The build up to the trip provided skinned knuckles, hair stuck down with old engine oil and the general aroma of panic. How do you make a 1985 London ambulance fit for a 7000km journey!

Before setoff we had some major engine problems, so much so, that we thought it less risky to buy another engine out of a monster truck project than to repair the existing one. With the help of a comprehensive Haynes manual and some willing friends, a jerry rig was erected from scaffold poles, A frame ladders and an old wooden horse, a structure probably not fit for heaving engines out of ambulances, but with friends, family, hope and prayers the engines were swapped and the lumberbus sings to a different tune.

Words: Hugo Pullen | Photos: Dora Damian