FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Both two wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles will be permitted on the Variety Bash. Two-wheel drive vehicles entered in the Bash must have been manufactured at least 25 years prior to the year of the Event. Four-wheel drive vehicles entered in the Bash must have been manufactured at least 30 years prior to the year of the Event. Entrants may apply to bring a more modern four-wheel drive vehicle, with the agreement that the minimum fundraising target for such a vehicle be double the standard fundraising target. They must be roadworthy, registered and insured as prescribed by State laws and statutes. All vehicles must be conventional two-wheel drive vehicles with a maximum crew of four (4) people. Motorcycles, buses, coaches, caravans, skateboards or wheelbarrows are not allowed.

All vehicles must carry the Bash door panels on the front driver/passenger doors onto which must be fixed the allocated Bash car number for that vehicle. The vehicle number must also be clearly visible, using fluro 10cm numbers on the front window and fluro 17cm numbers on the rear window (first set provided by Variety, replacements @ $25/set). All cars must also display the sponsor’s stickers, as supplied by the organisers, which includes a front window strip that doubles as a sun strip, and rear window strip advertising the Bash.

All vehicles are required to attend the nominated CheckPoint day prior to the start of the Bash. Any vehicles unable to attend the CheckPoint day need to obtain prior consent from the Senior Motoring Events Manager.

Everyone taking part in the Bash in any way must have a valid Working With Children’s Check (WWCC) or your state’s equivalent check.

At all times all entrants must abide by the rules of the road as prescribed by State laws and statutes.

To enter the Bash you will need a two-wheel drive car manufactured 25 years or older or a four-wheel drive car manufactured 30 years or older. You may wish to start fresh with a car you have bought or a family hand-me-down or you may wish to buy a pre-built and tested Bash car (see Bash cars for sale page to view secondhand Bash cars for sale).

You will need a reliable, well-built vehicle, which will survive the trip and be noticed so that your sponsors receive some benefit. If you are starting fresh with an un-Bashed car you will need to make some adjustments to the car to make it safe in the Outback. The transmission, engine and engine ancillaries must be as originally specified for the vehicle. Modifications to the brakes, suspension and fuel tanks are allowed for safety but no improvements for extra speed or performance modifications are allowed.

Modifications to the body shape are permitted where such modifications are designed to enhance the appearance of the vehicle for sponsorship purposes or for fun! Attention-grabbing and unusual decorations make for a great Bash car… the stranger the better.

The items listed below should be carried in your vehicle as a minimum requirement. These items will be checked at CheckPoint Day:

• Fire Extinguisher
• First Aid Kit
• Two spare wheels/tyres mounted and inflated
• Towing Rope, preferably a “snatchem strap.” Wire cables are NOT acceptable
• 40 Channel UHF CB radio in working order
• Roof-mounted flashing amber light with rear roof-mounted, downward-facing reversing amber light – NO RED, BLUE, GREEN OR OTHER COLOURED LIGHTS PERMITTED
• Tow ball (front and rear). Front tow ball to be removable.

The following pieces of equipment are recommended to be carried in your vehicle:

• 20 Litres of fuel in approved containers plus funnel or syphon hose
• 20 Litres of water, suitable for drinking and cooling system top-up
• 5 Litres of engine oil
• 5 Litres of auto-transmission oil (if applicable)
• 1 Litre of diff oil
• 500mls of brake fluid
• Jumper leads
• One can of WD40 or equivalent
• One can/bottle radiator stop leak
• Jack and jacking plate for soft ground plus wheel brace
• Fan belt
• Radiator hoses, length of heater hose
• Fuel hoses
• Fuses
• Heavy-duty torch
• One roll of racing tape, a small roll of tie wire
• Basic tool kit: nothing too large. An assortment of screwdrivers, shifters, small ring and open-ended spanners, pliers, side cutters, pocket knife, gaffer tape, electrical tape, some small and medium-size cable ties, a pair of multi-grips and some insulated wire of the size used in cars
• Spare parts: Water pump, fuel pump, fuel filters (desirable but not essential), air filter, condenser, coil, exhaust gaskets and mounting straps, universal joint, rear axle with new bearing (wrap bearings in plastic), Selleys Knead-it is a good all-purpose epoxy repair for broken thermostat housings and general repairs
• Tarpaulin: May be required to place in front of the vehicle when crossing deep water
• Two spare wheels and tyres together with two tubes. The tyres should be decent off-road tyres as they are more resistant to punctures.

We suggest you review the checklist our Bash mechanics will be working through on Checkpoint Day whilst preparing your car.

The following checks are recommended when preparing your Bash Car:

• Lubrication and Cooling – both systems should be drained, flushed and generally cleaned out. For engines that have been stationary for some time, this is a MUST. Remember the transmission and differential too!
• Engine and transmission mountings – check for any tears, perished/worn areas or oil damage. (Body mountings if applicable).
• Driveshafts – check the universals, yokes, centre bearings and their mountings if applicable.
• Protect exposed clutch and brake mechanisms.
• Suspensions – check the cross members for cracks and worn/perished mounting rubber joints, links, pins, ball-joints and bushes etc., shock absorbers, springs, shackles, leaves and centre bolts.
• Brakes – check the linings, hoses, metal brake lines and their securing, wheel and master cylinders.
• Wheel/Tyres – check for wheel cracks and seek out a good “off-road” type of tyre. Go to a tyre retailer and seek their advice, explaining you will be doing a lot of dirt driving on mixed, country road conditions.
• Wheel/axle bearings – check seals, clean, inspect repack/grease.
• Engine – tune and waterproof the ignition.
• Wiper blades – replace. Ensure windscreen washers work efficiently.
• Electrical problems
• To reduce the chances of having a problem get your car looked over by an auto electrician. Frayed wiring should be taped up and the generator or alternator checked over.
• Take along basic spares such as points, plugs, condenser, even a rotor, coil and distributor cap. Take along a spare fan belt.
• Make sure the battery is very secure and the battery holder has not rusted away.
• If you have an automatic car, take a spare starter motor.

One of the recommendations for the Bash is giving your car some additional ground clearance. The easiest way to do this is to use larger diameter wheels and tyres. Holdens can go for 14″x 6″ steel wheels, (from an HK to HG Monaro) and 7.5 x 14 tyres to suit the Japanese utes (such as Holden Rodeos). Fords and Valiants already have 14″ wheels and the 7.50 x 14 tyres can be used. The Yank Tanks can use 15″ or 16″ wheels with appropriately larger tyres. Ensure you still have full steering lock to lock.

If you need more ground clearance, the best way is to have the springs reset or add extra leaves. Do not try to raise the back using air shocks. They are renowned for their ability to punch the back floor out of cars due to the air pressure in one shocker increasing when the other shocker has been compressed. This makes the shocker act like a solid bar and if a bump comes along while it is in this condition, goodbye floor!

With Holdens, it is wise to get a crossmember welded between the rear subframes as a mount for the top of the shockers, as Holdens are weak in the body where the shocker mounts are.

If you raise the rear of the car, you should also raise the front to match. Remember to get the front end re-aligned after you do this. Also when raising the car, check to make sure the shockers don’t run out of travel when the suspension moves.

Get professional advice when changing suspension.

A compulsory fitting on a Bash car is 50mm tow balls fitted front and back. This is so that we can tow a broken vehicle into the nearest place of repair with the straight bars that all workshops carry. These bars have trailer hitches on both ends and are a lot safer than tow ropes.

The back end is easy, just get a normal tow bar. A bit of thought needs to go into the front to ensure that the tow ball is mounted on a substantial part of the car, such as a subframe. Do not make the mistake of mounting it off-centre, as the car will be a lot harder to drive under tow and remember to check your local regulations for mounting details. Front tow ball to be removable.

Sump and stone guards are essential for the underside of the car. These have different requirements so need slightly different approaches.

The sump guard is to prevent the sump and gearbox from damage sustained by hitting rocks on the road. This needs to be reasonably strong. For those who can afford it, aluminium checkerplate as used to make boat trailers etc. is ideal if given a little bit of bracing. Steel checkerplate is perhaps a little heavy, and a lighter gauge of metal could be used. The sump guard should be no wider than the sump of the engine to allow engine heat to get away from the engine bay. Remember to mount the plate securely and check that the steering doesn’t touch it, even with the wheels off the ground.

The fuel tank guard is to prevent the fuel tank being pierced by stones and smaller rocks. Thus the guard can be made of lighter gauge metal. However, the guard should cover all exposed parts of the fuel tank.

As the going is likely to be dusty on the Bash, it is a good idea to get a good quality air cleaner element along with a couple of spares. They should be changed regularly on the Bash. Sand and dust getting into an engine through the air cleaner can do a very rapid job of reboring your engine, and without the necessary larger pistons and rings, can turn your motor into a pile of junk that even STP Oil Treatment can’t fix.

For water crossings or holes — be careful as hitting the water too hard can cause water and mud to go through your air cleaner and into your engine with a fatal result.

This is highly recommended on the Bash. If the front universal joint breaks, the front of the tail shaft is stopped from hitting the road and acting as a pole vault.

The loop can be made a number of ways. The easiest is to use some inch by eighth steel strap, make a loop under the tailshaft (give it plenty of clearance) and bolt it to the floor. It should be positioned about six inches behind the front universal. Another effective method is to use some chain and bolt it to the floor either side of the tailshaft with a loop hanging under the tailshaft

The Bash organising team do several surveys of the event prior to the official start to set the route and make all the arrangements. Part of the planning process, is to provide you with daily route instructions. You’ll receive this every morning at the start line and mostly at the luncheon venue as well. Some days you will receive (but not always) a lunch pack in the morning and you can choose your own lunch location. On those particular days the route instructions are from start to finish on that day. They are simple, easy to read distance measurements with an instruction such as SO (straight on) or TR (turn right) to get you through the set run for the day.

Never leave the Bash route without telling someone, preferably an official. The Bash is well serviced with officials who check you out at the start and at the completion of a section. If you don’t come through the finishing CheckPoint  and our “Sweep” (last official in) has not seen you, then we put in a search and rescue plan. You will be liable for any charges if it proves to be a false alarm!

For those would-be Bashers who can’t tell an upper control arm from an interior light switch – fear not! Travelling with the Bash are Mobile Workshops (MW) crewed by qualified and experienced mechanics, engineers and technicians whose job it is to look after all Bash vehicles.

If you were to break down on a Bash route one of our MWs will carry out a minor repair to keep you going. In previous years, cars that looked as though they are beyond repair have been transformed by the mobile workshops into miracles of motion and have been shepherded into the next town. It is then your responsibility to have the car fully repaired and made roadworthy again.

We guarantee, if we can’t get you going, we’ll get you to the closest town where you can make your own arrangements to get the car repaired or transported to another location. Individual support vehicles are not allowed on the Bash, however, spare parts can be carried on the official baggage truck which travels the entire Bash route.

As we visit lots of wonderful schools along the Bash and we want to ensure the safety of the children we work so hard to support; we require all of our Bashers to have a valid Working With Children’s Check (WWCC).

This is available free of charge and can be applied for online via https://wwccheck.ocg.nsw.gov.au/Apply. Once your application is submitted you will be required to take your application number to a Service NSW outlet who will then email your WWCC to you. For any queries regarding this please contact us on 02 4965 4911.

If you reside outside NSW, you may apply for your state’s equivalent check e.g. Blue Card in Queensland, Working with Vulnerable People in ACT.