Making a ifting roof on a 110
- Thread starter wuntenn
- Start date
krl81
Adventurer
Nice when it gets there! 
I'm going to build a sleeping platform, slide out kitchen and some storage. Hopefully I will be able to get a roof rack built before summer as well. I will use it so it's not just for fun but some part of me makes it just because it's "wrong" and a lot of people doubt that it's possible to do that with a, bare with me, Suzuki Jimny. :-D
I'm going to build a sleeping platform, slide out kitchen and some storage. Hopefully I will be able to get a roof rack built before summer as well. I will use it so it's not just for fun but some part of me makes it just because it's "wrong" and a lot of people doubt that it's possible to do that with a, bare with me, Suzuki Jimny. :-D
Brilliant! Jimny's are great little wagons. My first 4x4 was a Subaru Sumo van which everyone laughed at. But it was fantastic - the 4x4 system was selectable on the fly, just press the button and although no low range gearbox the normal first gear was pretty grunty. I'm 6' and there was enough sleeping room for me in the back, and the front seat tipped forwards to access the spare wheel and when flipped if you used the reclining function it meant that the seat back became a seat base and the seat base became the back so you had this fantastically comfortable 'captain's chair' that allowed you to stretch out facing into the rear. I had four people in it one night on Barra for drams and there was plenty of room. I went nearly the full length of the South and North Uist on the beach with it. And on several occasions when the roads were blocked with snow I plodded on through it with no drama. Great little wagon.
One year I did a trip on a Honda 175cc trail bike, laden with gear, fuel, water and everyone laughed at me - but I covered 12,000 miles on it with no breakdowns and only one puncture. The 'adventure' bit in 'adventure vehicle' is what people add.
Here's how to sleep stretched out in a LR90 - do this in a Jimny and people will smile and applaud!
One year I did a trip on a Honda 175cc trail bike, laden with gear, fuel, water and everyone laughed at me - but I covered 12,000 miles on it with no breakdowns and only one puncture. The 'adventure' bit in 'adventure vehicle' is what people add.
Here's how to sleep stretched out in a LR90 - do this in a Jimny and people will smile and applaud!
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krl81
Adventurer
Haha! Nice to hear i'm not the only one who likes tiny cars. Were did you go on the bike?
Brilliant solution on the 90! I have been thinking of a similar solution but on a pick-up truck like a Mitsu L200 instead but that idea will not be put into life anytime soon since I don't own one.
If my plans for the Jimny works out I will be able to sleep inside it.
Sorry for drifting a bit off topic.
Were did you go on the bike? Brilliant solution on the 90! I have been thinking of a similar solution but on a pick-up truck like a Mitsu L200 instead but that idea will not be put into life anytime soon since I don't own one.
If my plans for the Jimny works out I will be able to sleep inside it.
Sorry for drifting a bit off topic.
Started in Los Angeles on the the 175, took in a load of desert across to the Grand Canyon, back through Death Valley and then wove my way north through the desert and mountains, taking in big chunks of Utah, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, and into Canada, then across the plains and back down through the centre to Southern Texas. 4000 miles on the bike when I started, 16,000 on it when I finished. My one puncture was on the freeway in SoCal and a guy in a pickup stopped, loaded me on and took me to a bike shop to get it fixed within 30 minutes.
Hi Arjan - well I've got wiring for lights running from three points at the moment - giving one light on either side above the head end of the sleeping area, positioned so that the lights are exposed when the bed platform is pushed forwards with the roof closed so usable as interior lights, and when the bed is pulled back for sleeping they are above your head in bed.
There's another one further back from those which is going to be right up high when the roof is lifted but can be a rear light easily reached just inside the back door when the roof is dropped.
The tail end of all the wiring is coming down to the hinge end of the roof and will terminate in the void between the old roof above the drivers seat (where the panels for the foot end of the bed are stored) which is where all the wiring connectors will be. I can run the power feed from the battery side (passenger seat) up into that void fairly easily.
The sleeping area lights will have switches in the bases and may be swivel LED spots. The rearmost light will possibly be on a two-way switch so I can control it easily even when its way up high when the roof is lifted. For general illumination I'm thinking of a length of LED strip running along each side, warm white, which can be switched from both ends. And where the existing vanity light is I'll replace it with a small swivel LED spot set which is good for normal use and with additional soft red bulb for all night illumination for my wee boy or for use when night driving.
The way I've finished the interior where the roof curve is along each side gives me a void that I can run wiring through, and it is just deep enough to accommodate small flush loudspeakers inside also, plus I've made it just deep enough to hold 40mm plastic plumbing pipe which I'm going to make a cooker vent with on one side at the rear (using a small computer cooling fan). It's now covered with thin ply that is easily removed as needed.
I've got to fit the cooker, but it will be installed above the fridge (which I'm locating on the left, just inside the back door, on lockable HD slides so it can pull out 400mm for access). The slides are available in all sorts of lengths and weight capacities from the folks who supplied my gas struts. Fitting the fridge is the crucial part of the interior because its length will determine where the lock/fold seat my wee lad uses will be pushed forwards to, I think I need another 2 inches of clearance from where I currently have it located. Once that's sorted all the rest of the stuff will be built around those dimensions, and wiring routes can be established behind panels. Fridge came a couple of days ago, and the small stainless sink will be here in a few days. It will be fed via a simple Flipper hand pump, cold only, so low tech and easily maintained.
There's another one further back from those which is going to be right up high when the roof is lifted but can be a rear light easily reached just inside the back door when the roof is dropped.
The tail end of all the wiring is coming down to the hinge end of the roof and will terminate in the void between the old roof above the drivers seat (where the panels for the foot end of the bed are stored) which is where all the wiring connectors will be. I can run the power feed from the battery side (passenger seat) up into that void fairly easily.
The sleeping area lights will have switches in the bases and may be swivel LED spots. The rearmost light will possibly be on a two-way switch so I can control it easily even when its way up high when the roof is lifted. For general illumination I'm thinking of a length of LED strip running along each side, warm white, which can be switched from both ends. And where the existing vanity light is I'll replace it with a small swivel LED spot set which is good for normal use and with additional soft red bulb for all night illumination for my wee boy or for use when night driving.
The way I've finished the interior where the roof curve is along each side gives me a void that I can run wiring through, and it is just deep enough to accommodate small flush loudspeakers inside also, plus I've made it just deep enough to hold 40mm plastic plumbing pipe which I'm going to make a cooker vent with on one side at the rear (using a small computer cooling fan). It's now covered with thin ply that is easily removed as needed.
I've got to fit the cooker, but it will be installed above the fridge (which I'm locating on the left, just inside the back door, on lockable HD slides so it can pull out 400mm for access). The slides are available in all sorts of lengths and weight capacities from the folks who supplied my gas struts. Fitting the fridge is the crucial part of the interior because its length will determine where the lock/fold seat my wee lad uses will be pushed forwards to, I think I need another 2 inches of clearance from where I currently have it located. Once that's sorted all the rest of the stuff will be built around those dimensions, and wiring routes can be established behind panels. Fridge came a couple of days ago, and the small stainless sink will be here in a few days. It will be fed via a simple Flipper hand pump, cold only, so low tech and easily maintained.
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Arjan
Fossil Overlander
Good thinking.
Busy wiring my 110 HT at the moment and progress is slow.. But 60 fuses mean loads and loads of wiring and I only want to do this once. I use a Minus40 fridge and like you, it dictates a lot. Cooking is on a Webasto diesel cooker - not too fond of gas inside. Will be collecting in Holland some serious Aluminium next month for the next stage after Summer : the roof. The one thing I'm trying to locate is a big aluminium piano hinge... No luck so far. France is difficult when it comes to these sorts of things..
Busy wiring my 110 HT at the moment and progress is slow.. But 60 fuses mean loads and loads of wiring and I only want to do this once. I use a Minus40 fridge and like you, it dictates a lot. Cooking is on a Webasto diesel cooker - not too fond of gas inside. Will be collecting in Holland some serious Aluminium next month for the next stage after Summer : the roof. The one thing I'm trying to locate is a big aluminium piano hinge... No luck so far. France is difficult when it comes to these sorts of things..
Ah the webasto diesel cookers are the business, but rather expensive! My gas bottle will be outside on the back door. I refuse to take them inside, just in case. I'm surprised you have such trouble with sourcing materials in France - I'd have thought that things like hinges would be easily located. Is the hinge for the lifting roof? If all else fails pick one up here when you come over in a few months.
Arjan
Fossil Overlander
Yes - they are mega money but this one wasn't..... (I'm Dutch..) so very happy to get one.
Materials are really difficult - even the French complain. So yes, upcoming UK Raid will see me try to locate a hinge for the roof - the big one up front..
You have any suggestions ?
Materials are really difficult - even the French complain. So yes, upcoming UK Raid will see me try to locate a hinge for the roof - the big one up front..
You have any suggestions ?