Ben Carlin book: THE LAST GREAT AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURER

[Mike K]

Ben made an error and took on low octane petrol in Japan for the island hopping section to the Aleutian islands. The Jeep was running poorly and he tried two head gaskets to lower the compression.

The co-drivers didn't last that long, after experiencing the horrific claustrophobic on-board conditions at sea with oil fumes , the co-drivers would quit. Ben finished the last leg alone, driving down through Canada and the USA , even stopping off at Hollywood , the Ford headquarters and the Holabird proving ground where he tried to persuade everybody to take notice of his huge achievement.

It's been pointed out that the Pacific crossing was not really a true crossing, he sneaked up from Japan and skirted along the Aleutian islands . By this stage Half Safe was really in bad condition with many leaks and crossing to Hawaii would have been suicidal.

The author points out , Ben always got free use of garages and workshops everywhere he landed and without many other people contributing their time and facilities , the whole journey would have been impossible. Ben could be a charmer and he knew when to turn on the charm.

Ben shined in the workshop, this was his haven. A natural mechanic he was able to repair just about anything.