16000km rally, London to Ulaanbataar - help needed! looking to do this with 126!

[mspeight2]

Hi guys and girls,

My name is Michael and along with a few friends we will be attempting the Mongol Rally (exc Russia - team mate cannot go through as he is still eligible for his military service! ). It will be roughly 10000 miles / 16000km with some pretty rough going at the end as we push to Mongolia. I was wondering where I would be best to put a post on the forum to get as much knowledge as possible about a 126.

e.g

• common issues
• easy fixes
• what to look out for when buying a 126
• Will it transport 3 guys and with very light luggage this type of distance
• list of spare parts we may need
• etc

Any help would be massively appreciated!!

Cheers

[Xylaquin]

The Mongol Rally was founded thanks to a Fiat 126!

I'd recommend getting an air-cooled model, the later the better. I say this because there's far more spare parts available on the continent for the air-cooled, and local mechanics will be more familiar with the air-cooled engine. The 126 is to Poland what the Mini is to England I guess. And I recommend the later models not just because they'll be in-theory more reliable, but they have more refinements to the car itself that might make your journey more bearable.

I would not recommend that length of journey for 3 people, the guy in the back is going to get tired of being cramped... and that's even before you put luggage in the back with him.

Lina went from Essex to Slovakia and back a few years ago, you can see her trip updates here. I think she had 4 breakdowns, but recovered from all of them and made it back in one piece!

[Rusty's Uncle]

Sounds like a fantastic adventure and I hope it comes off so we can hear more. I have to agree with Xylaquin about a later model air cooled, apart from the equipment it has a little more power. As for issues it is impossible to tell. Apart from the usual basic spares your next best tool is a manual and access to the Internet.
After rebuilding Lina's engine & gearbox when she got back from her trip I wondered how she even got over the channel let alone to Slovakia & back. I think that was down to her sheer guts , determination and the forgiving nature of the Fiat 126

[wojtix]

In 2008 some group of people from Poland and Slovakia went to Mongolia
http://dzicz.pl/mong08.php?idp=start&lang=en

[DEYAN IYI]

 

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