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Crew cab conversion for Defender 90


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I've seen various pictures of D90s with extended cab tops much like a double cab or crew cab. This nicely extends the cab freeing up space for other stuff while still leaving a good area open.

Do any of you know how this is done? If it's a standard D90 cab top you'd have to extend the roof and relocate the rear windows with some additional panels between the doors and the original window frame. Or do these conversions use tops from other models like 110s/130s?

Any hint appreciated. cheers

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I'm building a king cab at the moment using a 110 double cab roof to base my roof on. Overall it'll be a truck cab plus 12" which give a bit more space to move arround inside as well as giving a useful places to mount things.

I'm plannign to make a mold that'll mean you can use a hardtop roof (cheap and plentiful unlike dc roofs) which you chop to length and then you rivet a new fibreglass rear section into place. this will mean you can get a really nice result for not much money. The double cab roof I bought to take the mold from cost arround £1k!!!!

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i did mine by removing roof and sides ,peeling roof cutting section out of roof rejoining rest by rivets ,removing rear door section of roof,relacing that section with ally to give a straight rear roof line then on sides i took rivets out of section that joins sides with rear side windows ,once seperated i cut sides to suit roof bent side ends 10mm to re rivet rear side window panels back on used 50mm box section from one side of tub to other .30 mm to make a box frame all around rear inside, then riveted a prepared 3mm ally sheet where top of rear door would of been,and chequer bulkhead panel in lower ,or tub part..shes solid and dont leak.

i drove it for a week like this but knew i needed at least a rear window so finally got a rear and two sides made ,mini front window seals and filler strip cut to length jobs a good un lol..the glass was toughened and cost 40.00 the two strips etc 30.00.

no filler,no fibreglass just etch primer and paint. took my mate and me 7 solid hours of work ,but worth it .no its not finished inside but the hardest bits done ,my mates removed his bulkhead for roomier cab ,ive only got short legs so didnt bother..

with paint,rivets etc prolly whole job 130.00

hope this helps ,although not very good at descriptive stuff so just ask lol

trev

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thanks guys for the useful tips...

My current thinking is that I leave the window rear section in place but move it back accordingly. To re-use the bulkhead by just inverting it (as per Les Brock's rig) is an interesting idea as it let's you reuse otherwise wasted material and also gives you that much needed add'l space for seats etc.

This takes care of the rear section which leaves me with roof and side extension. I kind of like the idea of a mold although this might not be required as I probably seperate the roof where the door currently ends. This would give me an opportunity to create a one piece "inverted U-shape" extension which either holds windows on the sides or is plain. Do you have any issues using rivets on a roof? I'd assume sealing it would be quite an issue.

Another idea spinning in my head is to use acrylic plastic for much of the roof which can be removed via a simple mechanism as I like the idea of an "open" rig. Don't know whether this could even be molded?

mudplugger - interesting description, do you already have some pictures of your setup?

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Can you not use a standard truck cab roof and chop/drill the welds out and then just make a sheet or use a bit of an old roof and bridge the gap, you can get a truck cab for £100 and could a really proffesional loooking jib as if from lr themselves with some right size windows in the side, i think they look best when the window fills nearly the whole side panels as it makes it more factory and keeps with the looks of a truck cab rear-minimilist frame, all glass. Just my thoughts.... :rolleyes:

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I am doing a kingcab at the moment, in fact its nearly done.

In members vehicles under "Another shires 100' Kingcab.

Its Rangey based but the ideas the same.

Basicly have two truck cabs, one off a 90 and a series one.

Have extended the cab by 7 inches, used the series back(cos it had windows already), and am planning to use both the 90 and series roof(if it works) to extend it.

Need the front section of the 90 roof as it fits the screen, back on the series and 90 have the same fixings.

Will then extend the roof gutter to make it reach, idea at the moment is to use a big insert, as opposed to a filler piece, also has the possibility of being a targa top, if it all works.

The infills in the side will be perspex and the door shut part of the roof panel to meet the doors.

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Backball, mine will look a lot like Nige's photos although there will be a line of rivets where the 2 halves join. The decission I took with the guy who's going to make the molds (he's a forumer) is that its a Land Rover so it won't look out of place.

As far as extending a truck cab roof goes, its not that easy (ask Si White; he did the roof Les now has) as the roof isn't a smooth profile. It works but, unless you get the filler out, its a bit funtional ;) Also, as the profile's very low it looks a bit stretched too.

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