Leyland DAF T244

I spent months looking for suitable LED lights that I could use. The space is 3" x 1" which turns out to be quite a unique shape. After ordering and returning multiple options from Amazon I was unable to find anything suitable. I saw mention of Land Rover Defender lights… Read More

Step one in getting a military truck ready to convert to an Overland Truck is to lose some excess weight. Military vehicles are overbuilt and designed to be treated badly, so we started by removing the sand guard (which protected the engine fan) and side lockers. We then posted the… Read More

Cleaning up the wheel nuts is probably the best example of how effectively you can restore 30-year-old rusty and painted parts. The first step was cleaning them up, which involved plenty of SmartStrip Paint Stripper, an overnight bath in Evapo-Rust Rust Remover, followed by a couple of hours in a… Read More

This sort of job requires plenty of planning - we had the sandblasting done on a Friday so we could spend Saturday painting the cab. The first step was POR-15 Rust Prevention Coating, which was probably unnecessary given the distinct lack of rust that we found but we didn't know… Read More

After doing plenty of research into painting the truck, it became clear that getting stable base to paint on top of was critical. They say preparation is key and I think I finally understand why, it's by far the most time-consuming step of painting but it's definitely worth it. Unfortunately,… Read More

The standard fuel tank on the DAF is 120L, which according to Beep Beep Africa would give a real-world range of 330 miles driving a T244 around Africa. This was far shorter than our goal of 1,000 miles. Whilst we could have added a second tank, given the condition of… Read More

Engine and Gearbox Cummins 6BT 5.9L, generating 107kW (145 bhp) @ 2600 rpm, torque is 477 Nm @ 1600 rev/min. CAV or VE Bosch Fuel Injector (Eva had a CAV) Spicer 5 speed manual gearbox Permanent 4wd with high/low range Fuel Economy 13.8mpg based on real world experience from Beep… Read More

In the early 1980s the British Army started their search for a replacement for the 20-year-old Bedford MJ/MK GS 4-tonne truck. These were the backbone of the army's transportation fleet, with the ability to haul 4-tonnes of cargo, 20 fully equipped soldiers or 3 standard NATO pallets. After testing various… Read More

The Leyland DAF T224 is a fantastic base for an Overland Truck. It's built to stand the demands of the military, so largely overbuilt but also easy to maintain in the field. Unlike most modern vehicles, the electrical system is very basic, it does not have an ECU and only… Read More

We had a rude awakening to life as an owner of a 30-year-old truck. Our first drive in Eva was to drop off the flat bed off at its new owner. The first 15-miles went pretty smoothly, but as I pulled up to a traffic light the engine cut out.… Read More