Making a ifting roof on a 110

[wuntenn]

These people supplied my hinge - stainless steel. I had quotes from other companies that were utterly nonsensical - such as £70 for the hinge, plus £2 each for a hole, plus 20% tax then £50 delivery (because I live in the north!). Aye right, I'm stupid.

The I found Cooke Brothers - Yes sir we can do stainless hinge to suit your needs - for your length of 2m and width of 25mm closed in 3mm alloy how about £35, Oh you want holes? er....um....that'll be £39, no not extra, that's inclusive. And delivery - £12, anywhere in UK. Total with VAT £61. And it was made to suit, just for me by the craftsmen at Cookes in-house - they made it in one day, posted the next, arrived the day after next. (And they do aluminium too.)

It is a work of art, literally lovely workmanship. Smooth action, perfect finish, countersunk perfectly and just exudes real 'class'. I can recommend heartily. Send to me and collect if you want.

 

[wuntenn]

One other thing - if it is possible next time around I'd get a loose pin hinge - like on house doors where the pin can be pulled out thus separating the hinge leaves. If I'd had that on my van, getting the lifting top on and fitted would have been infinitely easier - without it I've had to wrestle the 9 foot lump up through 180 degrees between 7 and 16 feet up off the ground, with all the risks to it, the rest of the van, my fingers and my mate's heads in the process. A loose pin that can be drawn out to separate the lifting lid from the lower half would be a dream. Whether they are available at that length I dont know but it would be good if they were.

 

[krl81]

How are you guys doing the wiring? Just putting the wires in looms and held together by electrical tape or are the wires put into loom tubing? I'm not sure how serious I want to do the wiring in my Jimny.

 

[wuntenn]

Tubing for me whenever possible. Makes it easier to pull new stuff through (in theory!), plus stops chafing. Labeling everything is also crucial - I have too many wires that are not easily identifiable that I wish I'd spent more time marking. And a stack of wiring installed by some lads who swapped chassis for me but who lost the separate wiring diagram they'd made during the process.

 

[krl81]

Yeah, labeling is really important. It takes so much more time trying to measure (not sure if thats the correct word i English) each and every wire to see where it goes. :-S

 

[Arjan]

Looking at that website as I type and getting worried that the Mrs. will find out - looks very, very good....

Thank you very much !

Ehm... I have a reputation for using garden hoses to build wiring looms in Land Rovers. I am in the middle of doing the 110 and I will try to start a tread on that later when it is finished - otherwise it would last very long... 4 mm2 cable from fuses to "consumer", 30 mm2 to starter motor and winch. 15 relays (solenoids) were among the bits used so far. (but no cats, dogs, horses or chickens were killed, injured or stressed throughout the build so far - the dogs do want to help though...)

 

[Arjan]

Looking at that website asI type and getting worried that the Mrs. will find out....

Ehm... I have a reputation for using gardenhoses to build wiringlooms. I am in the midlle of doing the 110 and I will try to start a tread on that later when it is finished - otherwise it would last very long... 4 mm2 cable from fuses to "consumer", 30 mm2 to startermotor and winch. 15 relais (solenoids) were among the bits used so far. (but no cats, dogs, horses or chickens were killed, injured or stressed throughout the build so far - the dogs do want to help...)

Thanks !

 

[wuntenn]

If you need a drop address here for anything please feel free to use me - happy to receive and store stuff for you.

 

[krl81]

Hahaha! Sooo, garden hoses?

 

[Arjan]

Ehm... yes. Gardenhose

Works very, very well. The 1st time I used it was because I ran out of sleeve material and the Land Rover had to be finished in time.

And the Mrs. wasn't in...

It is tough stuff, UV resistant and... waterproof. Comes in various diameters and colours. Later, we used more and more to great satisfaction. At the moment I'm building a 110 HT Camper and that needs a complete new loom. As in : everything. So 250 mtrs of 4mm2 cable, 20 mtrs. of garden hose and many, many cable shoes further it is starting to get there finally. Takes a bit of planning but eventually it will be finished with a few extra's LR didn't think of...

 

[krl81]

yes why not. As you said, it's waterproof and can take quite a beating. May I ask why 4mm2 cables? What kind of loads are you planning? Sorry Wuntenn for going off topic, just tell us and I will stop.

 

[Arjan]

Sorry Wuntenn - this is it. back to your roof !!!

4MM2 is used for 2 simple reasons :
1 - cost. I bought years ago 5,000 mtrs of the stuff in 6 colours for very, very little money so might as well use it.
2 - Easy to use. Good quality & no worries about overloading..

Will try to set up a tread once finished about the whole project..

Back to the roof now - love to see how it develops !!!!!

 

[wuntenn]

Don't worry about me! What I love about all this is that one question about something elicits a response that veers off in another direction and reveals another gem of wisdom. Land Rovers 'evolve' according to the imaginations of their owners and we can all learn a lot from their experiments. SO go for it!

 

[wuntenn]

And as for the developing roof - well I've figured out a way to fabricate clip-in sides using signmaker's alloy (well its used for signs but for loads of other stuff too - it's a variant of Dibond - 0.3mm alloy on each side with a plastic core), combined with a variety of aluminium profiles I've been able to track down.

Basically the profiles will enable the existing rubber seal on the lifting top to be used to seal the clip-in side at top, by using an H section that pushes up against it. And it utilizes the existing stainless clips (that are normally used to hold the lifting bit down) to pull it all together.

An H section will join the middle (each wedge-shaped side will be in two pieces, vertically split, that have to slot together hence the need for the H) and the corner on each side at the back will be formed from a flanged U channel where the flange comes out at 90 deg to the U.

The sides slip in and wedge into the gap, seal at the top and are clipped, then the back bit (above the back door) is popped in - it is split horizontally and joined with a piano hinge, and simply jammed into place, with the flanged U forming the corner and a couple of stainless clips to hold it all together. It will be fairly weatherproof, windproof, and could have thin foam insulation on the back. Any weather that does get past it will still have the fabric to contend with. This should make it usable in winter, or in really rough conditions that would have the tent fabric flapping like crazy.

The total weight is in the region of 20lbs. and with some careful design and bodging they can be stored on the roof between the roof bars to be deployed when needed.

First I must fabricate the roof rack/bars. Alloy for that should be delivered this week - I wont even begin to try to explain what going on with this - it'll be easier to understand when you see it. It is intended to provide a strong flexible system that can support a canoe/kayak, have removable bars, transfers weight to the gutter, and in it's design provides a permanent sealed cover for the line of rivets and the edge of the top sheet on each side which is currently exposed.

 

[Arjan]

Interesting !!!