![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.overlandrover-westafrica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Agomahs-Shop-there-is-even-a-tree2.jpg\" "\\"Agomah's")
<\/a>Agomah's Shop - there is even a tree<\/p><\/div>\n
I called him at 7:30AM Sunday \u00c2\u00a0to confirm we were still on for 8:00 and to alleviate my fear that maybe we had completely misunderstood each other the day before.\u00c2\u00a0 When I called Agomah said \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but you said 8:00 o\u00e2\u20ac\u2122clock\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and I had to reassure him I was not looking for him yet,\u00c2\u00a0 just wanting to confirm where and when we were meeting.\u00c2\u00a0 I piled the old beat up roof liners into the back and headed off to Kwame Nkrumah Circle.\u00c2\u00a0 The roof liner consists of three solid pieces of very firm but softish board that are about 1\/4 inch think and covered with a fabric material.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The problem in our Defender was the covering fabric was very dirty and discoloured and had become mostly detached from the board so it just drooped loosely.<\/p>\n
Agomah and a colleague showed up at the right time in the right place in a tro tro and after looking at the Defender suggested we go up to \u00c2\u00a0his shop in North Industrial a short distance away to see materials.\u00c2\u00a0 The shop is just another ramshackle\u00c2\u00a0 shed,\u00c2\u00a0 one of a number along a exitramp from a main Achimota Road leading into the North Industrial district.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 He had some samples of other recovered ceiling panels for me to look at that were quite lovely, and with some choices of colour.\u00c2\u00a0 I settled on a very plain but bright gray, seeking to accent the dark gray dash and interior door panels.<\/p>\n
Agomah not only had quality roof \u00c2\u00a0liner, but seeing that our Defender floor still only has soundproofing on it he was<\/p>\n
<\/a>Landy at Agomah's<\/p><\/div>\n
quick to pull out some ready cut carpeting pieces he had on hand for someone else, in a colour that matches our seats and door panels very nicely. \u00c2\u00a0 The carpet is a short pile with a woven substrate and a smooth nonporous plastic backer.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The set consists of <\/span>8 or 9 pieces that fit the front and back seat floor, over the transmission tunnel and around the seat boxes.\u00c2\u00a0 When I said we did not want carpet in the cargo bay because it would not be functional and be too hard to clean Agoma came out with a heavy backed vinyl that he said they use quite often.\u00c2\u00a0 Indeed it is probably the same vinyl that we had seen in the front of the Defenders and Opere restores and which was part of the inspiration to do our own restoration.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 As much as we may not have wanted it for the front, it looked just right for back.<\/p>\n Anticipating a moment like this I had brought with me for my own reference a quote I had received on ceiling\u00c2\u00a0 and carpeting work from\u00c2\u00a0 someone else a few months earlier. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We got into price and I countered his original quote of GHC 500 (CAD 300) for ceiling and carpets with an offer of $450 (CAD 270).\u00c2\u00a0 We shook hands on it and I gave him GHC 100\u00c2\u00a0 down, all the money I had in my pocket at the time.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 That was probably the most spontaneous of any decision I have had made on this project, and one of the best.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The price was much lower that the other I had got earlier, from Michael who had done the back seat for me, and Agomah was recommended by Paani, who did my body work w (SEE SEPARATE POST) and that recommendation counted for a lot.\u00c2\u00a0 We are very pleased with the result.<\/p>\n The best part was I did not even have to leave the vehicle with them, they just took my old ceiling panels to recover, the\u00c2\u00a0 carpets they can produce based on their knowledge of Defenders, and if there were any doubt there were 3 or 4 Defender 110s I saw hanging about they could use for measurements.<\/p>\n It was sometime before I could get back to Agomah to have him install the roof liner and carpet, and I think he was wondering why after a couple of weeks I still had not returned.\u00c2\u00a0 I was hesitating anyway because I wanted to run wires to the back for an outside area light and for speakers\u00c2\u00a0 and thought I should do that before the carpet and ceiling went in.\u00c2\u00a0 The problem was I was having trouble finding quality wire.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 With the lapsed time I was feeling guilty because I had given them such a small deposit and Laura and I were about to head for South Africa on two week holiday\/outfitting gear shopping trip.\u00c2\u00a0 Before we went away I went by and gave Agomah another 200 cedis, leaving a 150 cedi balance.\u00c2\u00a0 I also picked the new liners and carpet up and brought everything home, having seen the “shop” I was a bit nervous that it could get dirty, rained on or otherwise damaged.<\/p>\n Finally on a Saturday in mid-March after we got back from our shopping trip to South Africa I was able to back to Agomah with the Defender and the ceiling and carpet pieces I had been safeguarding so he could finish the installation.\u00c2\u00a0 It did not take very long, although I did have to ferry back to the house in a taxi to pick up a can of odds and ends that Paani had given me six months ago after he stripped the interior to do take the electrical plugs out of the roof and upgrade the doors that included, inter alia,\u00c2\u00a0<\/em> the plastic plugs that are needed to put the roof liner in.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Very pleased with the end product, they even put the mirror and sun visors back in and installed the interior ceiling lights front and back.\u00c2\u00a0 Amazingly, the lights worked right away.\u00c2\u00a0 The roof liner actually surpassed my expectations,\u00c2\u00a0 the old ceiling was so loose that I thought I was going to get a new, clean fabric hanging loose, but instead I get a new, clean fabric fully moulded to the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 It looks superb.<\/p>\n Roof Liner Install Finishing Touches<\/p><\/div>\n Slightly re-juvenated Sun Visors going in<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The carpets also went in, as well as the vinyl floor covering for the cargo bay. \u00c2\u00a0 There were a few minor trims Agomah and his helper had to do but it all went in quite nicely.\u00c2\u00a0 There are a couple of things that I am not entirely satisfied with, for example for some reason they did not carpet a 4 inch vertical piece between the back seat and the cargo bay\u00c2\u00a0 that is quite visible.\u00c2\u00a0 The roof liner panel also needs to be tightened up around the sunlights on the side of the roof.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I had already gotten them to fix a couple of other bits, like making sure there was enough clearance between the accelerator pedal and the carpet so I was running out of time so I paid them the 150 cedis holdback with a 40 cedi dash and they said come back anytime and they would put the missing carpet piece in.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 My experience with Ghanaian tradespeople is that once you have established a business relationship and as long as you don’t squeeze them too much on price they are more than willing to do follow-up fixes.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I am also going to ask them to recover the sun visors, which they had offered to do initially but which I declined thinking we had cleaned the old visors\u00c2\u00a0 up so nicely they did not need to be recovered.\u00c2\u00a0 However, once installed they don’t look quite so nice against the new ceiling.\u00c2\u00a0 Those are details that will be get looked after, but it all looks very nice now.\u00c2\u00a0 Also worthy of comment is the further noise reduction.\u00c2\u00a0 After driving around\u00c2\u00a0 in a bare metal box for six months the addition of soundproofing, roof-lining and carpets makes a remarkable difference.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>