Making a ifting roof on a 110

[wuntenn]

Well that's the fridge installed.





Sits reasonably well out of the way. When pulled out it it goes pretty far across the width.



And plenty clearance above when the lid is opened.



In an ideal world it would have been fitted lower down, as it's quite a heavy item, but it sits up that high because the HardTop 110 has internal arches that eat up floor space, so if its fitted to one side it's going to be slightly elevated off the main floor on the arch. I've got green storage boxes that I use for additional gear, and which also double as seat bases (inside or outside the van) with a Thermarest chair kit on top, so it's designed so that they fit neatly underneath. I've got lashing eyes for them attached to the sides and floor so they dont jump about.





The wooden unit on the left will have the small sink in it. Its cut steeply at the bottom to allow legs to pass, and to enable the green box lid to be opened without having to lift the box out of the vehicle. The box on the right is accessible because the fridge is pushed in.



Fitting the fridge runners was not as straightforwards as it could have been - I could only get one pair of bolts through the wings to hold them down because I've got an aux sandwich tank in the wing at the rear which effectively prevents access to the under-wing area. Had to get creative with fixings but it seems to have worked.

 

[Arjan]

That's looking very, very nice !

I waited 2 years for the cooker to arrive at the right price. And it did eventually in Germany.

A new one for about 1/10th of the UK price...

 

[wuntenn]

If you see another one I'll pay you 2/10ths of the UK price for it!

 

[krl81]

I see now what all the fuzz about the price is. Geeez! Brilliant solution though. I had never heard of them at all until I entered into the dark world of ExPo.

May I ask, how will you make the fridge sit/stay on it's slide?

 

[wuntenn]

Good question! Easily answered.

The base of the fridge has four rubber buffer/feet screwed on to it - that's those black things on each corner/edge. On the base of the unit in the rubber there's a 6mm hole and it leads into a threaded insert in the actual metal carcase of the fridge which will accept a 6mm bolt designed for retaining purposes. I simply bored through the wooden runners where the hole in the fridge is positioned, and cut the lower face of the wooden runner to 'countersink' the bolts with 30mm washers on them (you can see the two cut-outs in the wood where the bolts sit in the last picture in the post above) and then bolted the fridge to the wood. The cut-outs in the wood simply allow a shorter bolt to be used, and prevent the bolt heads fouling the wooden side of the wheelarch as it slides in.

The metal slides are made in three parts (two permanently joined although able to slide in each other) but the third section is detachable. The detachable metal component is screwed firmly to the inside face of the wooden section and when the appropriate lever is pushed the whole fridge-on-wood-with-metal-runner can be removed and lifted out.

So it can slide in and out easily but cannot be lifted 'off' the runners until the two levers are pressed and then it is removed by extending it beyond the full 18" extension at which point it will pull out. (and of course it comes out attached to the wooden subframe with metal runner section fastened on).

 

[krl81]

Aha! Really neat solution. I will probably have to use the old rachet strap on my fridge, I cannot think they have made a clever solution on the cheepo one I've got.
I really like the detachable slides. I thought the slides I got was but apparently not.

 

[wuntenn]

The slides are a good solution for various things. The ones I used for the fridge are incredibly strong (but not the strongest they can supply). I'm intending using a lighter pair to make a sliding table that can come out across the width of the van and allow three of us to sit around and eat off. When pushed back in it will only take up 50mm of vertical space between an upper and lower cupboard. Useful things.

 

[krl81]

Nice!
Yeah, you can really make a lot of things with the slides. You just have to have the ideas to solve a problem that isn't there yet.

 

[wuntenn]

Got the rack assembled and fitted. Several large bolts on each side to hold the rails on, with a large dollop of Sikaflex under each one. And then a few large-flange pop-rivets along the vertical side. It is very strong.



The bars are over-length deliberately so I can use the tails as lashing points, plus there will be beta-pins shoved through to hold the bars in place when I need them, and when I don't I can pull them out.





I decided I should go the whole hog and invade Europe, so mounted a 105mm Howitzer on the front, which when combined with my roof hatch gives it a rather dashing look, don't you think. As a pacifist I've gone for the cardboard Howitzer which should be less controversial (well until it rains).

 

[Arjan]

That looks very good !!

.. and that Howitzer is handy in Paris Rush-hour traffic...

 

[piratexpress1369a]

looks good and that would be a great invasion lol

 

[wuntenn]

Some minor progress - have been fitting cargo track on the outsides, which has meant stripping out the interior insulation and plywood lining to get access to the nuts, but I've replaced the simple white polystyrene insulation with higher density insulation panels which should be better in the long term. It was a lot of fiddly work with little to show for it, but needed doing.

Whilst in there I thought I'd stick on some steps to allow access to the now-much-higher roofrack, on which I'll have a roof box some of the time.

Found these on the well-known auction site for a few ££ each so got four. Very well made. So I reckon these will help. I can also add a nylon webbing loop to a cargo-track fitting to put a foot in as well if I need more height.











One side left to fit track and steps, then its wiring, water tank, and sink/internal fittings.

 

[piratexpress1369a]

are they pinned in place while you are driving or is there a tab that locks it in

 

[Clantech]

Hinges

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.

Why don't use something like this: http://www.sanube.at/produkte/fahrzeugbauteile/stangenscharniere/produkt/tila-scharnier-4/
First of all it's waterproof, secondly its built for heavy duty and cant get be bothered by dirt etc. I saw these on tow tractor at the airports....

Just my humble opinion

Greets

Claudio

 

[wuntenn]

Hi Claudio - thanks for the heads up. However I looked at those - they're known in the UK as Poliall hinges. I've seen several of the continental (French, Swiss, German etc) Land Rover roofs with them. The price put me off - they are two or three times more expensive than even a stainless steel hinge, and you still need to get the roof up to and beyond 45 degrees to fit the screws. A loose-pin hinge allows the two halves to be separated far more easily and without needing to elevate the roof to vertical, which is a consideration when you're doing this sort of stuff in your drive or an old shed!