Defender/Series Top Interchange

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PolymerChemist

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Hi Everyone,

I have a 1990 military fleet model Defender 110. Picture attached. It has a soft top that I want to change out for a hard top as the newly installed AC is not efficient with a sort top. I found a 1977 Series pick-up in a junk yard that has a top in very good shape. It looks like it should fit but no way to be sure without pulling it and trying it on. Anyone know in advance if it will fit? Also, the one in the junkyard has a very cool split windshield. Is that interchangeable?

Thanks,

Justus
 

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Possibly, but I'm not sure about the wipers (look at the way series wipers work)
Do you really want to drive looking out of a letter box?
I can't see why fitting a hard top will make the AC more efficient. Surely it will just give a greater volume to cool down.
 
The interior of a hard top can be insulated and doesn't have 100 holes for the air to escape. The volume is the same, I am talking about a drivers cabin hard top, not one that extends to the end of the bed. Just the same as the current top, but not cloth. This isn't such an issue in the UK. However I am in Qatar and you cannot imagine the heat here.
 
PolymerChemist said:
The interior of a hard top can be insulated and doesn't have 100 holes for the air to escape. The volume is the same, I am talking about a drivers cabin hard top, not one that extends to the end of the bed. Just the same as the current top, but not cloth. This isn't such an issue in the UK. However I am in Qatar and you cannot imagine the heat here.
Click to expand...
Oh yes I can. I've spent a lot of time in Saudi, UAE, and Oman, working in the deserts. Things are starting to warm up a tad at this time of year.
Nice aint it ?????
 
So you can understand why I don't want to spend half of Saturday roasting in a junkyard in the Doha industrial zone if I won't get a top that will fit. I realize the split windscreen some folks don't like but it looks good to me and would be worth the trouble of installing if it allows the top to fit. Unfortunately, none of the Defenders were imported with hard tops for the pick-ups, only soft tops or the cabin+bed tops.
 
PolymerChemist said:
Hi Everyone,

I have a 1990 military fleet model Defender 110. Picture attached. It has a soft top that I want to change out for a hard top as the newly installed AC is not efficient with a sort top. I found a 1977 Series pick-up in a junk yard that has a top in very good shape. It looks like it should fit but no way to be sure without pulling it and trying it on. Anyone know in advance if it will fit? Also, the one in the junkyard has a very cool split windshield. Is that interchangeable?

Thanks,

Justus
Click to expand...
think you'll find the screen is but doubt that the hard top is ;)
 
Just a follow up on this thread. I spent the last couple of days with a clueless but enthusiastic bunch of Sudanese/Egyptian/Indian "mechanics" . They did a great job on painting and otherwise restoring the '77 series hardtop. By replacing the windshield with the '77 split windshield, everything fit with a few minor mods. 1) It required fabricating fit to purpose swing arms as neither of the originals worked. That was no big deal as machine shop work out here is cheap. 2) new posts had to be fabricated to accommodate the seat belt upper connection since the roll cage is now gone. 3) the windshield wiper arms had to be switched out for the '77 model wiper arms and new rubber sourced for those.
Other than those minor annoyances, it went real smooth. Thanks for the input from the forum. The resulting defender/series hybrid looks great. I love that damn truck.

Justus
 
PolymerChemist said:
Just a follow up on this thread. I spent the last couple of days with a clueless but enthusiastic bunch of Sudanese/Egyptian/Indian "mechanics" . They did a great job on painting and otherwise restoring the '77 series hardtop. By replacing the windshield with the '77 split windshield, everything fit with a few minor mods. 1) It required fabricating fit to purpose swing arms as neither of the originals worked. That was no big deal as machine shop work out here is cheap. 2) new posts had to be fabricated to accommodate the seat belt upper connection since the roll cage is now gone. 3) the windshield wiper arms had to be switched out for the '77 model wiper arms and new rubber sourced for those.
Other than those minor annoyances, it went real smooth. Thanks for the input from the forum. The resulting defender/series hybrid looks great. I love that damn truck.

Justus
Click to expand...
:nopics:
 
Nice.

In fact that looks bloody good ... though I prefer softtop myself .. ;)
 
I liked the soft top too, looked meaner that way. However I have to admit, that old fashioned split screen and the retro curved corner windows are very, very cool. Plus, the A/C works soooo much better with that hard top. Also, my next assignment will almost certainly be in Russia so better to do the change now.
 
Heheheh, Air con and heater upgraded all in one fell swoop .. nice.

;)
 
Looks good, tho I also prefer the soft top, but in the heat I can inderstand...

My mate is in Dubai and has an all Black Metallic Range Rover Supercharged.....mmmm Toasty!!! :(
 
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