Alaska to Argentina in a L300 Star Wagon

Mobius

Mobius

New Member
Hi Everyone,

I've pulled the trigger. I've bought an L300, requested a Leave of Absence from work and will be traveling from Alaska to Argentina over ~14 weeks starting in October of this year.

Overall I'm nervous & anxious but terribly excited to take on the trip in my (new to me) Delica. After getting through the initial excitement, I realized the gravity of driving a 25 year old car roughly 20K miles in 3-4 months. I'm reaching out to this group in case anyone is interested in following my journey - starting from prep all the way through arriving in Argentina.

Any tips, tricks, watch-outs or overall advice on the Star Wagons would be helpful & appreciated! I'm thinking through what are the best spare parts & components to take and could use your feedback! Is there anything else I should bring? Is there something I'm forgetting?

Towards the end of my trip, I'll offer my van up for sale (including all equip and spare parts) in Argentina in case anyone is interested in bringing it back to the USA!

Here are the details:
  1. The Van - A 1994 Delica GLX High Roof with the 4D56 and ~68K miles purchased from Delica USA (happy to share my experiences purchasing through them - overall a positive experience with a few minor considerations so far)
  2. Van Prep - I'll be building out this section over the coming weeks. In the meantime, here is the list of work performed to date by Delica USA and the spare parts I'm considering bringing along. Some will be pricey, but I figure better safe than sorry.
    1. Work to date (New or repair/ replaced):
      1. Engine and transmission oil
      2. Flushed and replaced engine coolant. New thermostat.
      3. Passenger inner and outer tie rod ends
      4. Sway bar link bushings
      5. New wheel bearings
      6. Rear brakes
      7. Timing belt & tensioners
      8. Balancer belt & tensioner
      9. All new drive belts
      10. Throttle adjustment
      11. Torsion bar adjustment
    2. Spare parts to bring
      1. Complete set of belts
      2. Head gasket kit
      3. New water pump
      4. Spare alternator
      5. Spare throttle cable
      6. Set of Glow Plugs
Hoping to refine this list in the coming weeks with your inputs.

Edit: Here is a pic of the SW!

3086

Thanks all!

Mobius
 
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Make sure your crankshaft pulley bolt is tight .... take her out for A Thousand Miles spin make sure you don't have any leaks and everything is running fine.... I just put 7500 miles on mine trouble-free in 2 and 1/2 months
 
This sounds like an amazing trip! I would also like to see some updates and pictures. If this isn't done already, I would think about installing an EGT gauge to ensure that you dont blow a head gasket while climbing hills on your trip.
 
Sounds like an awesome trip. Know that south of Guatemala, RHD vehicles are illegal to bring into the country (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, possibly Panama) and even if you manage to get past the border controls, such a vehicle can be confiscated by authorities. Not sure about El Salvador and Honduras, but you will likely have to ship the vehicle to Colombia in a container and deal with import taxes, arranging a container, etc. Definitely adds to the challenge of a trip of this nature. @WanderingPeso can likely comment at length on this subject.

Edit: A slightly dated thread on the subject:

RHD vehicles | Drive the Americas

Infomation mainly to anyone driving a RHD vehicle through central america. We are in the middle of our drive from Alaska to South America and Costa rica has put a stop to it, with a rule that you cannot drive a RHD on the roads in Costa Rica! It was indicated that maybe for $200 you could get...
www.drivetheamericas.com www.drivetheamericas.com


BTW, there are several Delica clubs in Colombia that might be good to contact beforehand for relevant info.
 
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CV boots
Air compressor
Solar
Solar shower
Egt Gauge
Replace stereo with one with Bluetooth for cell connectivity
Install trailer hitch, just in case.
Add usb chargers
Install Trackmate GPS tracking system
Would recommend bash plate
Extra windshield wipers since part of this will be rainy season in rainy areas
1 oil filter
1 air filter
I fuel filter
Trim tools in case you need to take off any panels without killing parts
JDM screwdriver/bits (game changer if you are unaware)
Shoe scraper
Scotch locks and electrical wire
Basic solder kit
Fuse piggyback connectors
leatherman
Camelback (mil spec)


Tried to come up with things I’ve been glad I had or wished I had over the years being out and away. Also tried to mostly list things you don’t find on other lists.
 
Have a copy of the manual downloaded to your phone, tablet, computer or a jump drive in the event you blow something up where internet may be spotty.

Don't forget tools either. I stand by having a set of watching wrenches with flex heads. never owned them before but my god I love them.

I would also recommend you get familiar with accessing your engine bay, how to pull the drivers seat, and how to tension your belts. Almost guaranteed you will need to adjust them after a shakedown run.
 
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Sputnik said:
Sounds like an awesome trip. Know that south of Guatemala, RHD vehicles are illegal to bring into the country (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, possibly Panama) and even if you manage to get past the border controls, such a vehicle can be confiscated by authorities. Not sure about El Salvador and Honduras, but you will likely have to ship the vehicle to Colombia in a container and deal with import taxes, arranging a container, etc. Definitely adds to the challenge of a trip of this nature. @WanderingPeso can likely comment at length on this subject.

Edit: A slightly dated thread on the subject:

RHD vehicles | Drive the Americas

Infomation mainly to anyone driving a RHD vehicle through central america. We are in the middle of our drive from Alaska to South America and Costa rica has put a stop to it, with a rule that you cannot drive a RHD on the roads in Costa Rica! It was indicated that maybe for $200 you could get...
www.drivetheamericas.com www.drivetheamericas.com


BTW, there are several Delica clubs in Colombia that might be good to contact beforehand for relevant info.
Click to expand...
RHD are tricky in Central America but we can supply you with all the info needed for easy and safe passage. Shipping is the the most difficult part of this adventure. We have all the contacts and options that will make your life a lot easier.
 
Nenw said:
Have a copy of the manual downloaded to your phone, tablet, computer or a jump drive in the event you blow something up where internet may be spotty.

Don't forget tools either. I stand by having a set of watching wrenches with flex heads. never owned them before but my god I love them.

I would also recommend you get familiar with accessing your engine bay, how to pull the drivers seat, and how to tension your belts. Almost guaranteed you will need to adjust them after a shakedown run.
Click to expand...
What is a “watching wrench”. Embarrassed to say I’m unfamiliar with that term. But agree on the flex heads. Awesome.
 
Delicatessan said:
What is a “watching wrench”. Embarrassed to say I’m unfamiliar with that term. But agree on the flex heads. Awesome.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure he meant ratcheting wrenches (box type)... otherwise I'm about to learn something new too!
 
Hi all - thanks for the advice! I'm making a shortlist of parts and will be purchasing extras in the coming days - sounds like an aftermarket radiator and thermostat from @DelicaWorks will be important! I'm trying to get in touch with Evan and will hopefully have that on order soon.

Giving the group a quick prep update - progress is slow going so far as work has been crazy lately. Delica went back to Delica USA as:
  • The coolant was full of rusty water (system had to be flushed and I suspect it needs another flush soon)
  • The wire from the glow plug contact plate to the solenoid was disconnected (that would have been a great discovery on a cold day)
  • One of the windows fell off the tracks and had to be re-seated
Overall Delica USA has been good to work with but I recommend potential buyers giving the car subsequent thorough inspections in the weeks after purchasing. Considering a lot of these vans likely sat for a long time (for the low mileage examples) - giving them a good shakedown and inspecting over the coming weeks will reveal a lot of different issues.

Right now its at a small local shop because:
  • the van was overfilled with oil last time it was at Delica USA (see pic below)
  • I want to make sure the seals are okay
  • there is a bolt missing on the timing belt cover (who knows if this got knocked loose)
Overall, still very much loving the star wagon! I'll keep the group posted as I prep the interior of the van for the big trip.

IMG_0081.jpgIMG_0078.jpgIMG_0135.jpgIMG_0134.jpg
 
Hi All,

been a while since I posted and wanted to give an update on our trip! Life was a bit hectic leading up to my trips start date (30 Sep) - had to wind down things at work, move out of my apartment and finish prep on the Van for the journey.

As with all things, we've had to adapt our trip in the interest of being pragmatic. Instead of shipping our van to Alaska - we decided to drive the van to Vancouver and start our trip there (given the shipping costs and brutally cold start to the fall).

We also had to make the hard decision to keep the van in the USA and not take the Delica on the South America portion of the trip :(. Given costs, shipping timing and resale, we thought it best to keep the van stateside.

I digress, Here's a final list of service that we had to undertake prior to leaving:
  • Fresh oil and filter change
  • Fresh differential fluid for front, rear and transfer case
  • New air filter
  • New fuel filter - testing the water sensor for continuity - all A okay
  • Pick up assorted spares for the trip (e.g. Oil, oil filter, air filters, fuel filters etc.)
  • Installing some Husky weatherproof boxes on the roof (rooftop boxes are prohibitively expensive)
Additionally, the van had to go back to Delica USA for:
  • Coolant flush - at this point I realized that my radiator was toast so I ended up ordering a new one from @DelicaWorks
  • New glow plugs
  • New battery
  • New waste-gate actuator (mine was making an awful cricket chirp noise with high RPMs)
The wrong glow plugs and battery were installed, but we'll get to that later.

Come September 30th and we were off!
 
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