Land Rover ideas for Jeeps

[jscherb]

Defender/Series Camper Conversions

Unlike Wranglers, which have a one-piece tub, Land Rover Defender/Series are built around what they call a "bulkhead" - the front clip bolts to the bulkhead and the doors hinge from it, and the rear body bolts to the frame behind that.

This structure makes it very easy to build new vehicle designs - just unbolt the rear body and bolt something else in place.

Converting to a full camper is much more common with Defender/Series Land Rovers than it is with Wranglers for that reason. Here's one:

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just unbolt the back of a Wrangler and bolt something different in place.

 

[Chorky]

easy to do with a brute style or frame extension...

 

[Chorky]

Seems to me the space under the vehicle would best be used for an air tank or auxiliary fuel tank that you can install and forget, not something I'm going to have to crawl under the Jeep to access somehow on a regular basis.

I agree with carrying as much weight as possible low in the vehicle, though, and earlier this year I added a floor compartment to my JKU. I almost never have more than 3 people in the Jeep, so I designed a set of brackets to a) allow the passenger side of the split rear seat to be removed and b) to make assembling a storage compartment a bolt-and-play operation with simple wood pieces.

I agree, crawling under is a lame idea. But what about on the sides rather than really far under, like right under the floorboard before the frame. Maybe even a possiblity for a slide type system? just a though, probably not practical with dirt and debris there. It's one reason I really like the ram truck storage bins in the rear seating area. Great use of space, except those bins are a tad small for much. It's one major flaw of the Jeep - difficult to find solid storage space down low. I'm really dissapointed nobody has brought back a good small truck. Like the 90's era Ranger. Or that Jeep never took their TJ and made a factory style brute, maybe with an extended cab though. The gladiator has great capability, but I must say i miss the small narrow truck era. Even a 1500 ram is pretty large. It would be nice to see fram extensions like you did be more viable.

 

[zgfiredude]

I have wondered about the under floor area in the rear....where the muffler typically sits. My JKU (bought used) came with a free flow exhaust that has eliminated the rear muffler. The entire area between the rear axle and the rear bumper is unoccupied. I've thought about an auxillary battery or air compressor or both in this area...also, you could cut the floor and vastly increase the inside "under floor" storage compartment. I don't know how truely useful that idea might be though as whatever was down there would be harder to access when traveling. But for those same type of systems, it would be useful. Thoughts?

 

[jscherb]

I have wondered about the under floor area in the rear....where the muffler typically sits. My JKU (bought used) came with a free flow exhaust that has eliminated the rear muffler. The entire area between the rear axle and the rear bumper is unoccupied. I've thought about an auxillary battery or air compressor or both in this area...also, you could cut the floor and vastly increase the inside "under floor" storage compartment. I don't know how truely useful that idea might be though as whatever was down there would be harder to access when traveling. But for those same type of systems, it would be useful. Thoughts?

Here's a product from Australia that provides a larger storage compartment for those who have eliminated the muffler: https://www.uneek4x4.com.au/jk-wrangler-enlarged-storage-tub-battery-box/

 

[jscherb]

easy to do with a brute style or frame extension...

Not exactly as easy as with a Land Rover - with a Land Rover removing the rear body is accomplished with wrenches, but with a Wrangler you need cutting tools - the one-piece tub needs to be cut in order to shorten it. And AEV hasn't sold Brute sheet metal for years.

But one way to shorten the tub of a TJ/YJ/CJ Wrangler is with a Dinoot fiberglass panel. It's not an unbolt operation like a Land Rover, but it's a fairly straightforward project.

Once the cab is closed off, a fiberglass Dinoot trail tub kit can be used for a bed: https://dinoot.com/lets-build-somet...86.622263003.1609626414-1414836139.1609626414

And it could be turned into a camper using TrailTop parts: https://trailtopcampers.com/

Using a fiberglass Dinoot Jeep-tub trailer kit as a bed, here's a mockup of a Dinoot with a Safari half cab; a TrailTop cap is drawn in place:

 

[jscherb]

Another concept image; this is a TrailTop DIY camper top on a Brute but the same idea could be done on a Dinoot-bed pickup like in the last post.

 

[Chorky]

Right. I was assumming with an already lengthened TJ frame. Such as a brute. Or one of your converted Jeeps

 

[jscherb]

We can debate the styling of this one, but it's an example of unbolting the rear body and bolting a camper shell in its place...

 

[jscherb]

About two weeks ago I posted an item from one of the magazines about Land Rover masks: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/land-rover-ideas-for-jeeps.218029/page-33#post-2871568

In that post I also said I had found some Jeep fabric that would make cool masks. I ordered some and it arrived a few days ago:

 

[jscherb]

Speaking of unbolting the rear body... this isn't really a Land Rover idea for a Jeep but it was in a Land Rover magazine and it is an interesting design study for unbolting a rear body and replacing it with something else.

The Matra Rancho

The Land Rover magazines are generally enthusiastic about the new Defender even though they miss the classic version. There's lots of reader mail hating on the new Defender though. Here's a bit:

The Rancho was a version of the popular Simca 1100 compact and what I find interesting is that due to the small engineering budget for the car, the body behind the doors was fiberglass built around a metal frame - no new metal body panels. I like that idea and having done quite a few fiberglass projects I can imagine all sorts of Wrangler variants that could be built that way (a Matra idea for a Jeep?).

According to Allpar.com:

Most of the rear body was made from a fibreglass clad steel frame with large picture windows in the sides and large rear tailgate. The back seat was ten centimetres higher than the front seats to give back seat passengers a sense of adventure. The maximum load space was nearly seven feet long and could accommodate 77 cubic feet of cargo with the seats down.

A few more views:

I like it.

BTW Land Rover Magazine is incorrect in calling the Matra Rancho the ugliest 4x4 ever because it wasn't a 4x4 - it was only offered in 2wd.

Another reader with a related comment about the new Defender (and the about Ineos Grendadier, which I posted earlier):

 

[pith helmet]

Speaking of unbolting the rear body... this isn't really a Land Rover idea for a Jeep but it was in a Land Rover magazine and it is an interesting design study for unbolting a rear body and replacing it with something else.

The Matra Rancho

The Land Rover magazines are generally enthusiastic about the new Defender even though they miss the classic version. There's lots of reader mail hating on the new Defender though. Here's a bit:

The Rancho was a version of the popular Simca 1100 compact and what I find interesting is that due to the small engineering budget for the car, the body behind the doors was fiberglass built around a metal frame - no new metal body panels. I like that idea and having done quite a few fiberglass projects I can imagine all sorts of Wrangler variants that could be built that way (a Matra idea for a Jeep?).

According to Allpar.com:

A few more views:

I like it.

BTW Land Rover Magazine is incorrect in calling the Matra Rancho the ugliest 4x4 ever because it wasn't a 4x4 - it was only offered in 2wd.

Another reader with a related comment about the new Defender (and the about Ineos Grendadier, which I posted earlier):

Never seen the Rancho before. Reminds me of a bigger version of the 80’s Toyota Tercel hatchback. And the fold down tailgate and nice headroom are exactly what I wish my JKU had.
I drove a Ford Flex for a day once. So ugly but drives like a dream.

 

[jscherb]

Never seen the Rancho before. Reminds me of a bigger version of the 80’s Toyota Tercel hatchback. And the fold down tailgate and nice headroom are exactly what I wish my JKU had.

Your wish is my command (at least digitally)...

I didn't unbolt the back of the Jeep in this photo edit, but what about a Wrangler hardtop with styling like the Matra Rancho? A quick and veryr rough concept edit...

A hardtop like this could definitely be built.

Maybe if I get some time I'll photo edit a JKU version of this concept.

 

[jscherb]

Work in progress on my sewing table this morning...

 

[jscherb]

This camper is probably a high quality DIY job or maybe a one-off from a custom shop.

A Wrangler version of this wouldn't be too hard to do. It could be done in plywood but a mold to make the lid in fiberglass wouldn't be too hard to make either. The sleeping platform could mount on top of the hardtop, secured to the roll bars with bolts through the top - that way the only mod required to the factory top would be a few holes in the top for the sleeping platform bolts, hinges and latches. A more involved conversion could include cutting a hole in the factory roof so the tent could be accessed from inside the Jeep like the Ursa Minor.

Sewing the canvas could be done on any sewing machine, it could be designed like the one I did for my trailer, in fact the pop-top lid could be made with TrailTop DIY fiberglass components like this one was...

This really could be a DIY project on a Jeep, there's nothing about it that an experienced DIYer couldn't do in a home workshop (and home sewing room ).