The Dakar Car

[Metcalf]

Because of the looks?

I would think the utility of the 4 Door would trump a 2 door long wheel base....so much easier to access gear from an extra set of doors...than from the rear, unless you put a set of windoors in the topper...

I had a 85 4Runner....drove me nuts trying to get the gear that was right behind the front seats...now have Trooper with 4 Doors....love the access, plus can haul extra people easily...

I'm coming from a regular cab long-bed pickup with a camper shell. I can only go in from the tailgate and I don't think its THAT bad. As long as the gear is organized, and its not stuffed to the brim, I find no issues with that setup at all.

I basically want a 2-door JK with room to sleep in the back.....hence a 4-door converted. I'm imagining a fixed sleeping platform above the wheel wells that would extend to the back of the front seats. I still think there would have to be a small flip forward section to get the overall length needed. Sleeping gear ( mattress, sleeping bags, pillows, etc ) gets 'stored' in the open on the sleeping platform. There would probably be a dust sheet and/or some elastic straps to hold in all the sleeping gear when on the trail. I'm basically shooting for no real weight above the bed rail.

Primary storage would be under the sleeping platform, perhaps on a long slide out tray that would come out of the rear door. Secondary interior access would be through panels in the sleeping platform in case you couldn't, or didn't want to, open the rear door.

As a general rule, I could go to moab for a week of camping and 'wheeling without the gear being above the bed rail in a TJ. That included a cooler, kitchen bag, tent, sleeping gear, clothes, camp chairs, etc......plus all my normal 'wheeling gear ( tools, recovery, spare parts ). I guess I just don't take that much stuff? I always just handed a mid sized duffle bag or backpack to my girlfriend of the time and said, 'you get this much space for your stuff'. I had the same size bag and took care of all the food and camp stuff. It always seemed to work fine.

Recently with my big dodge truck its much the same. I feel spoiled with all that space. I never have he back of the truck even remotely filled up, but what I do really appreciate is the simple camping system inside the HARD side shell. I can pull over and be asleep in bed in like 2 minutes, and that includes taking my contacts out.
I just unroll the mattress ( if its not already ), pull my sleeping bag out of it's storage sack ( if its not already ), grab a pillow, and sleep.....soooooo simple and quick.

And yes....the 'look' of the 4-door JK kinda annoys me well, it does!

 

[drgnhrt1979]

I basically want a 2-door JK with room to sleep in the back.....hence a 4-door converted.

Sounds like you want a JK, but the versitility of a military HMMWV. HMMWVs withy a few bolts can go from 2 door to 4 door and back. I liked the idea of bolt in pannels to close off the rear doors when using it to haul stuff around, then unbolt the pannels and attach the doors when you only have 4 persons to move. Its a great platform and if Jeep could nail that with the JK or other Jeep design, they would sell a ton, and I bet you, Metcalf, would be first in line to buy one.

 

[Metcalf]

Sounds like you want a JK, but the versitility of a military HMMWV. HMMWVs withy a few bolts can go from 2 door to 4 door and back. I liked the idea of bolt in pannels to close off the rear doors when using it to haul stuff around, then unbolt the pannels and attach the doors when you only have 4 persons to move. Its a great platform and if Jeep could nail that with the JK or other Jeep design, they would sell a ton, and I bet you, Metcalf, would be first in line to buy one.

Yup, you basically nailed it, and I can't imagine why the aftermarket hasn't attacked that concept with the 4-door JK platform. I would think that it would be pretty easy to make a LOT of different modular configurations for the platform.

Toss in a diesel engine and I would give up a kidney

 

[drgnhrt1979]

I was just reading through your other thread on the subject. I like the idea of the half doors instead of a pannel, this way you could still access items stored under the platform. I have had simular thoughts with my Cherokee, but being as its my only means and my DD, I dont have the luxery to play with it like that. Also with 4 kids at home, I need the seating right now. If I ever get my hands on a 2nd Cherokee or Grand Cherokee that I can keep (had 2 cherokees but had to sell both) I will play with the idea and see what I can come up with. might be able to modify it to other Jeep models.

 

[Metcalf]

I was just reading through your other thread on the subject. I like the idea of the half doors instead of a pannel, this way you could still access items stored under the platform. I have had simular thoughts with my Cherokee, but being as its my only means and my DD, I dont have the luxery to play with it like that. Also with 4 kids at home, I need the seating right now. If I ever get my hands on a 2nd Cherokee or Grand Cherokee that I can keep (had 2 cherokees but had to sell both) I will play with the idea and see what I can come up with. might be able to modify it to other Jeep models.

The next evolution of that idea may be to make the 'door' a slide out of some kind. The rear door on a JK is kinda an odd shape.....

I doodled up a concept once for a vehicle that had front seats that kinda turned around or converted to face backwards. Then the 'front' of the rear sleeping shelf had a mini-kitchen ( sink, stove, fridge ). That idea then evolved into one where the the kitchen area could slide out the side of the vehicle for use in hot weather. The idea being that you could flip the front seats around and 'live' in the vehicle in bad weather, but have the ability to use the same appliances outside the vehicle when the weather was nice.....

I never could really find a way to get the front seats to turn around and work like I wanted.

I do think having the half 'door' access the area under the front edge of the sleeping platform is a pretty good idea. You could even store longer items sideways in the chassis but still have a way to get them out both sides.

The current design I have rattling around in my head for the rear area would have a molded water tank that would basically make the entire rear floor area flat ( in place of the rear seats ). The next layer would be gear. Then a light weight sleeping platform at about the same level as the top of the rear wheel tubs. I think that would give plenty of room for two people to sleep ( vs on the floor ).

Right now I am having a battle in my head about how much 'camper' to build into the vehicle. Stove? Sink? Fridge? Bathroom?

 

[postalWagon]

I would go sink, with a stove insert, and a fridge.
Center the fridge, so you have foot room. Then is a matter of what side you want the sink or if you want it to be able to swap sides.

 

[drgnhrt1979]

The next evolution of that idea may be to make the 'door' a slide out of some kind. The rear door on a JK is kinda an odd shape.....

I doodled up a concept once for a vehicle that had front seats that kinda turned around or converted to face backwards. Then the 'front' of the rear sleeping shelf had a mini-kitchen ( sink, stove, fridge ). That idea then evolved into one where the the kitchen area could slide out the side of the vehicle for use in hot weather. The idea being that you could flip the front seats around and 'live' in the vehicle in bad weather, but have the ability to use the same appliances outside the vehicle when the weather was nice.....

I never could really find a way to get the front seats to turn around and work like I wanted.

I do think having the half 'door' access the area under the front edge of the sleeping platform is a pretty good idea. You could even store longer items sideways in the chassis but still have a way to get them out both sides.

The current design I have rattling around in my head for the rear area would have a molded water tank that would basically make the entire rear floor area flat ( in place of the rear seats ). The next layer would be gear. Then a light weight sleeping platform at about the same level as the top of the rear wheel tubs. I think that would give plenty of room for two people to sleep ( vs on the floor ).

Right now I am having a battle in my head about how much 'camper' to build into the vehicle. Stove? Sink? Fridge? Bathroom?

your idea for the seats have been done. I for get what year van it was, but we had a GMC Explorer 2500 Conversion Van that the "Captian Chairs" did this with. there were 2 in the middle of the van and the front passanger seat also could turn around just as you described. Look at that line of van in the junk yard, I am sure you can modify the base to fit the vehicle you go with for that option.

Also for your water idea, I saw where they make an insert like that already. If I can find the link, I will post it up for you.

 

[Metcalf]

I would go sink, with a stove insert, and a fridge.
Center the fridge, so you have foot room. Then is a matter of what side you want the sink or if you want it to be able to swap sides.

Nice....stove insert in the sink! Good idea!

What about having a replacement rear door that contained a micro-kitchen? Be able to use it from the inside fairly easy, open the door and use it from the outside. It could be added to the vehicle without an interior mods.....just bolt on the new rear door. Few other ideas....

-Make the rear window open for ventilation while cooking inside?
-Small propane cylinder mount on the outside of the rear door, maybe inside the the spare tire, or next to it.
-The drain for the sink could just go outside for grey water....
-The sink water supply would need plumbed in....
-Use the stove for some kind of heat exchange for hot water?
-If you want to strip the vehicle down for something....just replace the rear door with a factory rear door.
-Flip up or down table?

 

[drgnhrt1979]

What about having a replacement rear door that contained a micro-kitchen? Be able to use it from the inside fairly easy, open the door and use it from the outside. It could be added to the vehicle without an interior mods.....just bolt on the new rear door. Few other ideas....

This to me seems that it would work better on the driver side if you do the swivle seat mod unless you are gonna do a racing style removable steering wheel. The steering wheel on the driver side would just get in the way of the swivel seat. A reason I believe they did not do them on the driver seat of the conversion van I mentioned in my past post.

 

[Metcalf]

Yup, I never could get the flip around seat thing to work out like I wanted......

 

[postalWagon]

I would mount a awning on the passenger side, like the fox wing, put the fridge on a slide that can reach both sides and have a flip down panel that the sink can go on and a larger work area.
Still working on the drawing. But it will have a raised top, flip up sleeping platform, p-side awning and redone back door.

 

[Metcalf]

I would mount a awning on the passenger side, like the fox wing, put the fridge on a slide that can reach both sides and have a flip down panel that the sink can go on and a larger work area.
Still working on the drawing. But it will have a raised top, flip up sleeping platform, p-side awning and redone back door.

That sounds pretty freaking cool....you should build one

 

[drgnhrt1979]

Yup, I never could get the flip around seat thing to work out like I wanted......

Some good old fashion American ingenuity and some trial and error and you will get it to work, but gotta get the platform to play with first.

 

[postalWagon]

If I was not moving to the UK I would try and find a DJ6 body and build something very close.

 

[Calin.Macrinici]

I tend to agree with that BUT, I just try and think about my friends the Uptons.....they did a round the world trip in a CJ5, went through the Darian Gap, and slept INSIDE the jeep most of the time on the road. Great story if you not familiar with the expedition.....

http://www.outbackofbeyond.com/world.htm

Loren is about 6'3" tall and Patty is about 5'10" tall, they could BOTH sleep on the inside of a CJ5!

I know you consider the brutified LJ as too big, but at around 125" is I believe roughly the same wheelbase (or shorter) as a Ford Ranger or a Chevy S-10. I don't think those are considered large vehicles, are they? In any case, I believe that while the looks of this long Jeep might be unsightly, it's functionality would give you what you want, at least size wise. Then again, the beauty about the versatility of the Jeep is that we can agree to disagree as to what the best way to achieve this goal would be