CSW to pickup/crewcab

[African Sky Jock]

Hi all,

I have found a reasonably good 300 Tdi 110 CSW with a cylinder head issue. All parts are present although the cylinder head is off the car. I want to convert it from a CSW to a crew cab or pickup, but understand the chassis outriggers are slightly different and the truck bed will end up slightly longer. Anyone converted a CSW to a crew cab or a truck cab?

Any advice?

Thanks all

[western]

going to a double cab or 4 door crewcab would be easiest, you'd have to obtain a double cab roof [expensive] the cab rear panels upper & lower & a tailgate & hinges for the load bay. would be quicker to forget the CSW & buy a factory built doublecab or full pickup.

[African Sky Jock]

going to a double cab or 4 door crewcab would be easiest, you'd have to obtain a double cab roof [expensive] the cab rear panels upper & lower & a tailgate & hinges for the load bay. would be quicker to forget the CSW & buy a factory built doublecab or full pickup.

I can source quite a few parts and there are a ton of old series 3 crew cabs here in Africa, plus fabrication is not much of an issue around these parts. I've just found a bit of a bargain tdi and my petrol 110 has some very 'african' safari hatches bolted into the roof when it use to serve as a Masaai Mara vehicle. They're made out of steel, so weigh the same as at least a good sized wheel on the roof. So I've got a CSW with a shocking roof and found a nice tdi csw with a good roof which I'd like to crew cab. I understand I'll end up with a slightly longer truck bed as well if I do this conversion. So I can probably get hold of a crew cab back and the roof to chop and section.

Anyone managed to cut down the rear door and make a tidy, factory looking side opening rear tailgate?

[Dinkydave]

I've converted mine from a SW to a DC

All in it cost about £600 although I do have some mates with garages full of bits! lol

I bought a tuckcab roof and rear window for £50, the roof is no good because it sits alot lower that a 110's roof.

I got hold of a full set of galvy bodycappings and the rear bulkhead from an old 90. The best way to sort the roof out (if you don't want to get robbed of £900 for a real one) is to give North Offroad a ring.

They do a fibreglass end cap for the roof, the centre piece of my roof was cut out (the alpine window bit) then the rest was shunted down and the end cap fitted.

Once I'd sourced the bit I gave it to a mate with a bodyshop in Canterbury for a couple of days...job done!

I'm very happy with it.

Ade

[African Sky Jock]

Ballsy move - good looking CSW that! Mine's a lot ropier with roof hatches which are flexing it too much. I can get hold of a crew cab roof and rear bulkhead plus cab back for around $75. It's a Series III, so hopefully should be ok. Thanks for the roof height info. I will have to fabricate it as it's too expensive to import things into where I am in Africa, although there's no shortage of local fabricators.

[Dinkydave]

Forgot to add

I couldn't source (or afford) a tailgate at the time so that's the original SW rear door cut in half. I'm slightly worried that the weight of the spare wheel will eventually pull the door off as I'm now down to 2 hinges.

I'll probably invest in a swingaway at some point.

Ade

[African Sky Jock]

That's what I'm looking to do as I don't like drop down rear doors. I currently run two spares on the back of the CSW as it's built for game parks and overlanding. (I have used them both in the middle of a game park before... "Honey, can you watch for lions please?"!!!).

Thanks for the pics, great inspiration for me - I appreciate it.