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It was great fun, thanks everyone, I think it was luck that I found it, but won't do any harm to my karma quota

Top notch drive !! Great meeting lots of new faces and once again to the chap that found my phone in the sand YOU ARE A FRICKING LEGEND!!!

Thanks @Ale Vallecchifor organising the drive, It really is the best way to blow off some steam midweek and helps break up the working week! It was great to see so many familiar faces after my 2 week holiday and nice to meet some new faces too. The look on @imranaasghar81's face when @Watteau found his phone, just as he'd given up hope was priceless !

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for allowing me to join, it was a long time I was on your drive and absolutely loved it dear "dunemaster". Especially at the back behind some monster 4by4s and trucks, it was fun all the way. Well done everyone as all drove great, despite some minor niggles as expected. @Foxtrot Oscar good to see you back . Some how with the mid week drives I get the feeling the length of week feels reduced with this adventure on sands. And yes you feel refreshed ! Enjoy your remaining week everyone 😊

Thought I would start post to track my LC Project. I have only made one drive in the desert but have done a lot of work on my old LC. The plan is to continue replacing and upgrading things until I bring it home in 3-4 years to the US (after its 25years old). I can list all of the other work if anyone is interested. Latest modification after my first drive and having the additional bumper addition scraping sand a few times on descent. Swapped out to a simple stock style bumper cover. Should give little more bumper clearance and about 10kg less weight hanging off the front. before and after pics

Top notch drive !! Great meeting lots of new faces and once again to the chap that found my phone in the sand YOU ARE A FRICKING LEGEND!!!

Dear Desert Wanderers, this RSVP is now closed. Please find below the convoy order: @Islam Soliman, @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Rawad Bahsas , @Antoz, @Werno, @Ahab Shamaa, @Batuhan Kulac, @Lawrence_Chehimi, @Paul Zeitoun, @Dodi Syahdar, @GauravSoni, this is going to be a fun and fast paced drive, covering quite a long distance. It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, so make sure you come well rested, hydrated and without reasons for distraction. We will be using Carnity Channel 1 (446.00625MHz). See tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already deflated and flagged) by no later 5:45m (sharp).

You have not left any part of the car 😂

This would be good for a Iftar party in desert...awesome ..looking forward for being on same night drive (don't think it would be night anymore though)...👍

@Wadepat2 It was a pleasure to be out with you a few weeks ago - but I did not realize then the project was under way. Like my Marshal colleagues all already said, we are big believers in learn to drive with the car stock. It will make you a better driver. There's absolutely no doubt about that. It looks like you are really focused on the hidden areas where most people don't focus, which I always like. I am true believer that what lies beneath is massively more important than what you see - so changing out fluids for more expensive/effective options, replacing the little bearings and mountings that noone sees are much more important most of the time than shiny new stuff. I love the new bumper, having said that, but also because it's designed to improve the off road drive by improving clearance [part of the make you a better driver objective]. Hopefully we can have more drives in the future and we can all watch what transpires and transforms in your car.

You will be the real winner my friend, to learn off-road skills on stock LC100. First it will make you a better off-roader. You will be rich with spare money. Surely drive every week. Surely drive back in the same car. Drive with complete peace of mind.

Full list of my project so far. No mods for desert off-road driving really. and not sure if I will go that direction. I am hoping to fight the urge to modify for desert driving and enjoy it in stock form. I have had many modified vehicle for other off-road types in the past and the ability to learn driving skills on sand with stock vehicle sounds great to me. My LC is a 1999 with 200km V8 auto Maintenance- Fluid / filter for Engine,trans, and diffs. Grease prop shafts. Air filter change. Added cabin filter. PCV valve. Replaced -. Steering rack with tie rods and fluid Res, front upper/lower control arms, rear upper and lower control arms, front and rear stabilizer bar bushings. Brake Master cylinder and flush. All coil packs and spark plugs, headlights, corner lights and fog lights. Reboot and regrease CV shafts, replaced front wheel bearings and seals, front diff bearings and seals. Swapped weak 2 pinion front diff carrier with TJM carrier. Added metal lower sump and trans cover to replace broken fiber stock cover. Interior- not much done, front windshield 3m clear tint , ram ball mount integrated into dash, and remove 3rd row seats, rubber floor mats. Gear. Arb single compressor, 4 way tire inflator, tire deflator, real shovel, radio, flag, small fire extinguisher, first aid kit and I always carry basic hand tools. **Next- Trying to figure out better front recovery point that fully clears bumper and only thing not working at the moment ( stock console cooler) haha If you read this far you may think I am crazy to spens this money on such an old car. I might be but I work from home so daily car isn't a must. Also after looking at new cost, I much prefer to much much less and I really enjoy my old car project. Have always wanted an old Land Cruiser. Only problem is I can't easily do the work myself as I would in my home country. Instead I bother the poor mechanics at shop I use to let me give detailed instructions on work I want done. I also prefer to buy all the parts myself and bring to shop. Welcome to my Land Cruiser Project. Thanks for allowing me to share. Feel free to ask any question, offer ideas or even constructive criticism. I have pictures of some of the work also if anyone wants to see anything specific.

Thank you so much 👍🏾

Dear All, I have the following lights with me 3 Pcs - 5 inch Led laser spot - 1500 Meters coverage -14000 LM - 50W-50000 hrs 7 Pcs - 5 inch Led spot combo - 750 Meters coverage -12000 LM - 40W-50000 hrs 3 Pcs - 20 inch Led bar - coverage not sure -42000 LM - 420W-30000 hrs I am installing this for night drive and most importantly for camping. This is how i have planned for installing with 8 Gang switch control. Kindly let me know if this design install will look good and cover well or can be fit in much better way, looking for your suggestions.

@Nitin S you will have to add a hitch receiver shackle at the rear. See the photos below. You can find those at ACE, Speedex or any off-road shop.

Nice project @Wadepat2 ! There is a satisfying feeling to bringing a car back to its former glory. In your case a Landcruiser has shown its capabilities already far and beyond and its status in this country means you will always find people willing to service it, supply parts, or help you look for the right solution. With regards to desert driving, the Landcruiser is a very capable 4x4, but i see it more as a vehicle to perform overlanding and cross the deserts, more than a kind of dunebashing vehicle. Good luck and share your progress !

@Wadepat2 it's great if you could share with us all the mods and upgrades that you have done.

@Niki Patel, @Shehab AlawadhiI have recently installed TJM suspension lift kit with 2” lift on my Pajero which costed my AED 3010 inclusive of everything. Not much difference on road (no body roll, not that stiff), clearance is good. I went for it mainly to change to AT tyres as it was touching the fenders. On sands performance improved because of AT tyres only. If clearance is one thing on mind then you can go for suspension and if you are planning to install skid plates, winch, roof rack(i am going for these) probably you can consider going for suspension lift kit to gain the clearance. I have done 7 drives with the lift and new tyres and overall my performance only improved mainly bcs of tyres and getting close to getting used to it. So for the cost, performance its ok for me.

Hi @Niki Patel. My upgrade was minimal. I have installed my first front skid plate (I am a little slow on mods 😅), which lowered my clearance, not just from its thickness (1 cm), but also by the way it's modelled to reach way under the car. I felt it further slowed me down on ridges (considering the stock set up is OK, but also a bit low for sharp ridges), so I asked for the minimum available lift kit. They made me a good offer for a 2 inch Dobinson kit, which I had installed. I am still getting used to it, and have not yet drawn my final conclusions. From the comfort point of view, it's very minorly different from the stock one when on tarmac, so quite bearable (keeping in mind Gaurav's observations on the matter). I can let you know more as I get used to it, and see what difference the new set up makes with my driving.

Thanks @Emmanuelfor the instructions and will follow the same. The like in the Covid protocol seems to be closed as it is not allowing to like it any more, any way totally agreed.

@Shehab Alawadhiyou’ve got me started, The F150 I think, is the world's most popular truck, selling over 2,000 trucks per day, the suspension options are limitless. My issue is warranty, we don't have any real legal precedent here in the UAE on proving whether a component change was directly responsible for a failure on something on the truck, whereas in the USA, the onus is on the dealer and brand to prove that your modification caused the failure (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act). I think you have the same 3-5 year warranty I have on the Raptor, and I have been told that any changes to the suspension will effectively cancel any warranty for suspension, axles, drivetrain and engine. A 2 inch lift on the F150 or Raptor would be great, a bit more travel offered by the FOX kits would be great, but I don't know if it is worth it until our warranties expire. Also some suspension upgrades require rebuilds at certain intervals, thus adding to the cost. Just FYI, I looked into Fox 3.0 suspension, deever springs and hydraulic bump stops with upper control arms and it was looking close to 60,000 AED. I don't see myself partaking in any desert activity that would require that sort of setup with my daily driver. From my research our leaf springs will eventually flatten out and will need replacing, the shocks will need to be replaced as well, hopefully 5,000 km before the expiry of the warranty!!! You have already addressed your approach angle, which I am now looking at as well both front and rear, I don't think that can be seen as a warranty stopper.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Amazing stuff

Hello folks, can I add myself in the waiting list?

Hi @Brette I am in. Many thanks

Good news, @Frederic has confirmed joining the drive so we will add all the current waitlisted members and have 2 convoys. @Christopher Assal @Rjducos @Darren Brooke, all of you have been added to the RSVP, please let me know if you are unable to join.

Hi Brette. I am out. Please remove me. Thank you

Brette once it becomes clear who is on the WL Can i add my name to the end. 😃 Many Thanks

Here is my somewhat biased experience: i've done most of the spending on my car to solves current or potential problems, i think it makes sense....kinda like surgery on a human being right?.....my OEM shocks were 16 years old and despite them still being good enough for daily use they really werent doing much work offroad, especially over bumpy tracks where i would lose a lot of speed due to the wheels spending more time in the air than on the ground. There was also the issue of tyre rub on the fenders when crisscrossing. Having added that 2inch lift now, the ride is definitely less comfortable on the road but it's not like it was comfortable to begin with 🤣. I kept things simple though, i was afraid of the possibly of foaming in oil and hybrid shocks which would really make them stiff and the price of the exterior reservoir stuff and the need to cut bits off the car to fit them just didnt feel right (dont forget that more complication means more maintenance) so i went with tried and true Rancho air shocks, the offroad ride is much better and the on road ride is....well it didnt matter to being with it guess. Things to keep in mind though as this sort of stuff can inflate your costs and down time quite a bit, Steering setups are made to operate within certain tolerances so going too tall or soft or hard might also mandate new steering otherwise you'll get some really funny behavior. There's also the issues of drive shafts, since they're a giant metal rod that spins they have a set length so making your car taller might require work on that end as well (looks into where you might need something like an SYE with whichever height you're thinking). PS, if you do end up doing Driveshaft and Steering changes look for Zerks fitting parts, this makes it easier to maintain them so in the long run you'll have fewer issues (but this does mean some level of personal responsibility in maintaining the car and the Zerks as they will need to have grease pumped into them every 5-7 days for most people). This is where getting out of warranty, rusty lego boxes on wheels comes in handy 🤣😂🤣

That’s very kind of you. If a spot comes up will gladly take it. But wouldn’t want to hustle anyone out of their own spot 😊😂

That's a very nice team spirit. Hope Brette can do some magic to keep everyone happy

Christopher, I am not sure if I will have spot myself, but you can take my place in the WL (if this is possible....and @Roger allows it)

Hi @Ale Vallecchi, there was an unexpected delay at my daughters school hence I will be arriving with 15 mins delay, sincere apologies for that.

@Lorenzo Candelpergherthanks and looking forward for my first fewbie drive.

Hi Brette if any other spots come up please can you let me know, as this is the only ride this day I would be available for time wise. Tried to join an absolute newbie just to get a ride this weekend but was told couldn't join as I had previously done one. Unfortunately working Saturday 😑

@Anish S please waitlist me. 1st drive

I see you have a RSVP already on the drive which is okay from Tuesday.

This is exactly what I am hoping for. Thanks for the confirmation. Focus on learning and "project work" geared towards reliability and stock restoration.

@Vanessa8580, @Frederic, @Wrangeld hope this drive is gonna let us know more about Mitsubishi specifically Pajero with all the Marshalls and leads driving Pajero. It would be nice if we can have few minutes for demo by leads on self recovery with traction control and any other if feasible which we saw only on videos and hearing over radio. It would be good if we record the demo (of course covid compliant) and post it. Any other suggestion which will help us to organize many more such drives are welcome!!!

Hi @Brette thank you and very pleased to confirm that I am in for this Friday!

Cool idea, I'd love to test, but they only have straight, my led bar is curved...:-(

Hello Has anyone tested these light bar covers? On their website they claim that the cover is aerodynamic and it eliminates all the whistling noise

@Watteau yea fair enough, I agree with you, there is a boat load of suspensions we can get for our car, I haven’t touched it because of the warranty. (Mine is about to end in like 15k Kms so I can wait till then) no way I’m spending that much on shocks. 60k I’ll just get a second car and turn that into a desert beast. But thanks a lot for the insight on the shock! Let’s talk some more about this in person. As for bumper green autoworks is the go to “iPhone” of garages, they are kinda pricey but their work is really good, or I could refer you to the Garage I did my bumper at. If you’d like to talk let me know I’d be happy to help.

@Chaitanya D I have seen some FJs placing a LED bar at the gap but I would not recommend it esp since we drive at the desert. As pointed out by a few others, there are other spots , front bumper, roof or bottom of the A pillar and the wind noise would be a minor inconvenience 😄

Hahaha..... Those who aim for the sky don't worry about roaring clouds...😀😄😄😀😀😎😎

Good afternoon @Chaitanya D Can you please put me on the waitlist for a second drive ? Thank you !

Tim, you are such a great guy!

With the tremendous increase in the number of COVID cases in the UAE, we all have to be responsible while off-roading. Failing to abide by any single precaution at any time during the drive, will result in an immediate ban from Carnity Off-road Club. ZERO TOLERANCE First offender - 1 Month Ban. Second offender - 3 Month Ban. Third offender - lifetime ban and report to authorities. COVID19 PRECAUTIONS 2.0 All Carnity off-road drives will be LIMITED to driving only: No Socializing and gathering allowed at any time. No break for taking photos, breakfast, smoking, etc. No exchanging of off-road or recovery gears. Wear a mask at all times, while outside your vehicle. For passengers restrictions, follow RTA or NCEMA guidelines. All passengers should be inside the car, at all times. Maintain a minimum of 2-meter social distance at all times. Sanitize your hands and recovery gear after use. PS1. If you and your passenger cannot sit inside your vehicle for 3-4 hours please DO NOT JOIN CARNITY DRIVES. PS2. A Member who has RSVP the drive is RESPONSIBLE and LIABLE for their passenger's compliance. PS3. The above precautions apply to everyone irrespective of their vaccination status or schedule. PS4. You can confidentially submit the photo of any offender by sending an email to [email protected]. How to comply Read the drive post before arriving at the meeting point, so that you know your convoy numbering and radio channel. Arrive at the meeting point and switch on your radio to the pre-set frequency of the drive. Stop your vehicle at least 10-20 meters away from each other. Deflate your tires, while wearing a mask, and then go back inside your car. All briefings will be done on the radio now, so pay full attention to a briefing for your own safety. After the briefing, fall in your convoy position just before the drive starts. While driving if you get stuck, announce on the radio and be inside your car at all times. Trip lead and/or support will guide you on the radio for self-recovery or tow-rope recovery. While there is a stuck or a refusal, everyone else supposed to be inside their car at all times. You can only take a bio-break during the drive, by requesting trip lead permission. Once the drive is over exit out to inflate by maintaining 10-20 meters distance from each other. While inflating, only the driver supposed to be out and with the face mask at all times. After the drive, you can talk on the radio for any feedback, suggestions or help you need.

Off road suspension is a never ending topic of discussion among off-roaders and indeed making a separate thread for it is really highly appreciated . Thank you @Niki Patel for starting this thread in such elegant orderly fashion that surely of relevant concern I would say to every one. @Gaurav your sincere unbiased response in the relevant issues which was highlighted for me is a “gold mine “ 😉🙏🏻of reference.and now even making my decision to wait and see what the tide may bring is even more firm. I drive a stock Nissan Xterra ( only mods are considered non major such as bash plate and kill switch ) and to tell the truth I want or at least I wish to keep it this way as It’s my daily rider as well as my weekend off road leisure companion and no plans for a third car ( at least now ) and for me this vehicle is giving me the best of both worlds so far. I believe that skills refinement can partially compensate to certain extent ( example and it’s me : in my Stock suspension can’t for example take off immediately from a short distance to climb feya while another vehicle with comparable engine power and tires but with 5k suspension may do it , however I will need to adopt slightly slower approach building pace slowly ( momentum increasing slowly ) with distance needed ) then when the right place and time comes boost the beast out of it but still I have the halter straps in my hands with control ..) In conclusion it’s all what you do and what you need to accomplish in specific time and place! cheers

Preface: Having a proper off-road suspension DOES help a lot for off-roading in negotiating cross tracks, long hill climb at a faster speed to take bumps, making a jumps - literally air-borne with all 4 wheels in the air, so that when you land on all 4 or 2 or 1 wheel first they are strong enough to hold the car weight (unlike most of stock suspensions, which are not designed for jumping). My view: All of the above benefits a Baja driver lot more to win the races than a weekend driver. Secondly any off-road suspension type, brand, budget you choose will SURELY kill the road comfort, even with adjustable setup. So if your FJC is your daily driver, do not go for off-road suspension in my opinion. I had a rally bred 18 ways adjustable suspension in my Patrol and even on the softest setting I used to have a sore back on tarmac. While raising this argument, many companies and salespeople will say now technology has changed and things have improved (might be true), so ask them to let you drive a demo car with the same suspension for an hour on highway to decide. How do you approach choosing a suspension upgrade for your car? - The day you make your FJC a weekend car, you qualify for off-road suspension. at what point does spending more give limited returns (example would the additional spend to have a setup with remote reservoirs bring proportionate benefits) After the mid range setup of 5-6K (approx) anything above is mostly offering a marginal benefit, more on paper and talks than in action. Stay away from entry level setup of 2K spend as they aren't very much advisable for real off-road fun that you wish to achieve and more focused for people who "just want a lift". Ultra higher end bracket of 20-25k Setup comes with real good benefits with long travel suspension and have super jumps capabilities. is a budget upgrade a false economy Not really, but they are just good for entry level job. Offer 2 inch lift. Period Making suspension harder without much compression or rebound damping etc. are there suspension brands that work better with certain car brands and if so, are there combination of suspension/car brand to avoid It's usually the other way around, select the brand of suspension first and then ask them FJC specific product. Then cross compare those FJC specific products of brand A vs B vs C. Reason is some company makes awesome product for one car and then replicate generic version without much research of car weight and weight distribution (front and back). Read lot of genuine google or youtube reviews than what company website reviews. suspension considerations to be avoided (example a lift via a spacer isn't desirable?) Lifting car with 2 inch spacer is not a bad idea as oppose by many suspension companies because if you lift car in 500 dhs, you wouldnt be buying 5K product. I have used my present Pajero for 2 years with rear 2 inch spacer. Now im with diesel Pajero springs which is for heavy load (not heavy duty) so I don't compromise my road comfort and still get 2 inch rear lift. Though my Pajero is a weekend car but still I value road comfort over jumps and 1 less dune as road comfort gain is substantial in my view. Ultimate choice is yours. Im still running on stock suspension as in my model I have adjustable setup with a flick of button inside the car, which I dont want to loose (If I change) and its borderline not bad for off-road at Hard setting. is the adjustability of a set of shocks valuable i like the idea of being able to easily adjust for the regular tarmac drives and adjust for our weekend drives? however is it as easy and required? do you actually end up just keeping them at offroad setting and accept a bumpier ride after a while? 99% it was a myth, now you can check by yourself if they have changed.....! In my Patrol case after months of driving I gave up and accepted the sore back as my fate. My final view: Drive your FJC in stock state as they are made of weekend offroading and they come with Bilstein 5100 shocks which are made for off-road use. When you reach to the point that stock suspension is the bottleneck and preventing you to do something extreme, then start researching on suspension upgrade specifically "SOLVING" that bottleneck. As this topic is filled with endless good and bad decision you will make based on lot of fluff floating in the market. https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/product/bilstein-b8-5100/