AARON RICH’S MODDED MITSI
You don’t see many late model Pajeros doing off-road duty here in NZ. That didn’t stop first Aaron Rich and more recently Richard Soult, going down the Mitsubishi route.
My UK-bought, 2007 fourth-generation Mitsubishi Shogun (aka Pajero) has seen ample off-road action at home in New Zealand, as well as touring in a growing list of countries worldwide.
In this article I will overview how I took this vehicle from stock standard through to its present extensively prepared form, serving as an inspiration – I hope – to anyone setting up their own 4WD as an overland tourer.
I want to make clear from the outset, too, that I regard this as a ‘ family-friendly’ overland vehicle build. It goes without saying that any 4WD project includes modifications and enhancements aimed at increasing the off-road capability of the base vehicle. Here, though, you’ll see that an equal development focus has been applied to ensuring that the vehicle is as liveable for long-term overland touring as it is capable.
My family has toured for months at a time with this vehicle overseas and our current family expedition, now underway across Central Asia, will be our biggest adventure yet; measured by each of distance, time and level of preparation required. So, whether in a remote spot in New Zealand, or travelling through a less developed country, our overnight stops when 4WD overlanding tend to necessarily be wild camp set-ups. Therefore, when not being driven, the vehicle forms the centre of our camping setup and has been designed to fulfil this role very well.
With this in mind, the table summarising modifications to the vehicle has been separated into two groups – those that aid off-road capability and those aimed at making the vehicle the ideal centre of an off-grid camp set-up. I’ll touch on a selection of items in the list in this article, as well as giving focus to some of the equipment that has been recently added especially for this year’s Central Asia expedition.
Development in phases
This build wasn’t all done in one go! The development of the vehicle over several years has mirrored my own growth in understanding of what an overland vehicle build should include, as well as reflecting the increasingly off the beaten path places
we venture to. Four of the photos provided show how my vehicle has appeared during various phases of its development; from stock standard in the first picture, to a photo recently taken in the Russian Far East – our entry point to Central Asia.
The bullbar, winch, snorkel and Harrop Eaton E-locker were all added after our past tours of Morocco, Europe and the Balkan countries.
At the time of those adventures the main capability modifications to the Pajero included just a two-inch lift on heavy duty springs and shocks, ample bash plates beneath the vehicle and a change to suitable off-road wheels and tyres. These three ‘essential’ modifications are the initial three needed by pretty much any 4WD to enable it to do regular and more rugged off-road use. In places like New Zealand’s South Island a snorkel should be on the essential list also.
From the outset the comfort focussed modifications kept pace with those aimed at capability. I knew we needed a real fridge and that it should be built into a custom drawer unit so that everything had quick and easy access.
The original intention was that the fridge and a table should be accessible in under 10 seconds to facilitate convenient lunch stops. The water tank was installed early on too – it feeds a tap via a one micron water filter, with pressure supplied by a small electric pump. Ahead of our trips into the Moroccan desert I was conscious of the need for the family to have a core water supply in the event we broke down in a remote desert location.
The idea for the heat exchanger hot water system came about when we were first becoming accustomed to wild camping, this during one of our first off-road trips with this vehicle through the Pyrenees mountains separating France and Spain.
We were growing tired of heading back on-road each evening just to find an established campground in a village, mainly for the shower. Sylwia didn’t particularly like the Spanish campgrounds and eventually we tried our first wild camp in the mountains. We loved it, with Sylwia commenting that the vehicle had everything we needed… except a shower. So I added that too! The heat exchanger recycles waste engine heat and can produce a shower at desired temperature. The 11 litre/ minute electric pump that powers the heat exchanger makes a useful addition to the kitchen setup and is regularly used for washing up dishes. It’s also powerful enough to replenish the onboard tank from a clean river, or a well.
Much of what I’ve done with this vehicle applies equally to any base vehicle that you might want to turn into an overland tourer, and all aspects of the build were performed hands-on myself. Doing the work yourself, acquiring needed mechanical skills along the way, is a fantastic way to learn your vehicle. Bear in mind that somewhere remote you may be the only person around to fix it!
At the outset I may not have seemed the type that would make a good DIY mechanic/ engineer, but I believe that eventually ( even if incrementally) acquiring these skills goes with the territory if you want to get into true overlanding. This is doubly the case when taking vehicles through less developed parts of the world, where local mechanics aren’t always well-equipped. They know how to fix the old vehicles commonly seen on their roads, but may have neither the knowledge nor equipment to undertake computer/electronic diagnostics needed by modern 4WDs.
Why a Pajero (Shogun)?
Living in London at the time, I decided the most important attribute in a 4WD for overland use would be reliability. Car reliability statistics are kept in Europe and the Shogun (aka Pajero) was high on a list of rated 4WDs I was reading at that time, along with the various Toyota Land Cruisers.
I know considerably more about 4WDs now than I did back then and still consider the Pajero a great vehicle choice – notwithstanding its use of electronics, and also notwithstanding its all independent suspension. Mine has proven as reliable as expected and has offered an ideal compromise between capable off-roader and comfortable highway cruiser.
Why do I put reliability first – even before capability? Because any vehicle on your shortlist should already be a ‘real’ 4WD ( with transfer case and locking centre diff at minimum). By the time you do the essential preparations to any real 4WD, and if needed add in a diff locker, any of them should be amply capable.
Equipment added ahead of our 2019 family expedition across Central Asia
I’ll give some added focus here to the equipment that was added ahead of shipping the Pajero from NZ to Russia in April of this year, which includes equipment not always seen on 4WD’s operating only in NZ.
Long range fuel tank
Long Range Automotive Ltd in Australia produced this 81 litre auxiliary fuel tank, which is specifically designed to fit the Pajero. They produce tanks for many other vehicle makes/ models, but this one is custom shaped to nestle up against the underside of the Pajero, whilst retaining the best departure angle possible.
With this fitted my Pajero has a total onboard diesel capacity of 170 litres, eliminating the need to attempt to stuff a jerry can anywhere; with three kids on board there isn’t room anyway! Notwithstanding our heavy fully laden touring weight, with this extra fuel tank we now have a range exceeding 1,200 kilometres, reducing somewhat when off-road.
I added this specifically to accommodate
some of our intended foreign routes this year, where fuel sources may be far between – and may look like something we’d rather avoid when we finally reach them! At the time of writing this article I’ve just completed a more than 2,000 kilometre section between two big cities in the Russian Far East and only needed to fuel up once along the way.
The added peace of mind that comes with having an extended range is very reassuring and not something I would want to be without now.
Diesel filtration
Like all late-model 4WDs, the Pajero has a common rail diesel fuel injection system that is not at all tolerant to the poor quality fuel found in some countries; it risks suffering a catastrophic failure from a single fill with bad fuel. Sometimes we will have no choice but to fill at questionable looking fuel sources in remote locations. To that end I have replaced the factory fuel filter with two fuel filter/ water separators. The first is a large Racor unit with a huge clear water separator bowl on the bottom and a 10 micron filter cartridge. This will contain the bulk of the contamination. Filtered diesel then flows to a Donaldson three micron unit that also has a water trap.
This set-up should ensure that the engine only ever receives finely filtered diesel, however as it’s unknown how long the filter cartridges will last in certain countries,
I’ve packed plenty of spares. I also carry a lubricity enhancing additive to guard against chemical contamination capable of getting past the filters. And in the case of a really dodgy looking fuel source I carry another filter external to the vehicle that features a specially coated 50 micron gauze that doesn’t permit water to pass.
Rhino-Rack
Packing a family of five into a single 4WD wagon means we must rely heavily on our roof space for storage. I could potentially tow a light off-road trailer, but would resent the hindrance to our off-road capability. I used a Rhino-Rack steel mesh basket mounted on their heavy-duty cross bars on all our previous expeditions and it worked very well. However, ahead of this trip I was keen to replace the aging Mitsubishi roof rails.
So I’ve replaced the whole set-up with a Pioneer Tray mounted on the new Backbone mounting system and couldn’t be happier. Although for my intended use function far outweighs fashion, I don’t mind at all that this is a good-looking piece of equipment.
The Backbone mounting system is rock solid and is performing as expected. Recovery board holders and a shovel holder keep these items secure and accessible. The luggage bag is quick to pack, waterproof and doesn’t seem to generate any wind noise.
That said, the item I’m most excited about is the Batwing awning. I can set this up in four minutes, plus two minutes for each wall I add. I like that the walls zip into the awning, as well as together; a huge weatherproof shelter can be formed with just two walls. It’s so useful that the awning is often deployed twice daily – at lunch stops and again in the evening when establishing camp.
As previously alluded to, with its pull-out kitchen, hot water system and built in lighting and electric systems (12v and 240v), my vehicle forms the centre of our off-grid camping set-ups. The Batwing is an ideal means of bridging between the vehicle and the sealed indoor area we have courtesy of the large tent.
I could go on here and talk about choosing tents and other camping items suited to varying international climates and conditions, but I must draw a line. I’ll briefly mention that our Central Asia expedition this year entails many countries and changing altitudes; from low lying sweltering deserts in Uzbekistan to above 4,600 metres in Tajikistan’s Pamir mountains ( that’s the altitude of the road – the peaks are around 7,500 metres compared to Aoraki/ Mt Cook at 3,724 metres).
Few tents are designed to accommodate all these conditions. You’ll see from photos provided that in cold climates I heat the tent with my safe home-made diesel/electric offgrid heater – this is powered from custom connections to the vehicle, again showing the reliance of our camping comfort on the vehicle. We maintain t-shirt temperatures in the tent, even camped in snow!
One day, as the kids get bigger, the time will come when we may outgrow the Pajero’s capacity. What then – tow something, a new ute based project, or a custom chopped
100/ 200 Land Cruiser converted to a ute with custom canopy? I have more than a few ideas, but that’s a story for another day!