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100" defender body


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hi, i,m toying with the idea of building a 100" hybrid using either a RRC or disco chasis , i already have both and a 90 to use as a don

ner for the front panels and bulkhead. i also have spare tub and roof from a 90.

i understand all the chasis welding side of things and am a welder/fabricator so don,t need any advise reguarding chasis work.

what i would like advice with is how others have made the body work , usaual way i know is cut down 110 body . has anyone got pictures how they did theirs ?? or can anyone put me onto a link on the site showing how this can be done . i did once do a similar thing when i shortened my series 3 109 down to 88, ( loads of welding/ fabbing work to make the chasis sections match back up when they have been cut so best avoided in future) and shortened the body to suit but with this i removed the outer skins from the tub completely made up a new floor and wheel boxes from ally sheet on ally angle frame and then pop riveted the shortened outer skins onto this then replaced the galv cappings.

as i have got two 90 tubs and roof sections (one badly damaged so wouldn,t be able to use on a 90 as it is) it had crossed my mind about using both of these and strectching one useing sections from the second one , i think i should be able to do this with the sides, but has anyone stretched a roof in this way before ??? agian pictures would be good.it seems a same to buy 110 body work to cut down to fit when i have these already and could maybe stretch to fit, besides that i,m a yorkshire man and a tight git !!!

any advice and help appreciated, cheers Turbomangler.

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yep already watched that john, thanks . but to be honest its one of those programs where they only just touch onto a subject , like the fact they are useing a rear tub that has already been shortened at one end . then next time you look its finished . same applies to fitting the rear crossmember it doesn,t show you that the rear off the chasis has already been trimmed down on the bottom ready to accept the new one. its one of those TV programms where you watch it and think why don,t they show more of the project that the programms about and less of the plopplops about suzukis off roading !! or i do anyway .!!

its real life step by step pictures that i would idealy like to see if anyone has any. Turbomangler.

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hi there just a thought,but could you not mount a standard 90 tub in the standard place and just (i say just) make the doors 7 inches longer,and make a filler panel from the seat box to the tub bulkhead.you will still have to lenghen the roof,but you would end up with better seat recline and some storage space behind the seats?

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yep already watched that john, thanks . but to be honest its one of those programs where they only just touch onto a subject , like the fact they are useing a rear tub that has already been shortened at one end . then next time you look its finished . same applies to fitting the rear crossmember it doesn,t show you that the rear off the chasis has already been trimmed down on the bottom ready to accept the new one. its one of those TV programms where you watch it and think why don,t they show more of the project that the programms about and less of the plopplops about suzukis off roading !! or i do anyway .!!

its real life step by step pictures that i would idealy like to see if anyone has any. Turbomangler.

Bugger, never thought about it like that-sorry mate..

John

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sorry to sound negative mate but i think in doing that i would end up with something looking very wierd , i cannot see why you would want to go to all the trouble and hassle of making the doors longer , to end up with something that looks strange , and still have to make other panels to fit as well . to me thats making even more work .

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Lro have been doing one and have pics in the mag every month

don,t buy LRO very often , could anyone scan them or something and put a link on , i,m sure that would be of help to other forum members as well as myself . cheers Turbomangler.

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I found the dvd from "a 4x4 is born" to be nice, also there is a dvd (or cd) availible with lots of pictures taken during the process. But I'm not quite there yet. I still plan kind of turning my Disco into a pickup, but not sure. I guess it's some years until I will get around doing it (if I ever will)..

// faj

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thats really intresting feature , the sort of thing i,m looking for . has anyone seen something like this showing how a roof can be shortened ??? Turbomangler.

Might be worth looking for one of the kingcab builds as they need roof shortening too and are more common than 100" builds.

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On a defender roof the top panel (i.e. main roof bit) is folded over 90 degrees at the back and then fixed to the back panel. Given that a fold like this would be difficult to recreate with the curves in the sides of the roof panel, I see three options.

1. Chop the back off the roof panel, re-make the fold (somehow), put the rear panel back in.

2. The front sloping section of the roof is a spearate panel. Take this off, chop the front off the main roof panel, fix back together.

3. Chop a section out the middle of the main roof panel, fix back together with a strip underneath.

As for the tub, the general thinking is that it would be easier to move the wings forward, rather than moving the bulkhead back.

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On a defender roof the top panel (i.e. main roof bit) is folded over 90 degrees at the back and then fixed to the back panel. Given that a fold like this would be difficult to recreate with the curves in the sides of the roof panel, I see three options.

1. Chop the back off the roof panel, re-make the fold (somehow), put the rear panel back in.

2. The front sloping section of the roof is a spearate panel. Take this off, chop the front off the main roof panel, fix back together.

3. Chop a section out the middle of the main roof panel, fix back together with a strip underneath.

As for the tub, the general thinking is that it would be easier to move the wings forward, rather than moving the bulkhead back.

not really sure what you mean about moveing the wings ?? the bulkhead both main one and the bulkhead for the rear tub can only fit in the proper positions , the alterations have to be made on the tub sides.

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not really sure what you mean about moveing the wings ?? the bulkhead both main one and the bulkhead for the rear tub can only fit in the proper positions , the alterations have to be made on the tub sides.

Rear wings = tub sides. I think on a 4x4 is born they left the wings connected to the tub base and moved the rear bulkhead back. It's a lot more work than taking the wings off and moving them forward 10 inches tho.

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On the LRO build I'm amazed that they state that the new rear cross member and bulkhead outriggers do not count as major changes and thus don't require an SVA. Has anyone on here done this and not needed more than a VIC? When I contemplated turning my last Disco into a Hybrid I was planning to make the crossmember etc as bolt in extras to the unmodified Dosco chassis to retain it's identity.

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On the LRO build I'm amazed that they state that the new rear cross member and bulkhead outriggers do not count as major changes and thus don't require an SVA. Has anyone on here done this and not needed more than a VIC? When I contemplated turning my last Disco into a Hybrid I was planning to make the crossmember etc as bolt in extras to the unmodified Dosco chassis to retain it's identity.

mmm, l personally wouldn,t even think about a bolt in crossmember, it just doesn,t sound right to me. but every body has their own opinion.

can anyone scan the LRO feature and either post on here or email them to me please ???

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Rear wings = tub sides. I think on a 4x4 is born they left the wings connected to the tub base and moved the rear bulkhead back. It's a lot more work than taking the wings off and moving them forward 10 inches tho.

sorry my mistake when you said wings i assumed "front wings ".i was planning to do it the way you describe , no welding but just replace the spotwelds with pop rivets. .when i shortened a series 3 109 to 88" i cut down thru the body sides behind the tub bulk head then on the tub drilled thru the spot welds and removed the full panel. removed the rear panel ,and mounted this and the tub bulkhead temperally in place with braces fastened in then offered up the panel to see where to cut , shortened the panel then pop riveted it back in place using the holes where i drilled out the spot welds ( when i drilled the welds i used a 5mm drill and went thru both panels rather than use a spot weld cutter then i used a sharpened power hacksaw blade as a thin splitting cheisel to split what was left of the weld , this worked easily and only left a 5mm hole which i could use for the pop rivet rather than an 8 ish mm hole that a spot weld cutter would have left) the rear join was hidden under the corner capping and the front was overlapped onto what was left of the side where it had been cut riveted verticle down the side and the edge of the panel beaten around the corner of the door opening . altho this added a few millimeters to the width of the body at the front the finished job looked very tidy once the body cappings had been shortened and fixed back on and was very hard to tell it had been done ( unless you picked up on the fact there where pop rivets where there shouldn,t have been!!) if i use 110 bodywork i will use the same procedure again, but i,m hopeing as i have 2 lots of 90 bodywork, a good one and a bad one i,m hopeing i will be able to do something similar using the front of the bad one for the tub bulk head and maybe about 300mm of the sides and the good one with the bulkhead removed and then joined to the other front section (hopefully i won,t have to alter the rear overhang either doing it this way!) just not sure till i come to do this what the join will look like as i cannot hide it in the door area like i can if i use 110 bodywork ???

the roof would also be harder to lengthen rather than shorten, even more so as one of my roof panels is an early one with ribs outside and the other has the ribs on the inside !!! maybe i can use my 90 tubs but have to get a 110 roof ??

anyone in the yorkshire area got any surplus 110 bodywork tub and or roof?? condition not too important but must be cheap ??? Turbomangler.

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On the LRO build I'm amazed that they state that the new rear cross member and bulkhead outriggers do not count as major changes and thus don't require an SVA. Has anyone on here done this and not needed more than a VIC? When I contemplated turning my last Disco into a Hybrid I was planning to make the crossmember etc as bolt in extras to the unmodified Dosco chassis to retain it's identity.

Well they are wrong, they constitute major modifications and as such should be IVA/SVA'd... If you do a search on here you will find plenty on the subject.

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Just an idea, but as to the roof combined with your frugal nature :)

Why not just build it as a king cab and either use the standard 90 roof as is or shorten it down to your desired length, obviously thats cheaper and way less work than lengthenind a 90 roof

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Just an idea, but as to the roof combined with your frugal nature :)

Why not just build it as a king cab and either use the standard 90 roof as is or shorten it down to your desired length, obviously thats cheaper and way less work than lengthenind a 90 roof

don,t know what "frugal nature " means but as to" why don,t i build a king cab" simple answer is ( i think i,m going to get some critisism on this !) i think they look totally stupid ! , but thats only my opinion of course. either go the truck cab route or hard top , i think even the factory king cabs look too "home made " its just something about the rear end of the roof that doesn,t look right. Turbomangler.

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