Goodbye, Pak Nadjib, my friend

Fatkhun Nadjib AS 12.03.1964 - 29.11.2014

Update - A timely and well-deserved tribute to Pak Nadjib 04.12.2014

The measure of a friendship is not time. It is not how long you have been acquainted, nor is it how much time you have spent together. It is quality.
I have not known Fatkhun Nadjib for long, nor have we spent that much time together. We first met at the Jeruton Hotel in Brunei around the third week of October, 2012.
I had just driven solo from my hometown of Kuching, Sarawak, on my way to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, for the Borneo Safari, and Nadjib was a member of the GT Radial-sponsored team from Jakarta, Indonesia, headed the same way for the same purpose.
There were about a dozen of them, all from a club called, quite appropriately, Everything Four Wheel Drive (EFWD), so I had a tough time remembering their names and faces after the initial round of introductions, what with my failing short-term memory and all that.

The 'Everything Four Wheel Drive'
 decals that I display with pride.

Aside from team leader Susanto Harimuljo, soon to be known by all and sundry as simply "Santo", the other person whom I got to know right away was Pak Nadjib.
As that was the first time I had gotten to know Indonesians up close and personally, I called everyone Pak, realising only later that I was actually older ... errrm, more senior ... than most of them.
Pak Nadjib was instantly memorable not only because of his distinctive long and curly mane of grey hair and unforgettable craggy face, but because of his warmth, his friendly and unassuming personality.
Even though I struggled to understand their Bahasa Indonesia, I felt that he and I became friends right away. Over the next two weeks, under the arduous conditions of the Borneo Safari, I would also establish firm friendships with the rest of the EFWD gang.
I felt ashamed that, after 50 years and having travelled over much of the world, I had not gotten to know my next-door neighbours better. They are the finest bunch of mates a bloke could wish to have alongside when the going got tough, as they did in Borneo Safari 2012 (and indeed, any Borneo Safari in any year).
Among this group of confidence-inspiring bunch of off-roaders, Pak Nadjib stood out as the cool guy, totally unshakeable and imperturbable, always smiling and not only willing but eager to lend a hand to any and all in need.
Nothing seemed to upset or shock him, not mishaps or vehicle breakdowns, or bad weather, or, as is common in 4X4 adventures, when "shit happens".

Part of what defined Nadjib's character that year was his choice of ride, a venerable Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 that dated from the 1970s. "Bangor" had a three-speed gearbox and was powered by the original six-cylinder petrol-fueled F-series engine, unlike many of the ther highly modified vehicles on the start line.
Over the eight days that we tackled the rugged terrain of Sabah's interior, I always felt comforted when Pak Nadjib and Bangor were just in front of me, or in my rear view mirror.
He was the kind of person that exuded a calm confidence that convinced all around him that all was good, "no worries, everything will be just fine", no matter how rough the going was right then.
He had a lot more mechanical issues with his old car than I had with my then-brand new Land Rover Defender. Many a time, I stopped because he pulled over with some issue or other, and just observed as he and his co-driver, his son Ramadhan Dede, just got on with the repairs. In no time, we would be on our way again.
During one stretch when we spent a lot of time waiting in the beautiful meadows of Kota Belud for our turn to make progress, Pak Nadjib seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time talking on a satellite phone.

He looked tired and when I asked if everything was okay, he just smiled and said that his wife had undergone an operation and was recuperating in hospital. He and his son were in Sabah so there was not much they could do, and that was that.
For me, Borneo Safari remains a happy memory not only because of the great 4X4 adventures we encountered along the way, and the awesome scenery, but also the many new friends I made along the way, especially the Indonesians and, in particular, Pak Nadjib, Santo, super mechanic Ero "the Hero" Kebo Ireng, Pak Herman and Pak Budhi.
Our journey together did not end with the closing dinner in Kota Kinabalu, for the Indonesians of EFWD had not only secured the Longest Journey Travelled To Get To The Start award (having set out on a ferry from Jakarta and overland via Pontianak, Tebedu, Serian, Sibu, Bintulu, Brunei, Limbang and Lawas) but also had the longest drive ahead just to get home.

I accompanied them on part of that journey until Kuching, where they spent a night as guests at my home, before we said goodbye and they headed off for the Sarawak-Indonesia border at Tebedu-Entikong.
I never saw Pak Nadjib again. I will never see him again.
The following year, I caught up with several of the EFWD guys at Borneo Safari 2013, including Santo, Ero, Paks Herman and Budhi, but Pak Nadjib was not with them. He had other plans.
This year, again, I journeyed with the regulars through another Borneo Safari and, again, Pak Nadjib was not able to join them.

We did stay in touch through Facebook, and I was able to follow some of his further adventures, as he did mine.
Every now and then, he would ask when I was going to come visit him and the other 4X4 enthusiasts in Jakarta.
"Soon," I'd reply each time.
This year, Santo again invited me to come visit and I resolved to make the trip in early 2015. I looked forward to meeting up with all my friends there, including Pak Nadjib.
That is one resolution I will now not be able to fulfill.
On the night of Nov 29, 2104, Pak Nadjib was killed by a speeding motorist. He was just 50.

This sequence of shots from a video
 show the last moments before
Nadjib was cruelly struck down.

His last moments were spent doing what I will always associate with the kind of man he was - trying to rescue another motorist trapped in his wrecked vehicle after an accident.
According to the facts that have emerged since, Pak Nadjib had been with his family on their way from Bandung heading towards Jakarta when they came across the scene of an accident.
The driver of a minibus that had been involved was still trapped in the mangled cabin.
Pak Nadjib did what I have seen him done many times before, park his car safely in front of the distressed vehicle and set about helping the victim.
A video taken by Ramadhan showed that Pak Nadjib was conscious of the danger he was in, and checked a couple times to ensure that the situation was safe before getting back to the rescue work at hand.
What he could not foresee was that a reckless motorist would drive by so fast and so near the site.
In an instance, a good friend to many, a good man, a good husband and a good father, was lost.
There are no words to describe the loss.
In the grand scheme of things, I have not known Pak Nadjib a long time, nor did I spend a whole lot of time with him. But in those fleeting moments we did share, doing the things we both loved, he and I became friends. Good friends.
On Facebook, there has been an outpouring of grief and tributes from many people who have known Nadjib, who have regarded him as a teacher and mentor in 4X4. They are not only from throughout Indonesia but also from Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak, everywhere he had been and touched those who have known him.
Goodbye and rest in peace, my friend Fatkhun Nadjib.
My heartfelt condolence to his family.

 

   

(L to R) Pak Nadjib, Ramadhan and Santo in happier times.

Earth, Winch & Fire (and Water) - The Elements of Borneo Safari 2014

ALL the elements came together to make Borneo Safari 2014 a classic. It did not start off that way, although veterans might argue that a slow, disorganised, chaotic (and, dare we say ... BORING?) start is also part of Borneo Safari's many cherished traditions.
After some bold venue and format changes in the past couple of years, the flag-off returned to the Sabah Tourism Board building in Kota Kinabalu's Gaya Street. It was bustling and crowded, which emphasised and amplified the scale of this year's record participation of 270 vehicles in Sabah's, and indeed, Borneo's, premier 4X4 event.
A couple of years ago, the entry list neared 200 (or was it just over 200?) cars, which led to some mutterings about traffic jams in the jungle despite the magnificent scenery of the route and overall praise from participants, and the 240 or so last year also raised concerns about whether the Safari was getting too big, too popular, and a victim of its own success. Well, it certainly seems to be getting more popular with each passing year.
After being duly flagged off by Sabah Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun and other dignitaries, the convoy departed the state capital for nearby Sepanggar Bay, where the first competitive special stages (SS) were to be held.

A Slow Start
With so many cars to get safely into the jungle and the first night's camp site near Kota Belud, there was no time for dallying so most participants did not get to witness the action. This was another departure from the Borneo Safari of old, which was centred on the competition.
Thanks to the modern wizardry of Facebook and Whatsapp, the actual Safari participants followed the competitive action through photo and video updates posted by others and shared instantly around the world.

Anyone with a connected phone
could see more of the Borneo
Safari action than the participants.

So, "did you know the Sandakan car rolled on SS2?" was answered with "ya bah, my friend Whatsapped the pictures".
Anyone anywhere, as long as they have a smart phone (and who does not have one these days) can follow the action almost in real time, except actual Borneo Safari participants who have headed into the remote interior, out of phone signal range.
GPS tracks had been used to guide the participants since a couple of years ago, with limited success, and the failures continued this year. With an overly complicated arrangement that require following detailed, counter-intuitive instructions, it was not long before calls of "help, we're lost" started going out. And this was not even six hours into the event.
Then, the first real problem cropped up. A mild-mannered stream that we had to cross had been swollen into a raging, impassable torrent by heavy rain upstream. Many cars had to turn back and new plans had to be hastily made.
After a detour, original hard-core track and designated camp site of Plan A had to be abandoned. The various groups had to improvise and find whatever makeshift campsite they could for the night, hopefully before it got dark.
This was not a source for complaints, though, because it is accepted that in the Borneo Safari, Man can plan all he wants, but Nature has the final say.
Even though it was disappointing at the time, the decision to backtrack would turn to be a wise one a couple days later, with the most dramatic proof that high water could be one hell of a challenge.
If Day One had gone according to plan, everyone would have their craving for 4X4 action satiated already before emerging near the town of Kota Belud to face a 380-kilometre drive on tarmac up north to Pitas and then down south to Kota Marudu and on to Telupid, near the centre of Sabah.
But without the original track and campsite, it meant two days and over 480km (including 100km on the first day) of driving, there was still no sign of mud, and no opportunity to engage even 4 High, much less 4 Low!
The briefing for the media group on the morning of Day 3 brought no joy. "No off-roading today," media chief Hilary Francis announced. Some groaned silently while others were not so silent.
After refuelling and following directions for some 15 kilometres, a left turn brought some hope. It was a dirt track. Not quite what everyone had been preparing a whole year for, but at least it was not tar-sealed.

Ini Kali Lah!
Then, a stream crossing. A proper, Sabah-style fording under the brilliant sun, no less.
Then, it began. Hard Core! A mud hole, as deep as one dared hope for, full of gloriously brilliant orange mud.
The inaccurate briefing had caught many people off guard, wearing sandals and slippers which were totally inappropriate for the serious work ahead so there was a frantic rush to change into the proper footwear and attire. Nobody complained about the misinformation, they were simply to excited and not a little intimidated by the rough terrain ahead.

It begins!

This, finally, was the Borneo Safari we had come for, that we had looked forward to all year. For the first-timers, this was beginning to look like the stories they had been hearing about from previous editions. "Ini kali lah!"
Thus, began the low-gear crawls, the optimistic charges, the shouts and the frantic gestures. Out came the gloves and the winch cables, and the snatch blocks.
One by one, the cars went into the thick gooey mud and the drivers tried their best to bulldoze through to the other side, only to be foiled and had to be dragged out with varying degrees of difficulty.
Occasionally, someone like Brunei's Shamsuddin Zai would succeed in powering his way through to resounding applause and cheers. But the monster ruts he created in the process ensured that such success was few and far in between.  

Shamsuddin "Nissan King" Zai powers through ...

Be Careful What You Wish For
We certainly got our wish. The rest of the the day was spent slowly and painfully negotiating the multiple obstacles that lay ahead. More mud holes, steep and slippery ascents and descents, all the essential ingredients of a classic Borneo Safari were served up, one after another.
It was not long before the tough going took its toll on the vehicles, with mechanical failures occuring at the very first mudhole.
A broken driveshaft here, a shattered pinion gear there, an entire axle ripped off, a tyre puncture halfway up a treacherous slope, burnt-out winches or broken ropes or cables, all these more were occurring at a furious pace up and down the convoy.

In the afternoon, it poured. What was already a difficult track became a Herculean challenge.
It was teamwork that got each car through, slowly, painfully, an inch at a time, then a foot.

High Water
By late afternoon, the various groups had become mixed up and the convoy stretched over many kilometres.
The lead element of the media group, comprising four vehicles, reached the biggest of several streams in the Tawai area about 3.20pm and forded the clear waters without drama.
When the main body arrived less than half an hour later, the water level had risen considerably and it was beginning to look dangerous.
Media chief Hilary had misgivings about making the crossing but information from some participants bathing in the stream indicated it might be safe to attempt.
It would prove to be a mistake, as the strong current pushed his Trooper off-course in mid-stream, and a desperate and urgent rescue effort had to be mounted, with no time to waste. (See separate story)
Fortunately, everyone aboard was saved and all ended well, other than the 15-hour soaking that the car had to endure before the raging waters subsided sufficiently for a salvage operation to be carried out.

Earth and Fire
Not everyone had the same level of adrenalin and drama. One group missed the junction and ended up wandering on tarmac for another long day, and then spent an even longer day waiting for the others to catch up with them.
Then, just as they were about to have some fun, a Nissan Patrol from Brunei was brought to a screeching halt by a wheel bearing failure.

Mahmood "Komando Hangus" Omar and his charred car.

Mahmood Omar had to rely on a buddy to drive him over five hours to Tawau to look for a replacement part, and endured another five hours back to his stranded car, only to discover it had caught fire while he was gone. A wiring fault and subsequent short circuit was the suspected culprit.
There was not much else left for Mahmood to do except accept a tow from his buddy but his tales of woe were not over. The towing vehicle's tyres threw up rocks that shattered his windscreen.
But all these have not damped the enthusiasm of Mahmood, now dubbed "Komando Hangus" (burnt commando) by his friends. He has vowed to return for Borneo Safari 2015, better prepared than ever.

Imbak Canyon

The official destination for Borneo Safari 2014 was Imbak Canyon,  a forest conservation area famous for its wide waterfall. Sadly, most participants never got to see this spectacular wonder of nature. Only a handful of official and media vehicles were allowed into the conservation headquarters area because of space constraints so we will have to be content with their offical photo of what we missed.

Here Be Elephants
The rest of the convoy moved on to the oddly named Camp Hitachi (because it is identified by some abandoned Hitachi brand machinery, apparently) for a two-night stay.
A pair of exhausted competitors from Sarawak pulled over at the side of the track for a brief rest and promptly fell asleep.
When co-driver Tze Kim woke up, he nudged his partner Jack Then and asked: "Are there elephants in Sabah?"
His drowsy buddy wondered why he would come up such an odd question, whereupon Kim replied: "Because there is one looking at us."

Earth + Water = Mud

Jack Jones from Kuching enjoying the mud.

The journey from Camp Hitachi back out to Lahad Datu and civilisation would prove to be everything that 4X4 aficionados could wish for, and then some.
Winching, more winching, more mechanical failures, tyre punctures, flat batteries, and more. Much more.
Some of the bigger vehicles that had attracted admiration at the start line were now beginning to inspire dread rather than awe because their weight was proving to be a severe impediment to progress.
While the lighter vehicles could winch themselves through the quagmires, the massive beasts, some of them crippled by broken drivetrains, needed multiple lines from several of the most powerful winches available to coax them out.
Suffice to say, everyone was relived when the hard core stuff ended. Much as we enjoyed deploying the equipment and practising the skills, there came a point when enough was enough. And we had had enough.
The rest of Borneo Safari 2014 would prove to be a breeze as we took in the sights of Lahad datu, Ranau and the abandoned Mamut copper mine, and an ample opportunities to catch up with our fellow travellers under more sociable circumstances, and a good time was had by all.

   

Come Hell or High Water - Drama at Tawai (Imbak Canyon)

When things go wrong, events often happen so fast that most people do not know what to do. They need time to think, to figure out what is the best course of action, to work out a solution.

Only, there is simply no time. Faced with such a crisis last week, Michael "Mike" Jose did not waste a moment. He grabbed a winch cable - literally the only lifeline around - and plunged headlong into the raging torrent.

His was the first life at risk, and he laid it on the line because his friends were in danger.

The stream less than 30 minutes earlier.

Barely half an hour earlier, I had driven across a calm stream, with water so clear we could see the smooth stones lining the bottom. It was 3.28pm, according to the EXIF data from photos and videos I took while fording the shallow water. 

The location was N 5.459667 E 117.159667, a place called Tawai, about 19 kilometres south of Telupid town.
It was October 28, Day Three (of eight) of Borneo Safari 2014, a planned 1,300km trek that had taken us thus far north from Kota Kinabalu to Pitas and Kota Marudu, and back south to Telupid.
There had not been much action in the first two days, only a lot of tarmac, and there were already rumblings of discontent about how boring the event was turning out to be. We should have been more careful about "what you wish for ..."
By the time panicky and frantic shouts over the VHF radio drew me back to the scene, Hilary "Alee Boy" Francis was in deep trouble.

I grabbed my camera and snapped the first shot of the unfolding drama at 4.07pm.

Hilary's Trooper was stranded in the middle of the stream, now swollen by heavy rain upstream into a ferocious, life-threatening monster. He was not alone as his wife Lynn was in the back seat, and Isuzu Malaysia manager Azhar was in the front passenger's seat, all of them with water up to their chests. And the water level was still rising, rapidly.

There was a lot of shouting among the crowds that had gathered on either bank.

Then, Mike picked up the winch cable and dived into the swift current. He was swept away almost immediately but had planned his path correctly and was pushed up against the quickly sinking vehicle. Ignoring the pain of being buffeted by swift water against hard steel and on the verge of drowning, he managed to secure the steel wire rope to the wildly rocking Trooper. 

There was now a glimmer of hope for the vehicle's three occupants, plus Mike himself, by now also stranded in the middle of the angry currents.

Meanwhile, the Isuzu's soaked electrical system began shorting out, winding up Hilary's power window as he tried desperately, fruitlessly, to keep it down. At one point, the wipers started sweeping the windscreen, all on their own. 

The danger was far from over. While the single winch line was able to prevent the car from being swept downstream, the current still threatened to topple it on its side. 

By then, enough time had passed for plans to form, and a light nylon line was successfully thrown from the far bank out to the trapped occupants, who then used it to pull a second winch cable anchored to a vehicle on that side.

With two cables, one on either side, the situation stabilised a bit. The tension of the two winches had to be adjusted constantly to prevent the car toppling over as the current pushed it one way, then the other. 

But the water level was still rising fast and soon, all four people were up on the roof of the car.

All hopes of winching the vehicle to safety faded, and thoughts now turned to saving the four lives.An empty jerry can was turned into a makeshift life preserver, used to throw a line out to the trapped people.

It was not easy but after some hairy misses, all four were eventually pulled to safety, soaked and shivering but alive.

Mike was not the only one who rushed to assist, there were many others who also helped to rig up the cars, lines and other equipment without which success would not have been possible. 

But it is clear that his role was critical to the rescue. If he had not made the initial plunge when he did, the rest would not have mattered. And, by the time the others went into the current to help, they at least had a safety line to cling to, the line that Mike had swum out to attach earlier.

The water continued rising until the Trooper's roof was all that could be seen. There was not much else that could be done except to prepare some hot food and drinks for the survivors and get them into dry clothes.

The unfortunate Trooper remained submerged a further 15 hours until 7.30am the following morning, when the river had subsided enough for it to be pulled onto dry land.

Eager hands got to work and within a few hours, all the water had been drained, oils changed and it was running like a Trooper again. The show must go on.

Hilary is safe but helpless to save his car.

There was another twist in the tale, towards the end. When every official and participant gathered at the Hakka Hall in Kota Kinabalu on the evening of Sunday, November 2, to celebrate the conclusion of another successful Borneo Safari, Mike was not present. 

When he should have been feted as Man Of The Hour, indeed of the entire event, for his heroism at Tawai, a series of miscommunication ended up with him not having a ticket to attend the official dinner, even as many groups reported that they had extra tickets because some members could not attend. Something must be done to put right this sad turn of events. 

Mike George Awa is a 26-year-old Lun Bawang from Long Sukang, near Lawas, Sarawak. He is an experienced mechanic whose resume includes supporting the Japanese team that competed in previous Borneo Safaris.  

Playing Dirty, Staying Clean

There's ordinary dirty, and there's Ba'kelalan dirty.

Does your car wash kit include a spade? Ah Ngiu's does.

This is a black truck. Pic courtesy of Vance Lee.

When you take a 4X4 out to play in the mud, it's going to get muddy. That's kind of obvious, don't you think? So, we've established that 4X4 people don't mind getting their cars dirty.
But there's dirty, and there's really dirty, really very dirty and then there's outright filthy. Ordinary dirty is fine, that's no worse than driving on any city road in Malaysia after it rains, and especially just after you've washed your beloved ride.
But out on the trail, things get really messy. There are many kinds of mud, of varying viscosity and consistency and colour. Some will stick to your door handles, and windscreen, and side windows, and side mirrors, and cling o your shoes when you step out. All this is OK, all part and parcel of offroading.

Then there's the mud that gets shoved into every nook and crevice underneath the car, coating the suspension, steering, propshafts, gearbox ... in short, everything. And there's mud that clogs up the wheels (or rims, if you prefer) which is great for taking photos of that tell your friends how tough the trip was and, by extension, how tough you are. They are also okay, until you get back on the tarmac and begin to drive at normal road speeds, at which point they may cause enough imbalance in your front wheels to cause varying degrees of vibration.
One of the most important factors that determine how well your4X4 vehicle progresses in rough terrain is the tyres. Generally speaking, the bigger the tyres, and the more aggressive the treads, the better your progress will be.
To fit bigger-than-standard tyres, you'd probably need a new set of wheels that have a more negative offset than standard, i.e., they place the tyres further from the car's body. Without this extra offset, chances are high that the front tyres will foul parts of the wheel arch or suspension components or other parts of the body work.
But the negative offset (relative to standard wheels) will likely push the outer edge of the tyres beyond the car's fenders or mudguards. If aftermarket fenders are not added to ensure the tyres are shielded, then they will throw up mud with every turn, and this mud will end up all over the sides of the car. If the tyres protrude enough, it does not take much dirty driving to have the entire sides, including the windows, completely caked with mud.

The problem then is you won't be able to see. The front windscreen will also get dirt but at least the wipers and washer jets can help keep it clean enough that there is visibility directly to the front but you may have zero visibility to either side. It's safe to say that this is not a safe situation to be in when negotiating difficult terrain.
Furthermore, it is also illegal to have tyres protrude beyond the car's bodywork so, while it may make your truck look mucho macho, it will also attract the unwelcome attention of the JPJ and possibly the police.
To avoid all these problems, the solution is to add wider fenders that sufficiently cover the tyres.
There are two main types available - the rigid or semi-rigid types that are specifically made for a particular vehicle. For example, a Land Cruiser owner will have to find the specific model of fender made for his particular model car, and it will be different from those for Ford Rangers, which are different from the type for Mitsubishi Tritons, and so on. These would usually be the best option if looks are important but they tend to be fairly expensive. Try checking the various accessory reatilers on the web to find out just how much.
A cheaper solution is generic flexible flares that are one type, suits all makes. I came across a Facebook post by Billy Chan advertising this type for sale, and followed up with the advertiser, Ambassador Industrial (M) Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian subsidiary of an Australian company. For further information on the product, shipping and pricing call Billy on 0193250187 or message him through Facebook.
Now, let's get technical. Their product is flexible fenders extensions made from EPDM rubber (ethylene propylene diene monomer). I have forgotten most of my high school chemistry so this is what wikipedia has to say about EPDM: a type of synthetic rubber, is an elastomer which is characterized by a wide range of applications.
The E refers to ethylene, P to propylene, D to diene and M refers to its classification in ASTM standard D-1418. The M class includes rubbers having a saturated chain of the polymethylene type. Dienes currently used in the manufacture of EPDM rubbers are dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), ethylidene norbornene (ENB), and vinyl norbornene (VNB).
The main advantage is that it is cheap and cheerful. An average 4X4 needs 6 metres of the material, and this costs less than RM200, inclusive of courier delivery (to Kuching, in my case). This sum is to cover all four corners.
Moving along, I placed an order and within a couple of days, had the product in my hands. They had several profiles available and I asked for two types because of my peculiar needs.
My Land Rover 110 Defender High Capacity Pick-up (HCPU) is different from most other vehicles in the fender department because it has cargo tub that's wider than the cabin, so it comes from the factory with front fender flares as standard, but none for the rear. If it had been left well alone to run on standard tyres and wheels, this arrangement would have been fine because the every part of all four tyres would be completely covered. But, as mentioned above ...

Pneumatic riveter, broad head rivets ...

Fitting was relatively straightforward, requiring basic DIY skills, a power drill and a riveter with some 35 to 36 rivets. I chose to get professional help because there's this friend who has all kinds of nifty tools, like a pneumatic (compressed air-powered) rivet gun which makes everything so much more effortless, and also a supply of special rivets with extra wide heads that mean washers are not needed.
Only when we had gone more than half way through did we realise something was not quite right, and the flares looked wrinkly. So, we got a couple of strips of 1.3mm aluminium plate and riveted them as support, and it worked a treat.

A bit crooked ... but sorted eventually.

Later, I found out from Ambassador that the fender flare type I was using, WF 100, had a small hole running along the outer edge that I was supposed to thread a steel wire through to stiffen it. Ah so. But it was already installed and shoving a wire through is definitely easier done before the rubber is bent to fit the flare. So if you are inspired by this post to try the flares, take note.
The finished fenders look good, and the last couple of rainy days have confirmed that they work well in their intended roles.
That is, they will stop your car getting dirty from mud and other gunk thrown up by your own tyres. They are not guaranteed to keep your car shiny clean because there are so many other sources and causes out there that can dirty your pride and joy.
How well they hold up to abuse in the rough stuff, we will know only by putting it to more tests, including the tests of time. Stay tuned for updates.

Photos here

Before ... wheel sticks out.

After ... all covered up.

There are several profiles and widths available, to suit various needs.

I Heart Sabah ...

How time flies! It seemed like only yesterday I was back in Sabah after a long time away (having left in January 1993). Now, it's been 10 years since I went back to Kota Kinabalu in October, 2003, with the now-defunct Ford Lanun Darat programme. Much has changed. Back then, it was near-impossible to find camping gear in KK, now there are many shops offering first rate items.
Memories came rushing back on the Borneo Safari recently, when the first day's campsite at Kiulu seemed so familiar. Then ... of course, it was where we camped during Lanun Darat #17!
Sabah was where it all began for me ... 4X4, that is. First, the early years of the Borneo Safari in the early 1990s, then the unforgettable Camel Trophy of 1993.
Lanun Darat was a very successful and popular programme run by Ford to help customers of its Ranger and Everest 4X4s to learn the fundamentals of 4WD and how to get the most out of their vehicles while enjoying the great outdoors. It ended several years ago but there is talk, and some hope of it being revived. If you own a Ford 4X4 and want to see that happen, do let Sime Darby Auto Connexion know how you feel. Call them, write to them, text them, twit it ...  

My story from October 2003

IN Sabah, everyone drives a 4X4 vehicle. At least, that seems to be the perception among other Malaysians. A first-time visitor stepping out of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport may well think that this is one rough country, given the number and variety of tough-looking vehicles in the parking lot.
Toyota Landcruisers and Hiluxes, Nissan Patrols, Isuzu Invaders and Troopers and Land Rovers are everywhere. And, in the past few years, the Ford Ranger has won over many Sabahans as well.
Ford Malaysia, recognising the importance of this easternmost state’s importance as a market for its pick-ups, recently held the first-ever Lanun Darat 4X4 expedition for Sabahans who own the Ranger.

Since the programme began five years ago, the 16 previous expeditions in Peninsular Malaysia have proved very popular among owners of the tough Ford trucks, many of whom return again and again for more thrills. It is also an avenue for Ford to maintain close rapport with its customers.
Lanun Darat #17 proved to be different in several ways. Logistics was the first challenge since quite a lot of equipment had to be flown in or shipped over from the peninsula.
For example, Kuala Lumpur offers shoppers a bewildering choice of tents, sleeping bags and other camping gear. But the options are limited in Sabah. Therefore, these items had to be purchased in KL and shipped over, and then distributed, free of charge, to the hundred or so participants who had eagerly signed up for the event.
When all these difficulties had been overcome, Sabah showed that it had many advantages for the kind of back-to-nature adventure that the Lanun Darat programme aims to promote.
A typical Lanun Darat event in the west would require two to three hours of highway motoring before the dirty bit - the real fun - began. In Sabah, the adventure started less than 10km from the flag-off, held at the Ford Concessionaires facility in Inanam, a light industrial area just outside KK.
The terrain was spectacular. One minute, you were on a rather ordinary country road. One left turn later, the trail began climbing steeply, and kept getting steeper.

For those of us from West Malaysia who had gone along for the ride, the most amazing part about these tracks, which were so steep that low-ratio gears had to be engaged, was that the local residents traversed them daily, to and from their homes.
The GPS (Global Positioning System) showed that we were less than 30km, as the crow flies, from downtown KK. No wonder the high percentage of 4X4 vehicles in Sabah – there are so many places people need to go to which ordinary cars simply cannot reach.
Before long, the convoy of 35 Rangers moved into the really mountainous area of Kiulu, where swift streams churned up excitement and trepidation in equal measures.
First-timers probably felt queasy watching the truck before theirs plunge into the fast current, and seeing those big wheels disappear beneath the seething waters.
The knowledge that it was safe, that the guy in front made it across, should be reassuring. And, it was, but you just couldn’t help worrying a little. What if I got it wrong? There were so many things that could go wrong: going in too fast or too slow; steering too far right or left; easing off the accelerator too early or too late ...
And then it was over, and with success, a feeling of overwhelming exhilaration, of achievement! It was great. This was what life’s all about! Until the next, bigger, deeper and faster stream.
All along the way, we learnt from each other. There was always some useful tip someone else had which I had not thought or heard of, or something I considered basic but which the other fellow never knew.
There was also the spectacular scenery to savour while negotiating rocky tracks that clung precariously to the near-perpendicular sides of hills which soared straight up on one side and, on the other, dropped to lush green bamboo-clad valleys a long, long way below.
We camped next to a lovely boulder-strewn river which provided crystal-clear water for bathing, and a farmer’ s hut which had Astro, via which the Sabahan football fans watched their team lose to MPPJ.
Lanun Darat ended with a drive along the white sandy beach to the Rasa Ria Resort at Pantai Dalit. By then, the participants did not need any prompting when asked if another such event would be a good idea.

Deja view ... same place (as photo above), 10 years later.