Vapour 101 camper

[FridgeFreezer]

I believe fire engines are tax-free IF you retain the pump etc. and make it available for emergency duties if required, much like recovery trucks are MOT exempt IF they have no area for carrying cargo.

Airport crash tenders I believe have to be AWD and are often quite custom - so yeah it might have a cummins engine and an allinson transmission but it could also have driven axles that were built to spec by someone like GKN. Trucks with driven front axles are relatively rare anyway so I always wonder how much a swivel or CV is going to cost you for one of those MAN Kat or similar...

You know I've looked at some truly stupid trucks for campers / race support over the years and buying it is the easy part - storing it and repairing it is the hard part, plus stuff like ferries, breakdown cover, tyres, etc. can be a surprise. As Jez found out, trucks go as cargo but you can't have children in the cargo section, that was entertainment.

Honestly a cheap 7.5 tonner is going to do everything better and be cheaper to run than a 101 in fuel and parts and breakdowns.

[miketomcat]

25 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

I believe fire engines are tax-free IF you retain the pump etc. and make it available for emergency duties if required, much like recovery trucks are MOT exempt IF they have no area for carrying cargo.

Airport crash tenders I believe have to be AWD and are often quite custom - so yeah it might have a cummins engine and an allinson transmission but it could also have driven axles that were built to spec by someone like GKN. Trucks with driven front axles are relatively rare anyway so I always wonder how much a swivel or CV is going to cost you for one of those MAN Kat or similar...

You know I've looked at some truly stupid trucks for campers / race support over the years and buying it is the easy part - storing it and repairing it is the hard part, plus stuff like ferries, breakdown cover, tyres, etc. can be a surprise. As Jez found out, trucks go as cargo but you can't have children in the cargo section, that was entertainment.

Honestly a cheap 7.5 tonner is going to do everything better and be cheaper to run than a 101 in fuel and parts and breakdowns.

Whilst I agree with a lot of what you say. Firstly this is very much vapour so all comments are valid. Secondly I've never done sensible in my life so I'm not going to start now. 

If I ever do this or a caravan for that matter it will NOT be anything off the shelf. I already have a lot of the internal parts for camper/caravan. Yes some of the ideas are crazy and I'll probably end up doing a caravan for many of the reasons above, but I like to explore everything. 

Mike

[FridgeFreezer]

I appreciate you love making life hard for yourself but I just see the 101 as totally the wrong base for anything you want to do - all the bits that make it a 101 would either need to be thrown away or modified, and a big cube on wheels is an easy enough thing to make from scratch (or from the back of a fridge van) rather than buying a relatively expensive box on wheels that's the wrong size and having to put as much work into modifying it as it would've been to start from scratch...

If you buy a 101;

• You won't want the V8 so that goes in the bin
• The gearbox/transfer probably goes with it
• It doesn't have PAS so you need to engineer a conversion
• It has drums all round and the axles, hubs, drums and even wheels are unique to the 101 / FC so a ton of work / money to sort that out
• It's a noisy uninsulated 2-seater with Series seats so loads of work to do there
• It's not long enough so you've got to modify the back end
• They're not even cheap to buy these days, a crusty 130 would be cheaper and the parts are all stock Defender apart from the middle 20" of exhaust pipe and the rear prop.

A 6x6 Volvo would have the length, height, and character (but also the discomfort)... a 7.5 tonner would be boring but would have the space & be cheap & comfy, a caravan/trailer would be the cheaper / most practical even built from scratch as you're not working on any drivetrain/mechanics and can just drag it behind the bex when needed and throw it in a field when it's not.

Given a 101 back box isn't going to be far off our 127 I really can't see it working with an entire family & dog without ending up dragging extra stuff like awnings / pup tents around.

Having seen how much space you get in even a regular 7.5 tonner, never mind a 17.5 tonner like @qwakers race lorry build I honestly think they're way more practical than most other common approaches - they're dirt cheap to buy, parts are very available and often surprisingly cheap, and I don't really see much evidence that 95% of off-road camper builds ever go anywhere that a VW Transporter wouldn't - if you're worried about getting stuck on site, throw some waffles under the chassis and bung a hydraulic winch in the front bumper.

I mean, under 3k gets you a sleeper cab and a lotta length: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303769912992

Or this one gets you enough room for an upstairs and maybe a wine cellar for under 5k: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224246369564

Plus you can use it to store your stuff and help move house

[Ed Poore]

Surprised you're not considering this

[Ed Poore]

2 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

help move house

Knowing Mike he'd move into it.

I think the main thing to consider is how much space are you going to have to store it?

I mean I've got 4.5 acres now and managed to get my sensible hat on and only buy a JCB 2CX not a 3CX / 4CX. The main thing was OK the bigger machine was fine while I do all the major groundworks but after that where the hell was I going to park it up?

Hell this lorry is part ready and even has a balcony!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1358971157784651/

[FridgeFreezer]

3 hours ago, Ed Poore said:

I think the main thing to consider is how much space are you going to have to store it?

Whatever you do it's a problem - I'm not sure a stretched 101 is much less aggro to store though - once you're over what will fit into a standard 1-car garage or a standard shipping container life gets a fair bit harder.

[miketomcat]

21 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

Whatever you do it's a problem - I'm not sure a stretched 101 is much less aggro to store though - once you're over what will fit into a standard 1-car garage or a standard shipping container life gets a fair bit harder.

That's kind of where I was going with a 101. Assuming our move actually happens we will have much less need for a second car so could probably get away with putting a jem (two seater sports car) on the road and getting rid of the 110 (may have trouble getting this past the wife). From experience a caravan is a pain to store so doubt a 101 size vehicle is any worse.

Mike

[FridgeFreezer]

27 minutes ago, miketomcat said:

From experience a caravan is a pain to store so doubt a 101 size vehicle is any worse.

Except a caravan doesn't need the servicing / maintenance / insurance that an old Land Rover does, and 100% of it is usable space.

[garrycol]

7 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

If you buy a 101;

• You won't want the V8 so that goes in the bin
• The gearbox/transfer probably goes with it
• It doesn't have PAS so you need to engineer a conversion
• It has drums all round and the axles, hubs, drums and even wheels are unique to the 101 / FC so a ton of work / money to sort that out
• It's a noisy uninsulated 2-seater with Series seats so loads of work to do there
• It's not long enough so you've got to modify the back end
• They're not even cheap to buy these days, a crusty 130 would be cheaper and the parts are all stock Defender apart from the middle 20" of exhaust pipe and the rear prop.

 

• You won't want the V8 so that goes in the bin  - WHY works well and cheap top run on LPG.
• The gearbox/transfer probably goes with it - Why works well once you are familiar with it - high speed gears out out of a RRC works well
• It doesn't have PAS so you need to engineer a conversion - yes I agree but a RRC four bolt PAS box virtually bolts in.
• It has drums all round and the axles, hubs, drums and even wheels are unique to the 101 / FC so a ton of work / money to sort that out  - The drums stop well but 4 disk brake kits are available.  Why do you need to change wheels - all available relatively cheap.
• It's a noisy uninsulated 2-seater with Series seats so loads of work to do there - not as noisy as you think - easy to insulate and Defender seats go straight in.
• It's not long enough so you've got to modify the back end - I guess it depends what you need - as shown in the pics I put up earlier there are various options available.
• They're not even cheap to buy these days, a crusty 130 would be cheaper and the parts are all stock Defender apart from the middle 20" of exhaust pipe and the rear prop.

 

[landroversforever]

1 hour ago, garrycol said:

• You won't want the V8 so that goes in the bin  - WHY works well and cheap top run on LPG.

 

Can’t see where you’re based Gary as I’m on mobile, but in the UK LPG seems to be slowly disappearing. Shell I believe are removing their LPG option, and countrywide who were another supplier have gone under in recent years too. So LPG is sadly even less common than it was 5-10 years ago in the UK. 

[miketomcat]

Fridge is right that the V8's eye watering mpg would scare me but even that along with everything else I could live with/sort over time. Towing a caravan is a pain especially for things like the nc500 and abroad. Given that my mother in law is on the Hebrides, father in law is in Bulgaria and step brothers in Greece that's several trips that are considerably easier if you can just park roll in the back and sleep. The body extension would be top of the list to sort along with insulation but I'm going to have to do that with anything I did.

Mike

[Ed Poore]

4 hours ago, landroversforever said:

Can’t see where you’re based Gary as I’m on mobile

Australia

[miketomcat]

I think for me the idea of a 101 camper is viable and I'm happy I could make it work yes it's not perfect but nothing I've seen is. I like them and the way it could look. 

The bottom line is I don't have the money or time right now but if one came up at the right price I would be sorely tempted. Equally using a 130 chassis and building a body would work too. Just need to move house and get that out of the way then I can revisit this. Many thanks to all for input.

Mike

[Bowie69]

You could always fit a more economical V8, aka the 1UZ-FE.....

I can't imagine a lowly 200TDI would pull a 101 around at anything approaching an acceptable speed.

[miketomcat]

Don't worry I would either keep the V8/upgrade it and live with fuel costs. Or fit a big diesel there is no way a 2/300 TDI has enough grunt. A 6BT though......

Mike

[landroversforever]

LR Motors are currently running a raffle for a 101  

[miketomcat]

14 minutes ago, landroversforever said:

LR Motors are currently running a raffle for a 101  

I may of entered. 

Mike

[landroversforever]

28 minutes ago, miketomcat said:

I may of entered. 

Mike

At least you can drive it on your license  

[Ed Poore]

1 hour ago, miketomcat said:

Don't worry I would either keep the V8/upgrade it and live with fuel costs. Or fit a big diesel there is no way a 2/300 TDI has enough grunt. A 6BT though......

Mike

I know someone with a 4BT that might be going spare... Although a 101 probably has enough space for a 6BT. 

Also know someone with a bunch of 6.2 and 6.5 GMC V8 diesels with custom bell housings to mate to whatever LR transmission you want.

[landroversforever]

3 minutes ago, Ed Poore said:

I know someone with a 4BT ghat might be going spare... Although a 101 probably has enough space for a 6BT. 

Also know someone with a bunch of 6.2 and 6.5 GMC V8 diesels with custom bell housings to mate to whatever LR transmission you want.

6BT has been done I think a couple of times. 

[Ed Poore]

It has, but it's a heavy old lump of an engine. Mind you I don't think the V8s are any lighter.

Apart from being a 4 pot the 4BT is a decent alternative because it can make some silly figures and is comparable in size and weight to a Tdi.

[miketomcat]

Don't know much about the 4bt or GMC but I was laying on a pair of 6bt's earlier in the year.

Mike

[Ed Poore]

4BT is a (6-2)BT...

[miketomcat]

7 minutes ago, Ed Poore said:

4BT is a (6-2)BT...

I gathered that! 

Mike

[Ed Poore]

In all seriousness it is. Same block minus two pistons, same heads, same pump minus two cylinders. It's not like people who say the TDV6 and TDV8 are the same engine when fundamentally they have different V angles.