09/09/2022
With a seemingly endless supply of work and the inability to take any real time off I made plans to do another QLD trip with a small twist . This time it was decided to go inland again to Longreach and Winton specifically for the Dinosaur museum there . First section covered we would make it just after Nyngan before stopping for the night . Here tragedy struck for the one and only time for the A3 with the ignition barrel end breaking off . Crisis quickly resolved by pulling the cover off and using the ignition switch to start the car . From there it was almost a full tank to Longreach creating a new distance record of 1061km to 1 tank . That being said the car was no lightweight with tools , camping equipment , spare battery , fuel , food as well as parts for a job in Cairns . The remainder of the journey was uneventful . One item to not was the sheer amount of flies encountered at Longreach/Winton !
With Armourfest over the weekend and the little green golf finished we headed back to the workshop with a new addition to the collection . A 1995 Yellow MK3 colour concept . Although picking this up for quite cheap it needed a lot of work . It came with no plates and unregistered so I organised a permit before I left so I could drive it down . First thing I had to do was flush the rusted water out and fit a new coolant bottle and cap . The original one would not hold any pressure . During the long process of doing this the starter decided to stop working which meant I had to clutch start the car everytime to get the engine running . Not such an easy thing to do when you have a 2500km drive ahead !
First stop was being pulled over at Cardwell with the police officer checking my papers and license before letting us go . Next stop was just after Ingham where once again we were stopped , papers and licences checked as well as a breath test and drug test before we got to our first fuel stop just outside of Townsville . It was at this point I found that the alternator had started overcharging the battery and was boiling the fluid . For the rest of the journey I was filling the battery through the breather holes with water to keep it going . It had completely killed the battery and ended up using the jump starter to clutch start the car . So onwards to the inland road and onto Charters Towers . Once it became dark the headlights seemed to work exceptionally well and we did around 500km that day before camping for the night . We had a little bit of rain overnight so the roads were also slippery .
Day 2 -
I had to top up the coolant as the light had come on the previous night and found the electric water pump had a small leak . So we continued to make our way to Emerald , Rollerstone , Injune and finally Roma before stopping for fuel (I had 70l worth of Jerry cans as the VR6 at best got 550km to a tank while the A3 nearly 1000) . It was at the petrol station that we had the police visit us and check our papers and licenses . After we started driving out of town we had a different set of officers pull as over for the same reason !
At this stage the alternator had almost given out completely and the headlights were no more than a candle in strength . The A3 became the lead car and we managed to get to around Surat before camping for the night . Distance covered 1320km
Day 3 -
After experiencing some hairy moments in the rain the previous day I decided to look into all the issues with the car and what I could do . I found the inner part of the tyres to be completely bald and swapped the front to the rear . While looking at the suspension just about everything was worn - Coilovers were leaking (cheap chinese ones) , strut top mounts , control arm bushes , tie rod ends , ball joints . Its no wonder I couldnt go faster than 100 and Im doing 80 at best most of the time ! Even the engine mount on the front is either missing or completely worn to the point the engine mount carrier is sitting on the support bar and there is no bolt there at all so the engine tilts up and down like a see-saw during acceleration ! I also noticed that the coolant crack pipe and thermostat housing started leaking as well !
With all the fluids topped up we were on our way again . First stop was Nindigully for breakfast at the local hotel before heading to Moree where we had our first proper phone reception since Charters Towers . Then Narrabri , Booggabri , Coolah before stopping at Mudgee for dinner . The last of the fuel was used here before heading to Lithgow , Katoomba and finally St Marys . Arriving just before midnight and covering 2480km .
I must thank the wife Karolina Najder for putting up with me during this stressful drive . This is reminiscent of my racing at WTAC in terms of stress and anxiety levels !
What makes this drive so hard and unique for us wasnt the distance , Ive covered more distance in 2 days than what I did in the Golf for 3 . It was the level of stress holding the steering wheel tight for such a long period and fighting to keep the car on the road not knowing how bad the next pothole could be , and yes there is some really bad roads out there ! I had no heating and was forced to keep the window open the whole journey as the car smelt like a zoo inside ! Ive since gotten sick , but Im relieved that the journey is done and another VR6 is added to the stable . 2023 I'll be restoring the car as close to standard as I can and make it more enjoyable to drive !
Just a sidenote : The VR6 has only around 10,000km more than the A3 in total kms travelled ! These 2 cars are perfect examples of what happens when you look after your car or neglect it !
