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Vauxhall Frontera Prep? Vauxhall Frontera Prep?
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Under 3500kg vehicles, e.g. Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Subaru etc.
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  #1  
Old 10 Jan 2011
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Vauxhall Frontera Prep?
I have picked up an old Vauxhall Frontera (92) that will be used as the support vehicle for my forthcoming Pizza-Bikes across the Sahara mission (January 2012). It's got no MoT or tax and will probably need a damn good inspection/service but the engine and gearbox seem to be in very good working order and there is no sign of clutch slippage.

I am planning on making some bash plate/skid plates for any delicate bits of the underside but as it's support rather than a race vehicle I won't be fitting a roll-cage (too expensive). I will also be checking the transmission and suspension bits for any signs of bad wear before I go and take some spare CV joints and ball joints as I've been told they can be a problem. Does anyone have any experience with these or have any pointers about what else needs doing (bearing in mind that I am on a super tight budget!).

cheers,

Henry
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Old 10 Jan 2011
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just to treat it gently! the army rally team ran these for a while as part of a sponsorship deal and they fell to bits, wheras normally they run N/A 90s with minimal mods and no dramas.
I presume you won't be doing extreme stuff as your supporting mopeds but vehicle preservation will need to be part of your driving style. these won't take a lot of abuse.
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Old 10 Jan 2011
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A guy down the road from me has been trialing in his Frontera for years and he's a member of FOG The Frontera owners group...

Main Page - FogWiki

That would be a good place to start.
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Old 10 Jan 2011
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Thanks for the info, will get in touch with the FOG

I will be on a pizza bike myself (two wheels only man!) and an ambulance mechanic (team members brother) and a team mates girlfriend will be in the frontera.

A guy who owns an off-road centre that runs fronteras and defenders said he rated them pretty highly so I guess time will tell on the reliability front. I am working on the assumption that the 'support crew' will have less problems than the moped monkeys at present - it would be good if they could follow on the race stages but if not they can hit the tarmac routes
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Old 11 Jan 2011
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My only experience with Fronteras was when a mates spat a con rod out the side of the block in Morocco

Sorry i can't be more positive!
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  #6  
Old 11 Jan 2011
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<QUOTE>I presume you won't be doing extreme stuff as your supporting mopeds</QUOTE>
I'm offended Moggy, the Frontera is supporting ME on a moped (well technically it's a step-through)!
The 'mopeds' in question will be trying to hit as many waypoints as possible and steer well clear of the black stuff.
We will be using Annova 125s with knobblies fitted and I don't think we'll suffer on pace that badly as long as we are very careful with our lines. It'll be damn hard work and long days but we will be trying to do it properly!

Spat con-rods eh? Just driven my frontera ambulance back from Manchester, its going to take A LOT of work to get it roadworthy let alone Africa-Ready! Still, what do I expect for 325 quid?
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