gonewestnz Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I currently have a CSW roof (with windows) and have been offered van sides by the guy who is going to build my cage. I originally wanted a truck cab roof but locating one in NE Scotland seams impossible after months of trying. I like the CSW roof for visibility but guess the glass could be at risk. Should I go for the van sides, keep searching for a truck cab or just use what I have all advise appreciated. Also changing roof probably changes road tax class if so what would be the cheapest option as the more money I save on tax the more I can put back into my landy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Changing the roof on a defender does nothing to the tax class . If you're keeping the full length body, you'll find the SW sides will give you far better visibility all round. That said the windows are quite vulnerable unless protected by the cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 The only ugly thing with change from SW to HT/van is that any and all LEZs that could have been traversed in the SW are now out of bounds! There are no such luxuries in the UK for light freight vehicles unlike many other countries where a light freight commercial vehicle is barely 1/10th, but considering the UK has one of the lowest passenger carrying vehicle tax duties in Europe, I fail to see anything to get excited about saving a very small ammount compared to the rest of modern europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 There are no such luxuries in the UK for light freight vehicles unlike many other countries where a light freight commercial vehicle is barely 1/10th, but considering the UK has one of the lowest passenger carrying vehicle tax duties in Europe, I fail to see anything to get excited about saving a very small ammount compared to the rest of modern europe. Not quite true: the graduated-by-CO2-emissions VED approach used on passenger-cars does not apply to commercial vehicles [which incur a single rate of VED if they are "Class 39" tax class like Discovery Commercials]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I currently have a CSW roof (with windows) and have been offered van sides by the guy who is going to build my cage. I originally wanted a truck cab roof but locating one in NE Scotland seams impossible after months of trying. I like the CSW roof for visibility but guess the glass could be at risk. Should I go for the van sides, keep searching for a truck cab or just use what I have all advise appreciated. Also changing roof probably changes road tax class if so what would be the cheapest option as the more money I save on tax the more I can put back into my landy! Changing the body type will have no affect on road tax. The only thing you might have to do, is look at your logbook and see if it says a body type, if so you might have to inform the DVLA, usually a letter/photo showing the new body config. If it says nothing about body type, then no probs at all. I'm sure finding a truck cab must be possible. Look one on ebay with £60 shipping if you don't want to travel: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Defender-Truck-Cab-Roof-/161690504512?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a5814d40 Or just spend a day/weekend going to collect one if not. Another option you might want to consider is a full tilt. You can roll the sides up, even with a cage. And much less likely to get damaged. Full tilts tend to be just as water tight, or better than most hard tops too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I'd look at a variation on what Nige did - replace SW side glass with a fixed sheet of perspex / polycarbonate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 For offroad the more you can see the better, I find the visibility in my RRC awful compared to the bikini top SJ I had, especially once the glass & mirrors are fogged up or covered in mud. It's just guess work then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmac Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I currently have a CSW roof (with windows) and have been offered van sides by the guy who is going to build my cage. I originally wanted a truck cab roof but locating one in NE Scotland seams impossible after months of trying. I like the CSW roof for visibility but guess the glass could be at risk. Should I go for the van sides, keep searching for a truck cab or just use what I have all advise appreciated. Also changing roof probably changes road tax class if so what would be the cheapest option as the more money I save on tax the more I can put back into my landy! What are you using the land rover for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off Road Toad Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 I competed in the Transylvania trophy extreme class with a full bodied sw 90 and never had trouble with the glass! Also did Trophee Cevenol and loads of other stuff with no problems. I would say i was aware of the windows when scraping against trees but i didn't particularly avoid damage whilst competing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 I have replaced the glass with plastic, and still smashed it several times. Also, if you go with plastic, it will need replacing regularly because of scratching. That all said, due to visibility reasons, I wouldn't want it any other way. If it is for offroad only, surely a truck cab is better, just a lot less practical for anything else. Many people also cut off the back from the hard top, creating a truck cab this way. Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonewestnz Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Ok I am thinking of buying a 2011 defender 90 truck cab. As I want to make this my daily driver could I swap the 1988 CSW roof onto the 2011 defender and put the Truck cab from the 2011 defender onto my 1988 Ninety? The paint won't match but apart from that are there any other potential issues I may come up against ? Thanks as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I don't know exactly how much its changed, but the current CSW tub cappings are different. I think you'll be OK as your Puma is a truck cab and therefore should have the holes in the corners for the hood sticks which the earlier roofs use for their fixings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonewestnz Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Thanks, the defender I'm looking at buying is not a Puma though as you mentioned above. It is my understanding the roofs are interchangeable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 2011 would be a puma though? (Can't see your location as I'm on my phone) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonewestnz Posted February 26, 2016 Author Share Posted February 26, 2016 Oh yes your so right it is a puma my bad as my other one was a ninety everything newer was a Defender in my mind. To get the puma I had to trade my Ninety so it was a day of sadness and Happiness!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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