Mad LWB disco idea (Now ultimate overlanding disco thread of rubbish

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Anaconda said:
Can you bobtail, surely that's a chassis mod?
Can't be bothered to read all the rules, I presume you have.
What's wrong with having a Defender anyway?
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I think people bobtail etc for winch challenges etc. But then they don't drive them to the event.
But I am no longer sure. ain't read a LRM for a few years!
 
Bobtails dont need an IVA iirc, because you are allowed to modify the chassis outside the wheelbase. Or at least that was the case last time I checked.
Whats wrong with a defender? Everyone whos ever been in one knows. Theres no shoulder room, the windscreen is so low youve got to crane your neck to see where youre going, the door hinges are in the outside, and the doors are expensive, so they get nicked. Infact the whole car gets nicked. Some people love them, despite theyre obvious shortcomings. I dont. I love amlost everything else about them, but I just couldnt live with one because Id be too worried about it being stolen, and theyre too uncomfortable.
Truck-cabbing the disco did cross my mind, but the wheelbase is so short that the entire bed is behind the rear axle. A defender 130 bed is often used, but obviously there isnt that extra 30" of wheelbase to counteract that load. Also a bed that big still isnt big enough to sleep in, so Id rather keep the original body.
Rooftop tents, Im not a fan. I can see that theyve got their place, but they arent for me. Some of the greenlanes Ive done wouldnt be possible with a big heavy rooftop tent on top (e.g. bastard lane, it would probably cause a rollover, and if it didnt, it wouldnt fit under that wierd bendy tree)
Alright, so if an IVA is unavoidable, I see no reason why I cant "just" do a chassis extension to my disco, either with a truck cab or with an extended body. Question - if an IVA is done and its decided that the original plate can be retained, does the car still become mot and tax exempt when its 40? Also, if I wanted to increase the payload/MAM/GVM, is that part of the IVA? And if so, are there any bits of my disco Id have to change (rear axle?) obviously making sure Ive git the correct load rating for the tyres etc too.
 
How long do you think the lanes will stay open with the idiot jacked up monstrosities of D2s you see on YOUTUBE.
They will all be closed by the time you build something.
Buy a D2 give it a 4 inch lift and buy a tent.
 
LetsHopeItFits said:
Bobtails dont need an IVA iirc, because you are allowed to modify the chassis outside the wheelbase. Or at least that was the case last time I checked.
Whats wrong with a defender? Everyone whos ever been in one knows. Theres no shoulder room, the windscreen is so low youve got to crane your neck to see where youre going, the door hinges are in the outside, and the doors are expensive, so they get nicked. Infact the whole car gets nicked. Some people love them, despite theyre obvious shortcomings. I dont. I love amlost everything else about them, but I just couldnt live with one because Id be too worried about it being stolen, and theyre too uncomfortable.
Truck-cabbing the disco did cross my mind, but the wheelbase is so short that the entire bed is behind the rear axle. A defender 130 bed is often used, but obviously there isnt that extra 30" of wheelbase to counteract that load. Also a bed that big still isnt big enough to sleep in, so Id rather keep the original body.
Rooftop tents, Im not a fan. I can see that theyve got their place, but they arent for me. Some of the greenlanes Ive done wouldnt be possible with a big heavy rooftop tent on top (e.g. bastard lane, it would probably cause a rollover, and if it didnt, it wouldnt fit under that wierd bendy tree)
Alright, so if an IVA is unavoidable, I see no reason why I cant "just" do a chassis extension to my disco, either with a truck cab or with an extended body. Question - if an IVA is done and its decided that the original plate can be retained, does the car still become mot and tax exempt when its 40? Also, if I wanted to increase the payload/MAM/GVM, is that part of the IVA? And if so, are there any bits of my disco Id have to change (rear axle?) obviously making sure Ive git the correct load rating for the tyres etc too.
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Please read the IVA handbook I put up the link to, then you'll answer a lot of your own questions.
and as for all this business about number plates. I think you are trying to have your cake and eat it.
Why don't you buy a D2, take out the front passenger seat and the passenger seat behind it then make your bed there, if you are that tall?
 
Stanleysteamer said:
Please read the IVA handbook I put up the link to, then you'll answer a lot of your own questions.
and as for all this business about number plates. I think you are trying to have your cake and eat it.
Why don't you buy a D2, take out the front passenger seat and the passenger seat behind it then make your bed there, if you are that tall?
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Ive not got a computer right now, just a mobile phone, and its a 300+ page document.
Also, Im thoroughly of the D1 superiority disposition. I really like my disco, as much as it tries to bankrupt me. Its just not quite big enough, if it had a few more inches in its wheelbase, and those inches materialised in the form of a bigger boot, itd be perfect. Now obviously extending the body is far more complex than extending the chassis and turning it into a pickup. A pickup with the the demountable camper would also be great, but a 100" wheelbase pickup would be quite unstable when its fully laden.
The other option is a popup roof, like on a campervan or an old fashioned series or rrc (cant remember the brand). I know alucab do them for the 110 defender, and a bunch of companies do them for the 78 series land cruiser. Ive seen a couple of custom ones done, I think I even posted one on this thread a while ago.
 
marjon said:
Wouldn't you do better just getting a disco running first?

J
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Shh we dont talk about that
Anaconda said:
If the main problem is sleeping room in the back then why not cut both legs off and get some prosthetic legs. That way you could unclip them and have plenty room when you lie down.
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Its not just the sleeping room, Im quite happy with a ground tent most of the time, and when Im not, I can make do with the rear seats or whatever.
This thread became quite theoretical and pointless a very long time ago, because its really about what is ideal or perfect, when all one needs is what is good enough, and a standard landy if any kind is good enough. But we all modify them to make them better.
 
LetsHopeItFits said:
Shh we dont talk about that
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Obviously :vb-groan2: .
LetsHopeItFits said:
Its not just the sleeping room, Im quite happy with a ground tent most of the time, and when Im not, I can make do with the rear seats or whatever.
This thread became quite theoretical and pointless a very long time ago, because its really about what is ideal or perfect, when all one needs is what is good enough, and a standard landy if any kind is good enough. But we all modify them to make them better.
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So why keep trying to modify a perfectly good car when there are canopy's to make a covered area, shelves for tailgates to make a cooking area and solar showers to hang up and wash off your funk.

Just dont get it:vb-groan2:.

J
 
LetsHopeItFits said:
This thread became quite theoretical and pointless a very long time ago,
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This is about the most sensible thing you have posted for quite a long time and is why I am going to unwatch it because it really is annoying and going nowhere.
Best of luck.
Maybe once you have done something you can start a new thread and put some pics up!
 
remove the rear seats out the disco & measure the space. Bet it’s bigger than you think. Now make a raised floor for storage underneath.

As for sleeping space in other motors…
5 weeks round Iceland in late 1980s in an 88” & 109 sleeping in both motors no tents
 
Hicap phill said:
remove the rear seats out the disco & measure the space. Bet it’s bigger than you think. Now make a raised floor for storage underneath.
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I did, its ever so slightly too short, without tilting/sliding the front seat. Also it means turning a 7 seater into a 2 seater without gaining much versatility.

I had planned on putting drawers under the 6th and 7th seats permenantly, with some kind of "lid" I could put over them which would be level with the rear seats when they were folded down, but it stopped working before I went home from uni so it never happened.
 
LetsHopeItFits said:
I did, its ever so slightly too short, without tilting/sliding the front seat. Also it means turning a 7 seater into a 2 seater without gaining much versatility.

I had planned on putting drawers under the 6th and 7th seats permenantly, with some kind of "lid" I could put over them which would be level with the rear seats when they were folded down, but it stopped working before I went home from uni so it never happened.
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So you wanted to build a truck cab pick up… these only have 2 seats.
If you keep 7 seats where are you all going to sleep & store all the kit when away for a weekend ?
You need a hard think of what you really need before even attempting to build.
 
Hicap phill said:
So you wanted to build a truck cab pick up… these only have 2 seats.
If you keep 7 seats where are you all going to sleep & store all the kit when away for a weekend ?
You need a hard think of what you really need before even attempting to build.
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A truck cab with a hicap tub is much more useful than a disco without any seats in it. If I had a hicap Id make some kind of demountable camper, although probably not the traditional kind that looks like a caravan dropped from a helicopter with great accuracy, it would probably be a plastic canopy cover with some boxes/shelves that slide and bolt in - Ive not given it too much thought, since kitting it out is the easy bit, getting the base vehicle to exist is the tricky part in that instance.
For a 7 seater disco, the way Id do it is this - a drawes/box under the 2 rear seats permenantly. That leaves the seats availably for use, and if they arent used, the "footwells" of those seats makes useful storage space. Then Id also have a reinforced sheet which is stored agains the back of the middle row of seats, so in normal use, youd barely notice it, but when the middle row are folded down, it fits behind them, on top of the 6th and 7th seats, to make a flat bed. Theres some space below that platform in the boot, and, although inconvenient, the front seats can be used, and if its just me in the car, theres plenty of room if I put the air mattress to one side. How much stuff do I actually need? Id put tools and some recovery bits in one of the drawers, and cooking/camping/etc stuff in the other. Bulky stuff like camping chairs, folding table, or a tent will fit in the boot under the platform.
Obviously there are limits, if Im trying to take 7 people camping for a month 500 miles away from the nearest petrol station, then Im going to need a roof rack, or a trailer. But realistically, 1 or 2 people most of the time, and having the option to carry more occasionally is useful. I can count on one hand the times that Ive used the rear 2 seats, but then thinking about it, if I only had 2 seats, Id probably end up buying another car with at least 4 seats in it.
 
Sounds to me like you need some R&D funds. Let me know what you’d like for your spare disco and my man will come and collect 😉😀
 
LetsHopeItFits said:
A truck cab with a hicap tub is much more useful than a disco without any seats in it. If I had a hicap Id make some kind of demountable camper, although probably not the traditional kind that looks like a caravan dropped from a helicopter with great accuracy, it would probably be a plastic canopy cover with some boxes/shelves that slide and bolt in - Ive not given it too much thought, since kitting it out is the easy bit, getting the base vehicle to exist is the tricky part in that instance.
For a 7 seater disco, the way Id do it is this - a drawes/box under the 2 rear seats permenantly. That leaves the seats availably for use, and if they arent used, the "footwells" of those seats makes useful storage space. Then Id also have a reinforced sheet which is stored agains the back of the middle row of seats, so in normal use, youd barely notice it, but when the middle row are folded down, it fits behind them, on top of the 6th and 7th seats, to make a flat bed. Theres some space below that platform in the boot, and, although inconvenient, the front seats can be used, and if its just me in the car, theres plenty of room if I put the air mattress to one side. How much stuff do I actually need? Id put tools and some recovery bits in one of the drawers, and cooking/camping/etc stuff in the other. Bulky stuff like camping chairs, folding table, or a tent will fit in the boot under the platform.
Obviously there are limits, if Im trying to take 7 people camping for a month 500 miles away from the nearest petrol station, then Im going to need a roof rack, or a trailer. But realistically, 1 or 2 people most of the time, and having the option to carry more occasionally is useful. I can count on one hand the times that Ive used the rear 2 seats, but then thinking about it, if I only had 2 seats, Id probably end up buying another car with at least 4 seats in it.
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There’s a really good YouTube vid of draw builds etc how you’re describing.
One thing to be mindful of, once you have draws etc fixed in, you are limited by what you can do. A lot of overland builds opt for slide in boxes etc rather than draws.
I’ve had both homemade draws (which were ok ish but a bit of a faff) made from ply.
In my pickup I now have gearmate draws and a roof tent. I’d honestly look at the roof tents then having a tent trailer for when you have more that 5 people?
 
Anaconda said:
If the main problem is sleeping room in the back then why not cut both legs off and get some prosthetic legs. That way you could unclip them and have plenty room when you lie down.
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That's not a bad idea.
My mate at work removes his leg to gain access to tight spaces

IMG-20240320-WA0000.jpeg
 
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