The Rig: Our Home and Transport

Buying the Rig

It became clear soon after viewing the third Santana that this particular vehicle would be our best option.  Due to a combination of factors - condition of the vehicle, its proximity to Madrid, and extra expenses to visit more vehicles - we decided to go ahead with the purchase before missing out on an opportunity

On April 28th, a Tuesday, we made plans to go and finalize the purchase of our vehicle.  We took the bus out to Guadalajara to meet up with Santiago, the Land-Rover's owner.  We arrived to the city and went to meet him outside of Trafico.

Over the next two hours we thoroughly discussed the use and maintenance of this magnificent machine.  He explained to us the daily care needed to keep the engine running smoothly, went over all of the internal dials and settings, and took us for a short drive to demonstrate some things.  We systematically covered everything we could before we finalized everything on paper.

About the Rig

This vehicle is a 1974, Series III Land-Rover Santana 109.  It has a 4 cylinder, 203 cubic inch Perkins diesel engine.  It has both low and high gears, four-wheel drive, and overdrive.  This vehicle is not made for speed, but it will power through most any situation we come across.

Driving this vehicle is like a delicate dance.  Every move must be made with perfect timing and speed.  Each gear change is made with smooth and gentle movements.  Acceleration is steady, and I never stress the engine.  The maximum speed we can reach is 80km/hour (50mph), but 60km/hour (37mph) is much more comfortable.  In the city this car is out of place.   Tight turns are impossible and roundabouts are taken slowly.  Don't even ask me to parallel park this thing.  NOT going to happen.

With the vehicle came many additional parts and accessories.  Santiago really did us good.  He included with the rig: 2 rear drive flanges (a weak point in Land-Rovers and a good part to have), a spare steering column, spare light bulbs, several alternator belts, brake shoes, a tow rope, three spare tires, five liters of oil, and a roof rack. 

All the parts he provided got us off on a good start with our preparations.  Before we go we will also buy more rear drive flanges, u-joints, fuel filters, oil filters, and fuses.

Preparing the Interior

We are going to live in this car, so it is important to make it comfortable.  After doing quite a lot of research, I came up with an idea of how I wanted to adapt the back of the Santana.  There are two main things to consider: storage space and livability.  We need to make sure there is enough space for tools, spare parts, gas cans, water, food, camping equipment, and our personal items, while still having a comfortable living space.

It's likely we will sleep most nights in the back of the Santana.  We will rarely set up the tent; it will be safer and easier to just sleep in the back.  Having experienced what it is like moving mountains of things to set up a bed in a car, we think it would be best to avoid the stress we experienced while driving through Europe.  The easier we make it to just lay down and sleep, the better.

Using a CAD I found online, I prepared some mockups of my ideas.  The main idea is to remove one of the bench seats and replaces it with storage.  Half of that storage has a closed top where we can put the stove and dish washing bucket.  The other half can store taller items.  On the floor of the rig, is a large box with a two layer lid.  The lid can be folded out to make our bed. 

After buying our Santana I realized I would need to add some additional storage space.  Because of all the spare parts we will need a little extra space to store them along with our food and personal items.  Adding a long box along the side opposite the seat would give ample space to store food and other items, while partially solving the issue of supporting the folded out bed base.

Ideas are one thing, and doing something in practice is another.  We took our plans to the hardware store so we could buy our wood.  The first thing we did was determine what kind of materials would work best to make the boxes.  We then had the wood cut for us, and we loaded the boards and hardware into the car.

To construct the boxes I first had to get all of our stuff out of the back of the rig.  (Not for the faint of heart...)

I then constructed the frames, and I began placing them in the back.

The skinny box was secured to the front of the big box.

The top of the kitchen storage was screwed down to the window sill.

Hinges were added to the big box, and the lid was attached.

With the cushions back in the car, everything was more or less set up.

The Living Space

To convert the seats into a bed, a second lid on the big box slides towards the back.  It is supported by the box to the side, the bench on the other side, and a board underneath.  The cushions are laid out on the board, we place a square foam pad on top, roll out our sleeping bags, and open up the mosquito net.

It is really quite comfortable.

To give ourselves privacy and keep out light when we are sleeping, I sewed some curtains to cover all the windows.  At a nearby second hand store I found this great little 1980's hand sewing machine that worked like a charm.

The curtains do a great job, and they can be tied back for visibility when I am driving.

In the kitchen box we keep our cooking utensils and food items that are used most frequently.  I even made a paper towel holder for easy access.

At first the idea was to place the spare parts in the skinny floor box.  Upon completion of the project, we determined it would be better to put things that we need to access (like food) in this box.

I filled up this box with non-perishables and basics like rice, pasta, flour, garbanzos, lentils, and canned food.

In the back we have plenty of stuff to help keep us self sufficient.  There is a folding table we can set up between the seats to eat off of.  We have a bucket to wash dishes and laundry in.  I even bought an old wooden washboard.  There is a 20L solar shower we can throw onto the roof of the car for those days we feel the need (and have enough water) to shower.  We have an air compressor for the tires - since we will need to decrease the pressure when driving through sand and mud, and re-inflate for roads.  There's a fire extinguisher in case of emergency.  We even got a little fridge to help keep things cool.

The fridge will run directly off of our solar panel, so we won't need to worry about killing our car battery.

To finally get the damned spare tires out of the back (it was not fun moving them when we had to sleep in the car in Avila) we mounted them onto the roof.  Strapped down tight, they are now out of the way.

To give ourselves added security when sleeping in the car, I added an extra lock to the inside of the back door.  There is no way to lock the rear door from inside.  I would need to lock Javi in, get into the front seat, lock the front door through an open window, and then close the window.  This way we have an easier way to lock ourselves in without going through the hassle of crawling to and from the front seats.

The only thing left to do is get the heck out of Europe!