Prepping a defender 130 for around the world..

The Rover Shop

Explorer
Once that was up I predrilled all of the mounting holes for the frame to body side...raised the platform and put copious amounts of 5200 sealer on it.. And just to be on the safe side I installed a 2nd inner bead of high flex adhesive caulking. This double layer of caulking should prevent water from getting into the rear box..
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The Rover Shop

Explorer
Once that was lowered down a series of large 1/4 inch pop rivets were installed from underneath securing the framework of the platform to the framework of the rear box..

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The Rover Shop

Explorer
And then the roof for the new frame was placed on and everything predrilled for assembly. Ran out of some material so had to move onto something else..

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What you see here is the 3x4 opening that will be the access into the base of the roof top tent.. The floor of the tent will be in 3 sections with the rearmost section hingeing upwards to the back allowing you to climb up into the tent..then the floor drops down completing the floor of the tent...kinda like an older westfalia vw.. When you just want to use the roof tent as general "living space" during bad weather the 2 forward floor sections stack on top of the section of the tent that hangs over the front of the box.. And the rear one stays hinged up.. This allow you to have all of the tent windows open allowing fresh air and sunlight in.. Should also be a great area for wildlife viewing while still being "safe" in your vehicle..gives you 360 degrees of viewing area.. Also makes a very good area to get dressed etc without getting wet..or muddy.. This is also why I selected the bundutec tent.. The self deploying awning makes it possible to have the tent open while raining and only the nastiest of weather can get I to the windows..
 
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The Rover Shop

Explorer
So next came the daunting part...take a nice new state of the art expensive roof top tent and hack a bloody big hole in the bottom of it...will this void my warranty..?. :)..
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The Rover Shop

Explorer
Also got the side opening doors skinned up...used a thicker material than necessary but I was also concerned about security, the thicker material just makes it a bit harder to break into..will be doing some security features on these doors also..

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Now I just need to figure out the length and strength of the rams I need to use to keep the doors open..these will also make a great overhead awning while cooking etc..
 
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Scrapdaddy

Adventurer
Turning out very nice!

Question... I always wondered how a person climbs up into the tent, from the inside. Will there be a small ladder, etc.?
 

The Rover Shop

Explorer
I'm not sure if I want to use a small ladder or some fold out steps mounted at the sides.. Maybe even the step stool that is utilized for other uses.. Like to get I to the back of the truck.. Keep in mind, this feature will only be used in the worst of conditions, ordinarily access will be from the outside of the tent by the normal ladder...
 

The Rover Shop

Explorer
Okay..okay..okay.. Been working on a different project that I really shouldn't have bought but couldn't resist..heard through the grapevine of another camel trophy truck in desperate need of rescuing from just rotting away.. So I bought it and am in the process of a very quick restoration..BUT I have been working on the kitchen and the tool storage area... With security being a concern on the truck I needed to make sure that the side doors are secure and difficult to break into, but I also wanted to ensure that they don't hinder the off-roading.. So I have adapted the original roller shutter mechanisms so that they throw a high tensile rod through the framework of the doors into the surrounding frames, this should provide a great deal of strength as it is a shear force that is required to break in..also it's hidden from view.
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I also intend to put one of those high security round locks on all 4 front doors and the 3 rear doors also... For those times where we need to leave the vehicle for a while or not needing to get into the back.. Should slow the thieving little bastards down a bit, at least give me enough time to reload..;)
 
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The Rover Shop

Explorer
On my last build I put in a range rover air tank to the frame...I really liked the way that worked so I decided to do the same here..there is plenty of open frame space on the right side of the truck so I fabricated some brackets and welded them onto the frame and installed it out of the way..will plumb it into the extreme air compressor later...
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The Rover Shop

Explorer
Yep.. That pic is upside down but there is plenty of unused space on the outside of the rail and it's tucked up behind the forward outrigger and up higher than the frame rail itself..on my last one I didn't hard plumb it in, so I had to have access to the connector and shutoff valve.. With all of the underbody protection I will be using I don't think there is enough free frame rail space to run on the inside..
 

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