either polarity grounded. They turn the same way with either polarity to the shell of the motor.

2: Disassembling the motor for cleaning:Once on the bench, I ran each motor with a 12-volt power supply.

Both dragged badly, indicating that the gear grease had congealed. I removed the rear cover of the motor by removing the brass slotted nut

at the center of the blade control and the two machine screws at the left and right sides of the rear cover. After this, the rear cover was free to come off, only needing a bit of persuasion with a plastic mallet to come free.

Removal of the front cover was a bit more involved. The first item to be removed was a small metal block trough which the wiper shaft

passed. With this block removed, the shaft spring could be released by straightening a crimped washer holding the wiper shaft in the mo-tor. Straightening this removed the tension from the locking spring for the shaft, allowing it to slide back out through the motor. Instead of the crimped washer, I am told that some of the motors have a cir-clip fitted into the groove. Either way, disassembly doesn’t change, but be careful not to lose the clip if so equipped. With this fas-tener out, the three nuts holding the front cover on can be removed.

3: Motor cleanup and check-out:Once you get to this point, your first reaction is going to be dis-

gust at the condition and amount of filthy, pasty grease that is all over the inside of the gear case. That is precisely why we’re here, as this grease is causing many problems and must be renewed.

Before we disassemble anything, let’s have a good look at what we’re disassembling. Looking at the gearcase end, the first thing you’ll see is a 110-pitch gear drilled with an offset bearing. In that bear-ing is the pin from a shaft that runs to a follower arm with a hole down its center. This is the bit that the wiper shaft comes out of.

Under the 110-pitch gear is a double gear, which engages both the edge of the 110-pitch gear and the motor shaft. This intermediate gear is made of phenolic and, I am told, can disintegrate if the motor is abused with heavy loads. The motor shaft runs through the central casting into the back half, where the windings, rotor and switching are.

What I’ll be detailing here is a general cleanup/greasing/in-spection. This cleared up 99% of the problems on both my mo-tors, and seems like the favorite mode of failure for this design.

If, however, once you clean up the grease and such and the mo-tor still runs slowly or not at all, then you may have an electri-cal fault in the rotor or commutator coil. The repair of these is beyond the scope of this article, but it can be done by an electric motor shop if replacement parts are not available.

If this is the case, though, check the brushes for prop-er contact and look for broken wires and similar problems. This could also be the problem, and could still be an easy fix.

Now comes the fun bit, where we get REALLY dirty. Fill a small container with grease solvent - personally I like the newer orange-based stuff, as it’s friendlier to the environment and my lungs. What-ever you do, don’t use acetone or any cleaner that might be unfriendly to the electrical insulation on the wiring. If you can’t get the orange-based cleaner, I have it on good authority that WD-40 will remove the grease without removing the wire insulation. (Hi again, Dixon!)

Working carefully, remove the gears from the front of the motor and clean them in the solvent, using a toothbrush to get out the stub-born bits of gunk from the gear teeth. DON’T soak the fiber gear for an extended period - it WILL have problems if you do. Also clean the pins that are on the shaft to the follower arm of accumulated crud.

Also, get a cotton swab into the bearing holes in the cast-ing and clean them out to eliminate the old grease completely.

We want to remove the follower arm from the casting to give it a good cleaning inside and out. If yours are like mine, the edges of the back of the hollow shaft are mushroomed, stopping it from sliding out. In this case CAREFULLY file away the burrs and work the shaft out of the bearings.

DON’T FORCE IT OUT! You’ll eat the bearings. Clean the inside hollow of the shaft with solvent, as well as the inside of the bearings the hollow shaft rode in. Use a cotton swab with


solvent, being careful to keep the solvent off the electrical bits. The motor rotor’s the next bit we want to deal with. Its

two bronze bushings need to be cleaned and re greased. This part is tricky - If you don’t feel comfortable after reading it through, then skip it if the rotor turns freely and runs OK.

Remove the two nuts holding the rear bearing in place. It will slide up the motor shaft, and the carbon brushes will disengage from the copper contacts. WATCH OUT FOR THE BRUSHES! If yours is like mine, they will be slung forcefully out of the mo-tor, landing several feet away. If lost, don’t panic. Most hardware stores can provide brushes for small power tools that can be made to serve nicely with a bit of filing. As a matter of fact, I’ve replaced the brushes in both my motors anyway, as they were badly worn.

Pivot the rear bearing assembly out of the way, being careful of the wires from the brushes to the coil below. If you’re comfort-able with soldering, it’s much easier to simply disconnect the coil wires from the rear bearing assembly, noting which went where.

With this, the rotor can be withdrawn from the stator. Clean its bearing surfaces with solvent, also the bearings themselves.

4: Reassembly:First thing to go back in is the motor rotor. Grease its bearing surfaces with

a good coat of an all-purpose grease, and reinsert it into the hole in the stator. Fitting the rear bearing is a bit involved. You need to hold the

brushes open with the points of a needle nose pliers and slide the bearing back over the rear rotor shaft, being careful of the at-tached wires at all times. This is where removing the coil wires pays off, as you can slip the assembly back on much easier if you don’t have the 3- dimensional motion restriction of the wires.

It’s easier if you present the bearing assembly so that the end of the rotor shaft can slip straight back into the bearing - hold it straight! It seems tricky, but it can be done! At worst tie the brushes back with a bit of wire so you can devote both hands to engaging the shaft. Reattach the rear bearing with the two nuts removed earlier and tighten. If you re-moved the coil wires or broke one off, now is the time to re solder them.

Now, grease the bearings of each of the gears and put them back in place in the front of the casting. The fiber gear goes in first, then the 110-pitch gear, then reinsert the hollow shaft you took out earlier, making sure to grease all of the bearings and pivot points as you put it back together.

A NOTE ON GREASE: You might want to make very sure that the lu-

bricant you use has proper cold-weather character-istics. Some all-purpose lubricants congeal in cold weather, making the operation of the wipers very difficult. I personally used a silicon-based lubricant called Syl-Glide, as it advertised constant viscosity at colder temperatures, and up as high as +400F. Remember, these motors are going to take some pretty nasty temperature extremes sitting there in the sun, so be careful with the lubricants you choose.

Once you have all of the bits back in prop-erly, turn the rotor of the motor by hand to make sure nothing’s binding. If all’s well, put the front gearcase cover back on and test-run the motor, either on the bench or off your Rover’s battery.

If it passes, great! Now we can put the wiper shaft back into the motor and complete reassembly. Rein-

sert the wiper shaft from the rear of the motor. Over the shaft from the front of the motor, slide on the cleaned tension spring and either the washer you removed to free it, or a circlip of the proper size. Personally, I went with the circlips to allow for periodic opening and regreasing of the motors.

5: Remounting:Remounting the motors is simpler than removing them, as you’ve al-

ready caused all the damage you’re going to.... If the mounting rubbers and hardware are in good shape, all you need to do is bolt the motor back on, perhaps smearing a bit of silicone grease on the sealing rubbers where the motor shaft makes contact with them. Also, a little RTV sealant un-der the aluminum mounting block helps eliminate water leaks at that point. Make sure to clean away the excess, though, for a neat appearance.

If you need to replace the hardware, the cast parts and the rub-ber gaskets are available from most Rover suppliers. The threaded rods and nuts can be had locally, though, if they’re all you need.

Aligning the wiper blades may be a bit tricky, but shouldn’t be a prob-lem with a bit of attention to detail. Present the motor to its installation spot on the windscreen with the rear handle in the parked (off ) position, then mount and fasten the wiper blade where it should be (pointing to the right while facing the wiper blade from outside the car). This makes sure everyone’s in agreement as to the way things need to go when operating.

6: Conclusion:

Cleaning and servicing the wiper motors on your Series II or IIa is a simple, stress-free task that can save you a lot of headaches and money down the road. These small motors are well built, and with a modi-cum of service will soldier on reliably in the rain effectively forever.


Trip Report: Metberry Gulch

A few Rover owners from the central Colorado area de-cided to get together on May the 8th and do a wheeling trip to Hackett Gulch. We met in Westcreek at the intersection of 73 and 68 (Stump Rd.), it turns out that there is a Volun-teer Fire Station at that intersection which makes for a good meeting place. After introducing ourselves and talking for a few minutes Paul V. suggested we do Metberry Gulch in-stead, which was fine with me (Paul F.) and the other driver who brought his LR4 named JJ. With Paul V. in the lead we headed out for the trail at about 9:30 AM. In order to get to Metberry Gulch you do not want to follow the directions that GPS units will give you, they will lead you through some private property that is closed with gates that are locked. You need to stay on Cedar Mountain Rd., which can be fairly rough in places. The group had to stop and help a Subaru Outback that had become high centered on the road.

After arriving at the trailhead we aired down and let the dogs run for a few minutes before starting the trail. Metber-ry Gulch starts as a fairly smooth trail that winds through some forest that was burned during the big fire in 2002. There are a few areas where streams have washed out the trail. One of the washouts has a large drop with a large soft, muddy hole at the bottom. It looked like an area that might be a problem on the way back out. Soon we were descend-ing rapidly into the Platte River Valley, the hill descent

control proved its worth here. On the way into the valley there is a sharp turn that is very off camber, a large rock ob-stacle known as the rock slab. It is exactly what the name implies, a very large, smooth and steep rock. Paul V. who was in the lead descended the obstacle first then dismount-ed and guided the rest of us down without a problem.

Shortly after the rock slab we arrived at the river. It is a very scenic river valley where we stopped to eat lunch, let the dogs play in the river, and took a hike down the river for a while. This would be a great spot for some fly fish-ing. We started working our way back out of the river val-ley after a rest. The Rock Slab and the steep ascent with the off camber turn didnt pose a problem on the way up. Neither did the muddy hole, and after reading on anoth-er 4x4 website that a recent group had to use straps on 4 out of 6 of their assorted vehicles, I must say that I am impressed with both the LR3s and the LR4s capability.

Overall it was a great trail ride and a success. Other that some minor scratches none of the vehicles had sig-nificant damage, nobody had to get pulled, and a couple of newer guys got some good experience. It was good to see a LR4 owner out there taking on some of the com-plicated areas, and it didn’t miss a beat. I’m looking for-ward to future runs once I return from Afghanistan.

by Paul Froschauer


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by James BrownTrip Report: Belize Camp 6

I don’t think any of us knew what to expect when we came out of our tents on the second day of Camp 6 road in Belize. This was a far cry from the first night of the expedition we spent in a beautiful jungle lodge.

Graham and I walked what was the road the day before; now it was a running stream with two feet of mud in places. The big question was whether we should press on or go back the way we came. This was a tough choice. The road ahead looked horrific but the section of road we ran the day before was no cakewalk. To go back the way we came was shorter and since the rain was still pour-ing we decided to relive day one. Except this time wet and uphill.

Day one started with finding the entrance to the road. We had a way-point for where it was supposed to be, but there was no visible road. Land Rover had used Camp 6 as a test track for the LR3 and the Range Rover Sport, but apparently no one has used it since. Nick, Graham and I headed into the jungle where the waypoint pointed us with the rest of the group close behind. It only took about 25 feet before we realized we couldn’t walk any further without machetes, let alone get the trucks through. After hacking our way a bit further we saw the first signs that there were tracks here, we all looked at each other and announced: “This is it!”

We were able to drive the trucks a whole 100 feet before we had to start chopping. Everyone played their part inching the trucks along. After about two hours, the bush cleared out a bit and we got our first GPS fix. Everyone guessed at how far we had come, but no one imag-ined we had only gone a half of a mile with five miles to go. After a tea break, we pushed on. We were now refreshed and ready to go.

When we went around the ravine and saw a huge tree blocking the track, half of us decided to let the winches do the work and the other half grabbed the machetes and started chopping. After several failed attempts at winching the enormous tree, it was obvious we had to continue chop-ping. Almost two hours later the tree was in half and we could press on.

Hours later as I hacked away at yet another tree, Graham and Nick set off by foot to find a spot to camp since it was getting dark. The sur-rounding jungle was so thick I thought for sure we would be sleeping

in the road. All of us were amazed when we saw what they had found: a nice flat clearing right off the track. Someone had been in this predica-ment before and we were grateful for that. The second GPS fix since we started seven hours before revealed we had only gone a mile and a half.

The group collapsed into their chairs in our perfect jungle camp. We ate a good meal, had some drinks, laughed about the day, and wondered what tomorrow would be like. Then the rain started and never stopped.

In the morning as the rain continued we were forced to make our decision—head back uphill the way we came or carry on. Graham and I informed the group we would be heading back. Everyone hat-ed the idea of not completing the track but we all knew it was the right decision given the continued rain, lack of supplies and time.

We started out optimistic, walking ahead to clear anything in the way of the first truck. Nick started to drive the truck out of camp and within 20 feet got stuck in the thick mud. At this point we knew this was going to take all day and a lot of work.

So we winched through the tough parts, drove when we could, and had to clear trees and vines that the rain had pulled down in the night. It took us seven hours to go back that one and a half miles and we worked for every inch of it.

The trucks took a pounding. Both snorkels were torn off and the front quarter panels got matching dents.

When we reached the end of the track and pulled out onto the main road everyone just stared at the state of the vehicles and ourselves. After many pats on the back and tons of laughter we knew we could take anything that lay ahead of us, which was a good thing since this was only day four of the fourteen day Central America Expedition.

NLX is taking on Camp 6 Road again in our Belize Backcoun-try Expedition this January. This time we know what we are in for and have ample time to complete it. The bigger challenge will be getting through the dense, untouched Columbia Rain Forest.

www.NoLimitX.com


Member Profile: Paul Froschauer

DeploymentGreetings from Afghanistan. There is not really a lot to talk about

related to Rovers, other than a few Defenders owned by the British Army that I have seen around. So, I apologize for being somewhat off subject, although those who are interested in military and world affairs will find my article an interesting read. Currently, my unit is stationed in the Arghandab River Valley, not far outside of Kandahar City. De-spite the image a lot of people have of Afghanistan, this is actually a very lush and fertile area due to widespread use of irrigation. The en-tire valley is made up of farms separated by walls, irrigation canals, and thick lines of trees that make it very difficult terrain to maneuver and fight in. The Taliban sets up booby traps and ambushes in the bor-ders of the fields, and it could almost be compared to the hedgerows of Normandy during WW2. There are an infinite number of places to hide weapons and home-made bombs. After an attack, the enemy can pick up a sickle and act like any other farmer working in the fields. The locals are generally friendly to us, and most of them will smile and say hello, sometimes even offering us tea to drink. We can’t help but wonder how many of them know who is attacking us but do not tell us. The lifestyle here in the valley is almost like stepping back in time since there is no electricity or running water. In contrast, the city of Kandahar is fairly modern with cars and traffic, so it a culture shock to drive just 30 minutes out of the city and see all of that disappear.

Although we are a tank unit, we don’t have the tanks with us, and the majority of our operations are dismounted. We patrol the small farming communities trying to improve relations with the popula-tion, or we sweep the fields and orchards looking for places the enemy could hide weapons. My platoon, made up of about 30-40 soldiers, is located on a fairly remote outpost in the valley near the river. We have only recently gotten internet capability through a govern-ment satellite and other communication is limited. It is always great to receive letters or boxes of goodies like books, magazines, mov-ies and snacks that we all do a good job of sharing with each other.

RoversThe mountains have always captivated me. Hiking and camping are

some of my favorite past times. Back in the early 2000s, I went on a camping trip all over Colorado in my VW Jetta turbo diesel, and I remember going up a lot of gravel and dirt roads thinking to myself, “The fuel mileage is great but there are some places this car just can’t take me.” After serving in the Army for seven years, in 2009, I re-quested assignment at Ft. Carson, Colorado. It was a perfect chance for me to get out west and enjoy the outdoors. I am quite a motoring enthusiast, although most of the vehicles I tinker with have been sports cars. I have modified a number of Volkswagens and Subarus, even had a tuned up Mercedes AMG that I raced at the autocross.

However, I needed a truck. I researched a number of makes and models, something about the Land Rovers just caught my eye. Used LR3s were selling for very reasonable prices, and after test driving one, the decision was made. It was comfortable, attractive, presti-gious and best of all, very capable off-road. It looks just as home in front of a popular nightclub as it does clinging to the side of a moun-tain. So I purchased a 2006 LR3 just before I moved to Colorado Springs, and when I arrived in February 2010, I immediately started looking for offroading adventures. I found the Solihull Society pret-ty quickly through the internet. I have only made a few trails with the club, but it seems like the place to link up with other Rover ad-dicts and hit the dirt. My LR3 isn’t heavily modified, just a rod-mod for lift. I do have plans on more mods but they will come in time.

editor’s note: Paul shot the cover for the Summer 2010 RoverX-change but was deployed before he could send in a member profile.


Bill Burke’s

4-Wheeling America 970-858-3468 … [email protected]

Premier Training for all users of

4-wheel drives and all skill levels. Driving Techniques. Recovery.

Safety. Environmental Awareness.

Getting Prepared. Trail Spotting.

Navigation. Field Fixes.

●Private Instruction One-on-one with Bill Burke.

●Group Training Comprehensive training programs that

include all you need to know about going

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that use 4WD vehicles in their operations.

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taken lightly. It is also fun if you are

prepared for all situations. Learn

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friends, and other groups.

www.bb4wa.com We hold BLM & USFS permits to

operate on public lands.

“A few of us had the chance to spend the

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DVDs by Bill Burke

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“Amazing. Incredible. Far beyond what I had expected. All these things come to mind to describe my weekend. For me, the biggest thing I took away was safety. Seeing the more serious rigs and what they could do was awesome, and practicing the techniques to overcome obstacles was incredible, too, but being safe in doing it is the glue that holds it all together. The other thing I was impressed with was you as a person. We’ve all met people that are experts in one area or another that are totally unapproachable and can’t be bothered talking to a beginner. You taking the time to explain things made all the difference.”

Pat Munhall, On the Road...Maine

“Just a quick note of thanks for a truly great trip. All of our expectations were exceeded; everyone from my 4-year old to my wife and 4-wheeling friends came away with a whole new perspective and appreciation for all things “off-road.” There was something for every-body! Hard core wheeling, camping and sightseeing all blended seamlessly under Bill’s guidance.”

Nick Vanoff, Private Training Moab


Member Profile: Rob Smith

editor’s note: Rob sent in this issue’s cover shot of his D90 on Cliffhanger, as shot by Warren and Wendy Foster

I am a retired military officer--Army. I flew the Kiowa Warrior and was an Instructor Pilot while serving my 24 years with multiple combat tours. After retirement I spent the last few years as a helicopter pilot in Colorado flying Flight For LIfe. Now I have slowed down a little by being a Ski Instructor at Breckenridge Ski Resort. Short and Sweet.

I have quite a stable of Rovers. The Defender 90 in the pics: I purchased her on July 1st of 1995, yes it is a 1995 and I am the original owner. The mods, starting at the front and working towards the back: a Rockware custom front brush guard/bumper with a Warn 9500 xdi mounted winch, OME steering stabilzer, OME Springs with Fox Racing shocks all the way around, SafariGard three-link suspension as the JEK III installed, SafariGard sill guards, SafariGard custom rear tyre hanger with jerry can plat-form, the gearing is from Great Basin at 4:77’s with lock-ers and Great Basin pumpkins, over which are SafariGard diff guards, custom rear trailing arms from Rockware, drive link arms from Moab 4wd outfitters, plus K&N air filter and Borla exhaust, all riding on BFG Mud Terrain T/A KM2 315/75/16, and wing guards and rear quarter guards from Land Rover, Hella 3000’s x 4 for lighting up top, and a Hi-Lift Extreme 60 jack mounted on the tire hanger.

Also in the stable are a white 2006 LR3 which is stock aside for some Land Rover add ons like a roof rack and dog guard. I also have a 2008 Range Rover HSE in Tonga Green which is also stock.


MembershipinformationApplication for Membership/Renewal

Please print clearly.

Name: Email:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Home Phone: Cell Phone:

Occupation:

Present Land Rovers:

Past Land Rovers:

How did you learn about our club? _____________________________________________________________________

May we share the above information with other club members? Yes No

Type of Application: Type of Membership: New member Family (F) -- $50.00 Renewal Out of state (O) -- $30.00

Waiver:I/We, in consideration of my/our participation in the Solihull Society Land Rover Club, [hereafter referred to as club] do hereby release Solihull Society, its members, officers, sponsors, successors and assigns from any and all responsibility or liability for any and all claims, arising from or related to the activities and my/our participation in and all events sponsored and/or involving the club.

I/We understand and acknowledge off-highway driving is a hazardous activity with inherent dangers, which can result in severe property damage, serious bodily injury and/or death. With full knowledge of such risks, hazards and potential for damage, injury or death, I/We voluntarily and knowingly assume such risks and hazards and agree, that the club, its members, officers, sponsors, successors and assigns shall not be liable in any way, to me/us for any claims for damages, injuries or death resulting from my/our participation in the club’s events.

I/We acknowledge my/our vehicle is in good mechanical condition, and said vehicle is insured for bodily injury liability insurance and personal injury protection insurance and/or medical payment coverage, as required by its' state of registration.

I/We are advised to consult with our insurance broker/agent about availability of and adequacy of present medical payment coverage should I/We and/or our passengers sustain bodily injury, while operating my/our motor vehicle.

I/We further acknowledge the driver/operator of the vehicle is licensed to operate a motor vehicle and the license is not undersuspension.

This waiver/release of liability is binding on our heirs, insurers, personal representatives or assignees.

Signature Date

Club Use Only: Cash Check # Quicken Deposit slip

Email to member Roster Member card # Welcome packet


FlatironsSuperior, Colorado

The Colorado Denver East Dealership offers:

The Colorado Flatirons Dealership offers:

The Colorado Springs Dealership offers:

Our members receive exclusive discounts at Denver area Land Rover shops

1 5 %DISCOUNT ON PARTS & LABORIncludes courtesy vehicle. Will install cus-

tomer parts. Contact dealer for details.

1 5 %

1 5 % DISCOUNT ON PARTS & LABOR

DISCOUNT ON PARTS & LABOR

DealershipDiScountS

10% DISCOUNT ON LABORParts typically 10%-20% cheaper than list

JC’s Rover offers:

So

lihull So

cietyP

O B

ox 480864

Denver, C

O 80248-0864

2010winter

Documents

moab rally

property of solihull

solihull society president

new rover

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humane society of moab

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