What part would You take? on a humungus journey 16000 miles

[trnsitvanman]

I am hoping next year to drive my Mk6 2001 T300 16 thousand (16000) miles around the United States of America for Cancer Research Uk.

My question is If you had to take spares with you what would you take?
in the van itself.

all replys welcome



ps check out my www at the bottom for details.

[FredTransit]

Bear with me, I am not good with these new fangled things. When we go accross europe to Italy, we take (for a late Di, no chips no fly by wire), a fan belt, a cam belt, a set of pushrods, and a clutch cable. If there is room, and extra spare wheel as well as the one under the van. A spare battery shouldn't take up too much room, and I don't now about the availablilty of the right one over in the US. Basically you need to have the spares that would stop you dead (like the fan belt) that can be fitted on the side of the road but may take weeks to get into a ford dealer. If your engine doesn't have any of the above, I wouldn't know. Sorry.

[MrMPuk]

What you need to remember Fred is he is taking the van to America and they don't have any of these over there so he wont be able to get any parts what so ever.

[MarkM]

Full set of all the rubber hoses,
Pressure cap
Diesel filter
Full set of wheel bearings
Two sets of brake pads front and rear
A pair of disks
Cam belt/chain whatever it is on your van
Lots of Lens repair tape and because of how american plod can be about lights a spare set of all of them.
A couple of power steering belts, same for the fan belt.
Obvious spare bulbs but to be fair you should be able to get them over there, but all the other stuff so far I have listed you would be waiting for the garage to get in for you if they are even able to order the parts.

Several jerry cans for fuel as Derv isn't that common across america...a bit like some parts of the countryside here have derv but a high prices because they are in the middle of nowhere.
Again jerry cans for water...for you and the van
Correct power steering fluid, Brake fluid, and Oil. again much of this 'can' be bought there but america is full of 'wonder oils' and using one of these might cause a problem.

I am sure others will add to this list and some even dissagree with some of my list but at least it is a start for you to decide on.

[FredTransit]

What you need to remember Fred is he is taking the van to America and they don't have any of these over there so he wont be able to get any parts what so ever.

Same thing in France. We were once told 3 weeks to get a window, when the van was 6 years old. Clutch cables are different lengths, LHD and RHD, but you can't do without one.

[MrMPuk]

What you need to remember Fred is he is taking the van to America and they don't have any of these over there so he wont be able to get any parts what so ever.

Same thing in France. We were once told 3 weeks to get a window, when the van was 6 years old. Clutch cables are different lengths, LHD and RHD, but you can't do without one.

Yeah but that's just the French being the French!

[FredTransit]

What you need to remember Fred is he is taking the van to America and they don't have any of these over there so he wont be able to get any parts what so ever.

Same thing in France. We were once told 3 weeks to get a window, when the van was 6 years old. Clutch cables are different lengths, LHD and RHD, but you can't do without one.

Yeah but that's just the French being the French!

Probably!

[stevo]

With all that on your van, you might as well buy a spare van and tow it behind you, but then you gotta carry spares for the spare van..................

[MarkM]

With all that on your van, you might as well buy a spare van and tow it behind you, but then you gotta carry spares for the spare van..................

I don't see how...my list wouldn't take up that much space, cost a bit yes but space hogging not really. Biggest single items would be headlamps...which incidently it might be an idea to source some european ones for the trip due to the driving on the wrongside of the road, beam benders are a make do solution at best and fine for a week away but not in a country where you can't get the spares.
I would imagine that Fred's fleet has beam benders stuck on, strange how we do this but europeans coming over here never seem to do us the same courtesy.

[Luke]

couple of spare wheels/tyres

[dieselpat]

just take a mark 7 with you probaly cheaper than buying all the stuff listed or could you not get some big american company to sponser you you know how these big companys especially the yanks like a bit of charity work cos its a big tax dodge maybe they could get u a yank tank to drive around in or does it have to be your own van for a reason cheers pat

[stevo]

Yeah try and get a decent sponsor, you never know, you might get on the tele.

[trnsitvanman]

My older brother lives in Topeka ,Kansas .he Teaches Automotive skills to trainee mechanics and he bet me I could not drive a British built Ford Transit around America (his words were Cant be done and he said he would put his money where his mouth was and pay me $1000 bucks if I could. But he still thinks its not going to happen.

At present I am approaching possible Sponsors but it will take time and lots of planning.
If I was rich I would have done it allready but I am working class and not rich enough yet.I love American people and their roads are awsom.
might seem strange but I think it would show the Americans how to build a real van(no v8 needed and crap gas miles less than 20mpg)
Hope to complete it in my lifetime.

please check out my www site for details

many thanks

[stevo]

Take an american accent with you, anyone in America with a foreign accent is arrested as a muslim terrorist hehehe.

[trnsitvanman]

if you are british and male the American women fall at your feet when ever you open your mouth.

I am not kiddin either,they love the English accent because they think we sound posh even from Norfolk