I was just wondering if someone had an up-date on how Constantine's travel around the world is going?
Any recent photo's
Bump
Bump
HELLO!....Constantine.... are you out there?
Hello!
First the good news...the African leg of the journey (Durban, South Africa to Port Sudan, Sudan) has been completed. Only two continents left to traverse. Like the the Australian leg (Melbourne to Perth) I had no major problems with the car. I have driven the car every inch of the way since leaving Melbourne.
Bad news is that I've been caught up in Middle East politics...I will put a detailed report on my website when I get the chance. As a result I'm over a month behind schedule, and the T and I have been forced to part company temporarily. We join forces again in Bandar-e-Abbas, Iran to take on the Asian leg of the journey.
Photo of me and T on the Red Sea coast, Port Sudan
CM,
It looks as if the body has taken a beating from the extra weight in the rear seat area, 13 where known for breaking at the rear door line.
Good to hear from you hope it all goes well!!!
Spent the night at this truckers rest area. Guys from grilled chicken place gave me a bed so I can sleep next to T. Cold at night so used the car cover to keep warm.
Constantine,
Marvelous! We are all rooting for your continued success. This is a remarkable feat of endurance both for the Model T and for you personally. I am in awe of the entire situation you have survived.
Question:
Can you describe the amount of maintenance the car has required? Wondering what the typical oil mileage is, and if you have done any other maintenance such as cleaning the spark plugs, replacing ignition components, or cleaning the timer? How many tires so far?
Hi Joe,
Yes, you're correct. Driver's side rear door will not close anymore and rear of the car is noticeably sagging towards the driver's side rear corner. Hope the back of the car doesn't break off...is there anything I can do to stop things getting worse?
CM
I guess you could bolt a metal bar to the wood body runner under the body to better support the rear. What happend to your rear fenders in the second picture?
Stephen
Hi Royce,
Thanks for your comments.
Using Anderson Timer...once every 1000 miles I use carb cleaner to clean it then put a touch of very very thick extreme pressure grease on rotor and contact points.
Still on the same 30x3 1/2 rear tyres from Melbourne and am carrying two new ones. My second set of front 30x3 tyres are half gone. Hope they make it to Moscow. I have not had a flat tyre yet.
I have not changed bands yet.
I have a problem with loss of engine oil from the holes in the hog's head where the pedals come out. I need new pedals and/or hog's head or to add O-seals to pedals for a fix but no time for that...so I'm having to overfill with oil at the start of the day. This leads to number 3 and 4 spark plugs getting fouled up very quickly so I clean the plugs very often.
Have been using a mix of 20w-50 and monograde SAE40 for engine oil.
I test the spark strength from the coils when I clean the plugs...I've replaced only one coil so far.
The original rear fender which had been patched up decades ago started to break apart on the corrugated roads of Northern Kenya so I took it off.
Constantine,
Thanks for the reply. If I had known that the car was going to go across Africa one day I might have spent more time on the hogshead and pedals.
You could keep the top erected. The weight of the top assembly concentrated at the rear amplifies the problem. Also the top when erected tensions the top of the body.
Constantine,
You are amazing. I've just been watching the Alby Mangels movies (worth a google guys- the Aussie blokes will know), I think you and him have a few parallels. I hope you look to publish a book or similar on the trip some day. What an experience.
Good luck mate.
Regards,
Bede
New Zealand
Alby Mangels and his blondes !! ... many many blondes, not one was average or ugly, he's no prince charming, must be the size of his .... ....character/charm.
Well done Constantine.
David.
Thanks Guys.
Yes, Alby Mangels' women were great and seemed to always be in a bikini. No such luck for me.
CM,
I have seen some angle iron bolted to the wood rail to hold them together, Ford new there was an issue early on, he came out with a casting that reinforced the rear door area. Good luck!!
Thanks Joe.
I've just updated my website for those who are interested.
Here is the link:
http://melbournetomoscow.com/eng.html
Constantine, you are da Man! There is no way in God's Heaven or Satan's Hell I would ever attempt such a stunt.
I tip my hat to you, Sir!
William L., I would be right there with not attempting such stunt.
I wouldn't even do it in a modern car or van with a couple of other guys along with me.
No Way Jose.
But it sure is interesting to read about Constantine doing it.
I wish him well.
This may have already been posted, but were there any modifications or additions made to the car such as and air cleaner etc?
Vince
Greetings from Shiraz, Iran. William and Aaron thanks for your comments.
Looks like I arrived here a couple of weeks late as I missed a classic car show, see:
http://www.motoringme.com/classic-cars-in-iran
There has been a route change for the ship carrying the container with the T which means more delays. Hopefully the car will arrive undamaged before the end of the month.
In the meantime, I plan to visit Tehran to obtain my visa for Russia.
Vince, the T has no major modifications. Car has a Model T engine and transmission without ruckstell or warford. Correct T ignition system (with an Anderson timer). Correct T suspension and steering. No water or fuel pump. For safety, Model T era correct accessory rear mechanical external drum brakes (Rocky Mountain brakes) and a hi-compression cylinder head were fitted. Don't know if it qualifies as a modification, but in Africa I was carrying a pointed broom stick and well as storing one of the heavy clincher wheel tyre irons on the floor next to my feet in case of lion or elephant attack.
Constantine,
Thank you for the up date. I am always glad to see your up dated postings and I am cheering you on from the sidelines and wish you the best. Keep safe and good luck in your travels.
Dennis,
Thanks for your support.
By the way, does anyone know if Langs or Snyders ship to Iran? Just in case something happens and I need a part urgently.
Fedex will not ship to Iran, MOst LIkely Nor will DHL or otherwise. You will have to find a sympathatic country and ship there first.
John
Sorry for mis typing, new keyboard. Should say FEDEX will not ship to Iran, and most likely other shipping companies will not also including DHL....
Hi John,
You're correct about FEDEX but I know that DHL (a German company) do operate in Iran, see:
http://www.dhl.co.ir/en/express/shipping/find_dhl_locations.html
Anyway, I got on Google and found the answer to my question, see:
http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc5_002.htm
So Langs or Snyders cannot ship to Iran.
Can Tuckett brothers in England ship to Iran? Anybody know?
Constantine,
We are all cheering for you. Of course in Iran, that may be a detriment. Good luck,
Rob
Constantine,
If you need something shipped, and with the diverse membership on this world forum, perhaps someone could make contact with an embassy and have your parcel shipped to one of our members embassy's and you could pick it up there. Let me know if you need any help in any way. I'll give it one hell of a try for you.
WILD ANIMALS NEXT 50 KMS ...... dont break down in there !!!!
David,
I immediately thought of the sign which used to be outside our African Lion Safari attraction near Sydney which read.
"Pommies on bicycles admission FREE"
Sounds like the Model T is the least of Constantines problems!!
Best of luck Constantine with the red Tape.
Peter,
I had to look that one up.
pom·mies - Australian & New Zealand Offensive Slang. Used as a disparaging term for a British person, especially a recent immigrant.
Jim
If a pom took offense to being called that, never come across one that did, calling a brit, pom-mie-s, Ruled no longer offensive in 2006 in Australia and New Zealand.
Didn't the name originate with pomgranite, that the sailors ate to fight scurvy?
Saw tonight on tv scurvy is now showing up in American children, due to diet.
Glad to see you've gone so far, Constantine. You're a credit to your countries and to the human race.
Another suggestion is that the term Pom (Pommie) comes from the English prisoners that were imported to Australian colony from England. They were Prisoners Of Mother England (POME). Many Aussies claim that they import their convicts from New Zealand, but I dont buy that for one minute.
without singleing out any nationality, l think we can can add a few extra's to that list of come in for free to see the free roaming wild animals....oh yeah !! , you can hand feed them too !!!...they wont bite....
As a Pommie in Aus', who has so far managed to escape all the lions, I know what David means, we all have a few we could add, but how do we explain it to the septics?
Chris M.
G'day Chris, long time, still like that "emberglo" 66 pic.
Constantine - I'm happy to hear that you are well through the african leg and I am impressed you have made it so far without any political issues until the middle east. You have crossed several areas that I for one would have avoided, and you are now in Iran which I would consider unsafe for western people as well.
To believe you could just cross the middle east as another cruise down the highway was probably a little naive if you ask me.
But given the circumstances, the outcome is probably the best solution.
I have the outmost respect for your endavour and would wish I once could do something similar.
I know a danish couple that did Peking- Parish in a 1926 Plymouth touring, but that was a trip arranged by a company, so it was in some respect more comfortable than your trip (they stayed at hotels or campsites (in the deserts). That could be fun too to do, but its expensive....
Good luck!!!
[quote} "To believe you could just cross the middle east as another cruise down the highway was probably a little naive if you ask me."
Michael,
What makes you think I thought that? I may have a relaxed attitude about my trip in posts on this forum but you shoulsn't think that I purchased a cheap Model T from a next door neighbour, gave it a good wash and polish then jumped in and started driving towards Moscow.
I researched and thought carefully about my route and as the "News" page of my website mentions, other travellers secured a Saudi transit visa in Khartoum without problems. The same page of my website also talks about that on such journeys unexpected problems are to be expected.
The fact that the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum didn't give me a 3 day transit visa says more about the people that work there or Saudi Arabia the country than it does about me or my planning.
Driving through Africa and the Middle East is not like driving across Europe, North America or Australia. Problems, unpleasant moments, dangers and hassles are part of the deal (you also meet very many nice people too), as it was 100 years ago for Birtles and Nagel on their journeys (the two men I'm commemorating). In fact, that's why I decided to go via Africa and the Middle East in the first place. Africa is the only place one can get a taste of what the early overlanders experienced. Also, is there adventure in a journey when it's almost certain you'll reach the finish line?
I've had problems of one type or another throughout this trip. As with other problems, in the end I found solutions to the ones caused by the Saudi visa refusal and I'm still in the game. Hopefully my luck will continue.
Note that apart from having to find a way to bypass Saudi Arabia, the visa refusal caused other problems:
-I almost became penniless in Sudan...I took more than enough money for a 2 week stay (my visa for Sudan was for 2 weeks) but I ended up spending 6 weeks there and needed money for shipping the car. US sanctions against Sudan mean credit/debit cards, AMEX cheques don't work there, nor can you send money to a bank in Sudan. In the end I found a way to get money.
-I had to extend my visa for Sudan twice...not an easy thing to do. The second time I enlisted the help of a retired police General who I had met when he came to see my T.
-The long unexpected delay in Sudan meant that my visa for Iran would be invalid by the time I reached Iran. So I went to the Embassy of Iran in Khartoum and explained what had happened to me. They offered me a new visa without the need for me to supply new supporting documents.
So I've had to ship my car to bypass Saudi Arabia which is disappointing and has cost me a lot of time and money. The fact is though that if I had gone the other way (from Sudan into Egypt) I still would have had to ship my car from Israel to Greece or Italy to avoid having to drive through Syria or Iraq.
The Peking to Paris trip is a great adventure and tough from what I've heard, but on the Peking to Paris there are people paid to look after you if things go bad...on the original Peking to Paris journey of 1907 and on Birtles' and Nagel's adventures that was not the case. So I wouldn't want it any different on my journey which is a walk in the rose garden compared what those giants of men did all those years ago.
Constantine
Thank you, Constantine. We wish you the best, and admire your courage and tenacity.
What is the terrain you face from here to the finish?
Constantine,
You indeed are a very adventurous and courageous man. I applaud you!
Oh, I so wish I would have known and kept better track of your route. After visiting your website last evening, I see where you traveled through the UAE. My daughter and her family live in Abu Dhabi. They would have graciously offered you their hospitality.
I wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Orlando
People today do not have nearly the honest desire for real adventure that so many people had over only a hundred years ago. You are what many people used to be, and few people today are.
W2