Tonks4x4 Defender 6x6 Expedition Camper

Landroverblogger said:

it looks great ,what a machine that is going to be, keep up the good work, what type of air springs did you use ,as i need 4 for my 6x6 170?

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Sorry not logged on for a while....

The air bags are firestone bags... Part number 1T26D-7 if anyone wants the spec sheet I can eMail it.

EPIC. Can't wait to see it finished.

This thread is excellent - Ive always wanted a Burstner Argos 6 birth M/home but due to a full and terminal LandRover Defender illness i have to pull a Burstner tin-tent with the 110. Really looking fwd to your internal solutions - Gauging by the standard of your work so far - its going to be special.

hi, am loving the attention to detail, this is going to be an exceptional machine, not sticking to normality ie 12" wider!!! BRILL!!!, so greeeeeeennnnn!!

Tonks4x4 said:

Sorry not logged on for a while....

The air bags are firestone bags... Part number 1T26D-7 if anyone wants the spec sheet I can eMail it.

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hi what type of compressor are you using for the air bags

:nothingtoadd:

adrian82 said:

hi what type of compressor are you using for the air bags

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Not sure yet, have been looking at a digital read out and control unit from air systems.

MagicMiniman2 said:

:nothingtoadd:

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Sorry been busy doing a full nut and bolt rebuild for a customer...

However there has been some progress made on the bulkhead stretch.

First the replacement pillars were offered up, jigged and tack welded into position


Then the very poorly footwells were cut out along with the lower part of the original door pillar.

A 5mm thick brace bar has been welded along the length of the bulkhead between the new pillars and welded at the bottom of the transmission tunnel either side.
This is to keep everything square and will remain on the finished bulkhead.

Only the section crossing the transmission tunnel will be trimmed out.

The bulkhead mounting points will also be welded to this so the chassis will remain without any modification.

Also extra strength has been added for the windscreen mounting points with new crush tubes inside the box section that has been added.



Then A replacement footwell was cut down to extend the well, this will give an extra 6" of space to put my size 11's on long journeys



Then more steel has been cut to size and folded to finish off the footwell either side.

Both sides have now been completed to this point. All that remains is to cut out the old door seal lip and cover in the frame that has been added. Add the new door rubber lip to both sides and then to make a few more minor repairs on some further rot.

love this feed always enjoy to read

So are we going to be seeing a custom dash to fit then?

discomark10 said:

So are we going to be seeing a custom dash to fit then?

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No, I have decided on the extension to be done like this so that there is no modification to the dash required. The pedals, and steering geometry will all be the same. There will just be 6" of extra space down either side of the dash which can be carpeted with the rest of the footwell to suit.
It is a TDCi bulkhead so will have a modern up to date look to it and a decent heater

:nothingtoadd: apart from good work, looks awesome!

Respect! I have just come across this and read it from start to finish. Loving it......

sounds good, be interesting to see how it turns out.

Tonks4x4 said:

No, I have decided on the extension to be done like this so that there is no modification to the dash required. The pedals, and steering geometry will all be the same. There will just be 6" of extra space down either side of the dash which can be carpeted with the rest of the footwell to suit.
It is a TDCi bulkhead so will have a modern up to date look to it and a decent heater

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Seems the best way to go. It's not like a Defender dash is originally a lovely fit against the doors anyway

The extra space down the drivers side might be a good spot for a satnav or something too.

Tonks4x4 said:

No, I have decided on the extension to be done like this so that there is no modification to the dash required. The pedals, and steering geometry will all be the same. There will just be 6" of extra space down either side of the dash which can be carpeted with the rest of the footwell to suit.
It is a TDCi bulkhead so will have a modern up to date look to it and a decent heater

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space for vivaro style drinks holders lol

Tonks4x4 said:

.....So as that was not enough of an engineering challenge the decision has been made to stretch the width of the front end of the body work to bring it closer to the width of the intended rear end.

This will mean stretching the width of the bulkhead by 10" overall......

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So if you're making the cab 10" wider what about the windscreen?

cowasaki said:

So if you're making the cab 10" wider what about the windscreen?

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Just need a custom windscreen really cut to size. A defender front windscreen is just a basic flat pane of laminated glass so far from complicated to get made

10" was the first intended extension.
After looking at how I am going to modify the front wings it was apparent that 12" overall extension would work out better. All will become clear later when I get to that point.

The windscreen will be done in the same way as the bonnet. I will use 2 screen frames and join them in the middle so there is only one joint to TIG weld back together.

Laminate glass made to order in a flat panel is easy to sort.

I like the idea of the cup holders!!

Fooooooooooking mental thread !!!! well impressed

Keep up the good work !

Collected the bulkhead back from my friends. He was struggling to find the time to finish it.

It is pretty much tack welded together everywhere it needs to be





So I started at 6:00pm Saturday afternoon and worked through until 2:00am new time.
I started by seam welding all the panels together


I then removed the bonnet hinges and relocated them to accept the new wider bonnet