WORK IN PROCESS

CAMERON WOOD, CHARITY WORKER, TAMWORTH, STAFFORDSHIRE

Tell us about your SIII

It was my 15th birthday present in January, 2009. I remember collecting it from Donnington, near Newbury. It broke down three times on the way back home despite the fact that it had just successfully been through an MOT.

So, what sort of condition was it in?

Terrible. The chassis had been patched up using old oil cans and it was all held in place with silicon sealant. Plus it was all covered in underseal. The bulkhead consisted mostly of body filler and rust. The engine also got through a couple of litres of oil each week.

How did you address all of this?

We set about rebuilding it and it won a few prizes – most notably the Most Authentic Land Rover at the Heritage Land Rover Show in 2011. When I passed my driving test later that year it became my daily. It caught on fire about four years ago due to the poor condition of the original wiring, so that was all re-done.

What are your future plans for it?

We will be driving it from Walvis Bay, Namibia, to Mombasa, Kenya, to help raise funds for Shoulder to Shoulder International, a non-government organisation based in Mombasa. They have a children’s home that I helped to build, back in 2014.

How long is the journey?

It is about 3000 miles and will take us two months to complete. We are shipping the vehicles down to Walvis Bay to start the trip at the beginning of January 2020, and once finished will ship them back to the UK. We have an additional support vehicle, a Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE, though I suspect the Series will be supporting it! Does your SIII have a solid engine?

The 2.25 petrol is running beautifully. In fact, I had a brand-new five main bearing block fitted last year (actually a 19J block) with new pistons and an unleaded cylinder head. The crank has turbo diesel-spec main bearings for extra strength and reliability. It is still running the standard Zenith carburettor but I have upgraded the ignition system to a 123 fully-electronic system with spark-balancing, electronic centrifugal and vacuum advance. It uses a Bosch distributor cap and rotor arm, which is great as they’re much easier to obtain in Africa than the Ducellier that was on the vehicle before. I had the engine tuned on a rolling road, too.

How have you prepared for the trip?

We have fitted an extra ten gallon fuel tank, Avon Rangemaster tyres (and two spare wheels), adjustable tow bar, heated windscreens, heavy-duty springs and dampers, Brownchurch awning and roof rack, and a load of smaller accessories. We still have to fit all of the additional lighting for camping and night driving and sort out some front recovery points

What has been the toughest part of the project?

Keeping everything period-correct. If an original hasn’t been available I’ve had to chat to the original manufacturers to make something up for me.

Has it been tough finding sponsors?

It has been extremely difficult. We have raised just over £600 so far, but we would like to raise a lot more. We appreciate that not every person can donate financially and some companies such as Fourby, Xanadoo Boot Basket and a few others have donated equipment to our cause. The Birmingham Land Rover Group have been really supportive too, allowing us to camp with them and use their stand at shows.

How can people find out more about this wonderful initiative?

They can find us on Facebook at Shoulder to Shoulder Overland or email us at s2soverland@gmail.com.