Prepping a defender 130 for around the world..
- Thread starter The Rover Shop
- Start date
The Rover Shop
Explorer
That is one nice looking grille, if I do say so my damn self.
Ahhhh, what the heck would you know...
...
The Rover Shop
Explorer
The Rover Shop
Explorer
Since I have finished off the exterior I decided to have the rear box painted, as it was bugging me with the aluminum.. At the moment I had just the rear box painted, it will go back in for the front section in a couple of weeks as I still have some things to add to the cage.. Just waiting for our world map in the black 3m reflective to be done and they will go on the side doors..
The Rover Shop
Explorer
And since we will be in multiple countries with different languages I wanted to make sure there is no mistaking what kind of fuel goes in this...and the aux tank.. Found these decals a while ago and now that it's been painted I got to install them..
The Rover Shop
Explorer
I love designing and fabricating stuff but I get bored with the final bits and pieces of it... I finally made myself finish off the rear winch bumper, the winch rope exits the fair lead on an angle, this was done to increase departure angle and also so that we weren't bumping into the winch rope any time we are getting in and out of the back cab.. I designed this as wide as I could so that I had extra storage inside it, and specifically to keep a spare oil change, 7 quarts fits in the perfectly and doesn't move around..and doesn't interfere with the winch, to access the inside of the bumper it's just a matter of removing the 8 bolts, some may notice that I have no way of accessing the winch freewheel clutch, this is something that I haven't done as I am trying to keep the rear winch compartment as sealed as possible, also it prevent people form releasing the expensive dyneema rope and stealing it or playing silly buggers with it..look up winch vandalism..... If I need to change that in the future its pretty easy but until then I just power it out..
I used one of those solid state winch control packs and hid it inside the winch box, I will be installing a wireless unit in the soon as well..
The winch control socket tucks nicely up out of the way and you wouldn't even know it was there...
My winch control cable is 20+ feet long so easily goes the long way around the truck and into the cab, with extra to spare..and is the same for the front or rear winches, that is the reason I will be installing a wireless remote for the rear one, if ever I need to be using the front and rear winches at the same time.... (Don't ask..)..lol..
Just to make sure that there is no chance of the winch power cable being compromised in an accident at anything I installed a 800 amp isolator switch, which is usually left in the off position, this also stops the unauthorized use of it..or an emergency override in case of the winch sticking on..
As soon as I am done installing everything it goes off to my trim shop have all the grey wood surfaces covered in sound deadening carpeting material and cover my roughins. As with the complete rear storage wall sections, once we have tweaked it on the road and ensure everything is modified to the way we like it I will be pulling the whole truck apart and make everything neat and tidy out of starboard or similar, that job will be neat and tidy then.... Or I will have a pro do it...I'm no finish carpenter by any means....
In that pic of the isolator switch you can also see the remote controlled 1200 watt power invertor I installed, this system allows you to install the invertor close to the battery but mount the outlet up to 10 feet away, it also has a remote button on it that switches the invertor on as well as a USB charging port.. The large yellow connector is the Anderson connector for my jumper cables, these cables are over 25 feet long and allow me to reach any point around the vehicle.. And the circuit breakers are for the main power supplies to the rear cab portion and the overhead console.. When leaving the vehicle for extended periods it allows me to isolate the electrics, also makes a great antitheft obstacle. just push the button and it trips the breaker.
... If I need to change that in the future its pretty easy but until then I just power it out..I used one of those solid state winch control packs and hid it inside the winch box, I will be installing a wireless unit in the soon as well..
The winch control socket tucks nicely up out of the way and you wouldn't even know it was there...
My winch control cable is 20+ feet long so easily goes the long way around the truck and into the cab, with extra to spare..and is the same for the front or rear winches, that is the reason I will be installing a wireless remote for the rear one, if ever I need to be using the front and rear winches at the same time.... (Don't ask..)..lol..
Just to make sure that there is no chance of the winch power cable being compromised in an accident at anything I installed a 800 amp isolator switch, which is usually left in the off position, this also stops the unauthorized use of it..or an emergency override in case of the winch sticking on..
As soon as I am done installing everything it goes off to my trim shop have all the grey wood surfaces covered in sound deadening carpeting material and cover my roughins. As with the complete rear storage wall sections, once we have tweaked it on the road and ensure everything is modified to the way we like it I will be pulling the whole truck apart and make everything neat and tidy out of starboard or similar, that job will be neat and tidy then..
.. Or I will have a pro do it...I'm no finish carpenter by any means....In that pic of the isolator switch you can also see the remote controlled 1200 watt power invertor I installed, this system allows you to install the invertor close to the battery but mount the outlet up to 10 feet away, it also has a remote button on it that switches the invertor on as well as a USB charging port.. The large yellow connector is the Anderson connector for my jumper cables, these cables are over 25 feet long and allow me to reach any point around the vehicle.. And the circuit breakers are for the main power supplies to the rear cab portion and the overhead console.. When leaving the vehicle for extended periods it allows me to isolate the electrics, also makes a great antitheft obstacle. just push the button and it trips the breaker.
Last edited:
The Rover Shop
Explorer
Once the cover is installed you don't even realize there is a winch there..
Last edited:
The Rover Shop
Explorer
As with quite often the case, mid build of the rear winch bumper I change design a bit, I wanted the option to be able to tow a trailer and also have a receiver hitch recovery point option, so I welded into the body of the winch a piece of 1/2 inch thick 6"x6" angle iron, the bolts for the rear bumper go right through this angle into the rear crossmember and now the whole force of everything is transmitted mainly through that, I will be welding up a Reese hitch unit that bolts to the underside of this angle iron so can easily be removed if needed.. It's probably a bit of overkill but oh well..
In this pic over to the right side you can see a square hole, this is where the winch hook goes into to be stowed tight, also allows me to flush the winch box out occasionally..and for it to dry out..
In this pic over to the right side you can see a square hole, this is where the winch hook goes into to be stowed tight, also allows me to flush the winch box out occasionally..and for it to dry out..
Last edited:
The Rover Shop
Explorer
Those of you who have been reading this build will remember my removable floor section that allows us to enter the inside of the tent via inside the box, I intend to have the webasto diesel fire heater in the front cabin to be able to heat the rear box in extreme cold weather, also is great for drying out the inside of the tent bedding wtc when it gets damp. A heater duct hose will pass from the front cabin through the wall and blow the hot air into the inside of the box, I redesigned the roof tent floor to allow heat to rice into the bedding and keep us toasty warm.. It also reduces the weight of the flooring...
Last edited:
The Rover Shop
Explorer
A pic of the rear bumper during fab, I also reinforced the box section of it so that it resists being crushed..
The Rover Shop
Explorer
We got to use it when we went to the Florida Land Rover club meeting a few weeks ago, for a big heavy beast I was quite happy with how she tackled anything I threw at her, the ARB lockers made a big difference.. Here's a pic of here in camp mode..
We can be all setup within about 10 mins of pulling in, and breaking down is about the same.. Makes a big difference when you are doing it 364 times a year..
We can be all setup within about 10 mins of pulling in, and breaking down is about the same.. Makes a big difference when you are doing it 364 times a year..
nathanwind
Observer
Damn Shayne, looking good....actually looking real good now that it's all painted up to match.
The Rover Shop
Explorer
So call me paranoid but I want to try and do anything I can to stop some low life bastard from stealing my truck, I am Installing quite a few anti-theft devices, some hidden and some blatantly obvious, the obvious ones are to make them move on to an easier target and the hidden ones are to give me enough time to load the gun.. I tapped into the inertia switch circuit and put one of the many switches on the dash in line with the inertia switch wiring, with the inertia switch just being the other side of the firewall it makes it a very easy job and very difficult to spot, basically the switch on the dash interrupts the signal from the inertia switch, no matter how much you crank the engine it won't turn the fuel pump on....I made the terminals so that if needed I can bypass the switch by just plugging them together..the wires. Ow go through the firewall right with the rest of the harness in behind the instrument cluster and then to the switch console, you could easily wire it to a hidden switch but I just figured a thief isn't going to take the chance of trying all of the switches while cranking.
Last edited: