Defender 110 Pop Top build

[66north]

Starting point. 2015 Defender 110 in 'Indus Silver'. Factory options include air-con, electric package including heated screen and seats and the off-road tyre and wheel package of HD 'Wolf' steel wheels and Goodyear MT/R tires.



Before the roof work commenced, it was off to the paint shop to have the roof colour-matched (not available from the factory!) and the wheels and grille finished in gloss black. Land Rover offers the 'wolf' rims in black as a retro fit dealer accessory but only in white on a new build. Gotta love the way LR does business! LED lighting package added.



Next stop was a 750 mile drive from the UK to Austria to handover the truck to Hesch 4x4 for them to carry out the Pop Top conversion. Why go so far to have the work carried out? Simple really. I love the German/Swiss/Austrian way of working and the genuine pride they have in their workmanship. Manfred Hesh told me they were committing to fewer conversions this year in order to maintain their level of quality! You will inevitably pay a little bit more for the Teutonic level of service but you'll end up with a lot better product. The UK pound to Euro exchange rate was favourable so following a few emails with Manfred at Hesch to nail down the detail, the deal was done.



A couple of the Hesch trucks including an Icelandic style truck.



As the work has progressed throughout the month long build Manfred has been kind enough to send me pics of the work in progress.













Roof assembly ready to go back onto the truck. Stay tuned!

 

[ersatzknarf]

WOW ! ! !

Wonderful stuff.

Thank you very much for sharing.

Looking forward to more photos, please :coffeedrink:

 

[66north]

Another update from the Hesch 4x4 workshop. The roof is on!

 

[TravelinLight]

Looking forward to this build as I have a 1972 109 Dormobile and would be interested in how you take this project.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

I'd love to modify the 109 roof to open this way _ can you say "X-Panda Cab".

Is the vertical bit that they install above the windscreen header required for the hinge? the fabric accumulation???

If I had my 'druthers, I'd avoid that bit.


Thanks for the photos!!!

 

[rokrawlr]

That is cool! Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[66north]

You don't really get any fabric accumulation above the front seats/screen. The increase in height is there to create the room for the bed platform and the mattress. The platform/mattress will slide front to back and creates the gap at the rear of the loadbed to climb up into bed. I'll add more interior pics once we collect the vehicle next week and work progresses on the interior back in the UK.

The vehicle will still have to function as a shop truck for fetching and carrying duties so trying to combine camper and functional work truck will be the tricky bit.

This year will be a shake down year with some European trips planned but the ultimate adventure will be an extended trip further afield in 2016 that may give you a chance to see the vehicle up close...

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

You don't really get any fabric accumulation above the front seats/screen. The increase in height is there to create the room for the bed platform and the mattress.

Ahh, sure...that makes sense


Thanks, and have fun!

 

[wuntenn]

Mine was done a bit closer than Austria - about 20 feet from my front door! (But 66NORTH's will be much more refined! And that vertical bit is necessary so you have foot room above and head room below!) (Build thread here if you want to make your own)

 

[66north]

Couple more from the Hesch Workshop.

Rear door table installed. Land Rover Defender owners have traditionally had to make do with a chequer/diamond plate rear door panel fitted with a bolt-on shelf or locker to provide a platform for cooking and those quick coffee stops. Chequerplate is a horrible material with which to create neat and tidy corners and joints with and the end result always looks (to me) crude and industrial. The Hesch rear door panel is by far and away the neatest solution for the Defender I've found. CAD designed and fabricated from aluminium, the drop down table is made from bamboo and treated with an oil stain. There's a 12v power point on top of the door panel and I've just discovered a very slimline LED map light that will fit nicely along the top of the panel behind the grab handle for some night time illumination.

 

[ersatzknarf]

:sombrero:

 

[wuntenn]

Thats looking great - going to be a real pleasure to be in!

 

[66north]

Thats looking great - going to be a real pleasure to be in!

Thanks. I'm sure we'll bump into one another somewhere! One week until I fly out and drive it back to the UK. Can't wait. There's not a great deal else for Hesch to do other than fit the side awning. The rest of the work will be done by ourselves with the exception of some internal kitchen/storage units with the help of Erroll at Coastline Campers in the UK.

 

[ersatzknarf]

Have exchanged several emails with Errol. He seems a very nice gentleman and there was an excellent article about his 110HT in the January issue of 'Land Rover Monthly.'

 

[GREENI]

Exquisite.