6x6 defender off road camper build

A

Abu Buckwheat

warrior-scholar-shooter
Congratulations!!!

I am starting my rebuild of a Hotspur-Sandringham 6x6 and will be very interested in your progress down Brizzie ... as far as color goes ...whatever you do DO NOT get Bright Big Bird yellow! :Wow1:


View attachment 134705
 
J

Jitterbug

Adventurer
Blighty said:
Any updates? I cannot wait to see this beasty completed!:sombrero:
Click to expand...

Not much progress I am afraid! I have been busy with christmas and working on my 90 (to finish off a few jobs that have been hanging around far too long)!
On top of that I am starting up a business (in addition to my regular job) so that is eating up a lot of time and cash in the short term.

I will be heading out there this weekend to do some work on it, the couple whos place I am keeping it (both Landy nuts) have just started their own business doing Landy restoration so I will see what help I can get off them to try and get a bit of momentum on the project.

Because of the lack of free time for me to do the work i decided to get a quote for a LR garage to do the mechanical work (engine swap install (i would provide engine), gearbox overhaul, disc brake conversion, 3x air lockers, R&p ratio change) and it came back at about $25k AUD so I think I will keep going at it myself with help on the tricky bits!

I will put up photos of progress (or lack there of) next week after I spend another day or two working on it.
 
R

rockwood

Adventurer
Dam that thing is big. When you're done with it, sell it to some African Wildlife tourist shop. Looks perfect!

Isuzu diesel?
 
J

Jitterbug

Adventurer
rockwood said:
Dam that thing is big. When you're done with it, sell it to some African Wildlife tourist shop. Looks perfect!

Isuzu diesel?
Click to expand...


It originally had isuzu 4db1-t, then someone changed it out for a cleavland 302!?!?!? Thankfully they left the original gearbox and bellhousing so I am going to put it back to 4bd1-t.

It was actually built as a tourist bus for use up in remote northern australia, here are pictures of how it used be back in the early '90s:
http://www.remlr.com/perentie-civilian6x6.htm#SALLDMAZ1BY570369
 
olly hondro

olly hondro

mad scientist
Oh, also, if you put locking diffs in the rears it will tend to want to go straight in the soft stuff. I feel that tendency w/open diffs on my 6x6, it would be worse w/ lockers.
 
J

Jitterbug

Adventurer
olly hondro said:
Oh, also, if you put locking diffs in the rears it will tend to want to go straight in the soft stuff. I feel that tendency w/open diffs on my 6x6, it would be worse w/ lockers.
Click to expand...

Olly, just had a look at your 6x6, and I thought my truck was big!!! That thing is a beast!
The lockers are to try and compensate for the lack of articulation of the rear load sharing leaf set up. I don't imagine they would be needed that often this truck will be for touring rather that wheeling (I have a LR90 with lockers and 35s for playing in the mud), it is more for peace of mind and to get to those 'out of the way' camping spots!
I am still deciding if I will put one in the front or not.
 
J

Jitterbug

Adventurer
I might have gone crazy but I have priced up a set of 6 portal drop boxes from Tibus. Quite resonable considering I would save on uprating the axles and doing a disc brake conversion too. Now officailly added to the shopping list.

The driveline is going to be:

isuzu 4BD1-T (intercooled)
LT95A with 6x6 take off- vacuum operated centre diff lock and 6wd engagement.
uprated mil spec rear salisbury diffs, 1:4.7 r&p - I may drop the ratio to 4.1 for better highway driving
uprated rover front diff, 1:4.7, MaxiDrive laminated and strenghtened, outboard shocks (may go dual)
arb air lockers - front, middle and rear
255/85 r16 tyres (probably ATs)
wheels? not sure but big offset to compensate for the portals.

Do it once, do it right and all that (at least that is how I am justifing it to myself!).
Obviously this is starting to get big $$$ but still a lot less than a new LandCruiser and about the same as a new 130 defender by the time you do the 'basic' touring mods, so IMHO, good value :).
 
Last edited:
MarkIIa

MarkIIa

Observer
If you have followed Chook73's problems on AULRO, you wouldn't even consider Tibus portals for your kid's billy kart if you seek reliability. Chook hasn't been on anything particularly adventurous since fitting them because they usually die on the way to the track. Hell, he had a wheel fall right off the last time he was meant to come on a trip with me, which those of us with standard Counties and Defenders did without problems. If you really want portals, chase some second hand Maxi Drive boxes. One of the other blokes that Chook and I drive with has MD portals on his Puma 130, and he can actually abuse it and drive it home, time after time.
Build (and problems) starts approximately here:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/85537-chooks-defender-110-a-7.html
 
MarkIIa

MarkIIa

Observer
Sorry AeroNautiCal, I provided the link more for Jitterbug's reference as I know he is a member on AULRO as well. If you are interested in Land Rovers Australian style then you should join!
 
J

Jitterbug

Adventurer
MarkIIa said:
If you have followed Chook73's problems on AULRO, you wouldn't even consider Tibus portals for your kid's billy kart if you seek reliability. Chook hasn't been on anything particularly adventurous since fitting them because they usually die on the way to the track. Hell, he had a wheel fall right off the last time he was meant to come on a trip with me, which those of us with standard Counties and Defenders did without problems. If you really want portals, chase some second hand Maxi Drive boxes. One of the other blokes that Chook and I drive with has MD portals on his Puma 130, and he can actually abuse it and drive it home, time after time.
Build (and problems) starts approximately here:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/85537-chooks-defender-110-a-7.html
Click to expand...

I will have a re-read of Iain's build, I read he had issues with a leak but thought that was sorted with the brackets, just caught up with the wheel falling off issue now. It would be interesting to see some more reports on them as 'oilworker' has done 70k+ km on them without issue but like you say Chook73 looks like he has had a lot of problems. A sample size of 2 makes it hard to make a call either way.

I would love a set of MDs but think my chances of finding 2 full sets, or 1 full set and extra rears, are slim to none.
 
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