Finally making a start on my camper conversion

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Clanforbes

New Member
Posts
1,503
Location
Perthshire
When I first got my Defender, I bought it specifically for getting my boat up and down the very stony beach where I usually launch. Strangely, the boat has never been in the water since I bought the Landy.
Anyway, my intention was to make a camper type conversion in the back to give me somewhere to sleep etc.

I started with this:

Inside_Rear.jpg


And the first thing I did was make an access hole for my in-tank fuel pump after having to drop the tank to clean it:

Port.jpg


I was a bit off target, but close enough:

Off.JPG



Next, I got around to fitting my bulkhead removal bar:

First I removed these old dog guard anchors:

Dog.jpg


Then I marked round the new bar and made the first cut, freehand:

First.JPG


Split it in half to get it out easier:

Split.jpg


And then it was gone:

Gone.JPG


Bolted in the first half of the bar (forgot picture) and Popped the second half into place:

Bar1.JPG


Job done. I like the new driving position because I bang my elbow a lot less now:

Bulkhead.JPG



Next, somewhere to sleep:

I quickly threw in a few strips of wood to form a storage space:

Strips.JPG


Added an end panel and a couple more strips were added to make the supports for the rest of the bed to near the door:

Box1.jpg


And with a lid on (the lid is in two halves for easier access:

Box2.jpg


A couple of extra bits which usually just lay on top of the box then formed my sleeping platform:

Bedbase1.jpg


Bedbase2.jpg


The support strips and the end panel for the box were screwed through from the outside of the tub. Then when you throw a double size airbed in you have a nice spacious bed. After that I threw together some dark curtains for the side windows and the ends. They were just thrown up with curtains springs but they served their purpose until now. The curtains have now been re-designated as rags, no pics of them, but you aint missing much.


Then I stuck my wind deflectors on:

Deflector.jpg


But didn't fancy leaving them with just double sided sticky tape so decided to pop rivet them and of course, the first rivet pin broke off in the middle:

Rivet.jpg


Thank God for Dremmel and a steady hand.
All this was done about a year before I started this thread………..

But now, at long last, the time has arrived....
For me to start on my conversion proper. I hope to remember to take pics as I go along (I usually get so engrossed in what I’m doing that I forget about the camera.)
First, I have taken a hell of a lot of measurements … my measuring tape was a bit like the description in the first Harry Potter book where the wandmaker’s measuring tape keeps measuring on and on of it’s own volition (and no, I didn’t measure between my nostrils, but it’s about the only thing I didn’t.)

I recently bought a couple of the Rad Haz kits that feature in a different thread HERE. But I have a lot to do before mine get fitted (The extra one is for other bits.)

More to follow later today, I hope.
 
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Today's little efforts ...

This morning I drilled out a few of the pop rivets in my bulkhead, got the plasma cutter out and made a bit of a hole in one of my wheel arches:

Hole.jpg


Next I cut up the off cut I'd removed and sort of re-attached a bit of it lower down:

Floor.jpg


To support it underneath I used half of the bit I removed from my bulkhead when I fitted the bar, which just happened to be the perfect size:

Support.jpg


Then I used a spare bit of chequer plate to make an end piece and I ended up with this:

Final_result.jpg


Aaaaaand, the reason I did it was this:

Gen1.jpg


As you can see below, it fits quite nicely now.

Gen2.jpg


There is a lot more to be done, which will include boxing all this off to prevent fumes from getting into the sleeping compartment when genny isn't in use, making an external exhaust for it, but that's it for today. It took a lot of time thinking this out and working out the best way to do it, so it's all I got done today.
 
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Landy1Fittedout.jpg

Not sure about the tile effect but the lay out isn't bad I think.

That is impressive ... waaaay too posh for me though. I'm going much more basic than that.

Today's efforts were minimal...

I have my daughter staying with me for a few days as she is having a new bathroom suite fitted. So today's jobs were mostly small odds and sods to be done in preparation for other stuff, a bit of a lazy/sleepy day for me.

Though, I did get around to cutting another hole in my other wheel arch for extra storage ... No pics yet, but should get some tomorrow and I'll update it then. As I hope to be a bit more productive then. My Rad Haz will probably go in tomorrow and maybe the start of the flooring.
 
Whats the genny in there for..?

For quite a few years I carried all my camping gear in a little trailer and I took a crazy turn one year and bought the genny. My trailer then got fitted out with a microwave oven, electric kettle and a toaster. Lately, it has been sitting idle in my garage gathering dust and spiders so I decided to put it back into service as a mobile power source for wild camping etc.

Crazy, I know, but it gives me a lot of satisfaction to see the looks on people's faces when I pull out the microwave or kettle in a lay-by or whatever and you just know they are thinking "Where the hell do you think your gonna plug THAT in?" then I fire up the genny and heat up my lunch or boil my kettle!
 
For quite a few years I carried all my camping gear in a little trailer and I took a crazy turn one year and bought the genny. My trailer then got fitted out with a microwave oven, electric kettle and a toaster. Lately, it has been sitting idle in my garage gathering dust and spiders so I decided to put it back into service as a mobile power source for wild camping etc.

Crazy, I know, but it gives me a lot of satisfaction to see the looks on people's faces when I pull out the microwave or kettle in a lay-by or whatever and you just know they are thinking "Where the hell do you think your gonna plug THAT in?" then I fire up the genny and heat up my lunch or boil my kettle!

Haha, love it.. Not gonna be too noisy n smelly where you put it though, is it..?
 
Haha, love it.. Not gonna be too noisy n smelly where you put it though, is it..?

Nah, I aint finished yet, I plan to vent the exhaust through the floor, possibly using a motorcycle silencer, or at least into it's own silencer. When it's running it isn't that loud. Smell wise I intend to put minimum amount of fuel in the tank each time but I also intend to build a hinged box section around the genny to "seal" it off from the sleeping area when it's not in use.
 
Nah, I aint finished yet, I plan to vent the exhaust through the floor, possibly using a motorcycle silencer, or at least into it's own silencer. When it's running it isn't that loud. Smell wise I intend to put minimum amount of fuel in the tank each time but I also intend to build a hinged box section around the genny to "seal" it off from the sleeping area when it's not in use.

Gas fumes and a ciggy not good. But the gas fumes would be a big concern.

Would a inverter and batteries do you??????????? Like in caravans,they make coffeepots and toasters that work off of 12v
 
Gas fumes and a ciggy not good. But the gas fumes would be a big concern.

Would a inverter and batteries do you??????????? Like in caravans,they make coffeepots and toasters that work off of 12v

OK.

First, I don't smoke.
Secondly, Fumes from the petrol in the tank will NOT be an issue as the generator will be completely sealed off from the sleeping area with the exception of when it is in use.
Thirdly, when the generator is in use (which will be for no more than a few moments at a time never constant running like a snack bar,) most of the doors/windows/vents will be open.
Fourthly, the exhaust is to be vented through the floor to the outside world.
Fifthly, why go to the expense of setting up inverters when you have equipment to hand that will do the job better, are totally independent of the vehicles electrical system and can even be used to charge it if necessary?
Sixthly, because I can and want to :)

Oh and I forgot, Seventhly, if there are even the slightest signs of any fumes inside the vehicle I will be venting the genny's box to the outside world as well. This would have three advantages. 1. Genny will be quieter inside as box can be kept closed, 2. Genny would get more than sufficient air from outside (which is why I will need to open box to start and run her.) 3. Keeping inside fumes/smells to a minimum.
 
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is it not posible to mount genny on the outside when been used

James, I seriously considered that. I saw a snack bar who had one on a plate her husband rigged up. It would sit on the tow ball and she never had to lift or move it (as she couldn't.)

I liked the idea, but it was cumbersome and it meant that the genny would still be in it's frame/cradle. It would be sitting inside the landy all the time and it is a heavy thing to lift up the height of the back door etc.

So in the end I decided to take a crazy turn and have a go at it this way. I'll be the first to come back after the summer and say..... "You were all right, it stinks, it's noisy, it's horrible etc., ... But, not before I've tried it."

Then you can all have me committed, I'm almost there anyway :)
 
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