Prepping a defender 130 for around the world..

[The Rover Shop]

Post number 150 shows the water filter unit, it infiltration cartridge by culligan from memory, kinda nice with an air purge button on the top, this will also allow me when going into cold weather I can press the button and the water drains out of the system back into the tank, thereby giving room for the water to freeze without doing any damage to the pipes etc hopefully.. while the shower can use water from the onboard water tank I am thinking it will primarily be using an exterior water source..the water tank will be used primarily for washing dishes, or water that is boiled first etc..the water from the tank is perfectly drinkable but it does have a hint of aluminum taste, this may dissipate as we use it more, when we travelled through Mexico we found that it was very easy to keep a separate water jug of pure drinking water in the back of the truck..

 

[The Rover Shop]

Speaking of problems wi frozen water......Many years ago I took my (now ex) wife around the USA in a VW camper van in the dead of winter...I had a ball, but my ex...not so much...nearly lost some toes to frostbite...anyone who has driven VWs in extreme cold will know why..lol... We very quickly learned to prep the water for the morning coffee into the pot the night before while your water was not frozen..

 

[The Rover Shop]

This is the last time it goes backwards before going forwards... Pulled the front section apart for a good paint spray job, as soon as this is done the completed cage with all of its security features goes back on for the last time... Finally it's getting assembled ready for its calling..

 

[Matto]

 

[cvoggs]

Yeesh! I just finished reading your CT build and this one in 2 nights! Oh the things I have learned! I just want to say thank you for spending the time and updating a forum with your madness and awesome ideas! I will be using many of them on my own build!

Any more updates?! I need more to read! :agree::safari-rig:

And if you ever find yourself in Calgary send me a message! Steak and Beer are on me!

 

[Jitterbug]

View attachment 338454

Love colour scheme and world map decal, we want to do a similar graphic on the side of the 6x6!

Did you get it made at a sign/printing shop, if so did you supply the file for them to cut it or was it a stock one they had? I have had vinyl graphics made before but they have always been of a company logo I have provided.

Thanks, Dave

 

[The Rover Shop]

Okay...so it's been a crazy busy week trying to get the truck back together in time to attend a Land Rover meet in north Florida...the idea was to put the truck through some 4 wheeling and camping trials...the trails turned out to be 3-4 feet of grassy swamp water and while I know the truck would have no problem handling that I just didn't see the need for it...the camping task was as good as I had hoped, the truck is a breeze to setup and break down, this is a good thing since we will be doing it thousands of times over. There are some things I would like to change but simplicity and vehicle design constraints mandate it to not be practical..e.g..the fridge is too high for my wife to be able to see inside it, sure, I could design a swing out system that utilizes the tempo tusk drop down fridge platform, but that would severely inhibit the cooking area...so I bought her a step stool...lol..tested the shower system and it works great...now finding that the engine runs too cool to actually get hot enough water to do dishes but well and truly warm enough for a hot shower...found if I slow the volume down as it goes through the exchanger it comes out super hot..the flow out of the shower head could do to be a bit more of a water saver head so that will allow the temp to come up more..and I will be putting a new thermostat in the engine as it always runs just over the cold mark even on the road..



Here she is set up with both side awnings out and the screen room installed over the kitchen area, parked a little too close to the trees, but it doesn't nicely to keep the temps down by shading..


The ARB Screen rooms can be fitted to either side with the ARB awnings in about 2 minutes...and work well, that coupled with my Mozzie zapper tennis racket..(or as my wife USED to call it...that bloody useless waste of money) it makes life in mosquito or gnat country a little more bearable..
It's now turned into a fun exercise when we get up into the tent of a night we spend a couple of minutes savoring the electrocuted smell of our mozzies who fall victim to the zapper..beats hearing that buzz of mozzies all night long...needless to say my wife has changed her tune about that bloody useless piece of crap...

 

[The Rover Shop]

Had to heavily modify the terrafirma Rock slider tree protector units...the smaller bracket is what I had to cut off and make the bigger loop bracket and weld in its place...they mount on 4 points per side, the front one that goes through the bulkhead securing bolt was fine, and the back one that mounts to the frame was okay...if you sed the included shims...but the 2 center ones were nowhere near close, and since I wanted to be able to Jack the whole side of the car up on these sliders I wanted to make sure they were totally secured.,.

View attachment 342071

Once welded in place....( now is the time where I say thank you dad for initially teaching me how to be able to do all of this stuff..) the whole slider was scuffed and repainted in the truck bed lining textured spray...

 

[The Rover Shop]

Here is a pic of the side door lock installed.. When we are not using the doors they can be locked with these high security locks that will deter even the most determined of thieves...

View attachment 342075

 

[The Rover Shop]

I have been asked a lot about the decals.... These are printed on the 3m reflective decal material...of a daytime they look black but when light hits them they appear bright silver...and stand out like dogs ...well you know what I mean.. These were custom decals that I searched long and hard for the image as I wanted something that had the seperation between the countries.. I have a friend who has done my last couple of vehicle decals for me but I think after this pain in the *** set I think he's not talking to me anymore...all of the lines between the countries has to be cut and removed by hand

View attachment 342076

View attachment 342077

 

[The Rover Shop]

I will soon be making a video going around showing all of the little bits and pieces we have incorporated into the truck and showing the ease of setup and break down, this sometimes makes the rationale of why I did some things certain ways easier to understand..,.and please, if you have any thoughts or ideas on how I can improve something, I always love hearing other people's input...like the shower setup...that now works better than what I had done previously..

 

[The Rover Shop]

Must have been a quiet couple of nights up in your area..lol....thanks for the kind words...and I just may take you up on that steak and beer offer, but be careful we don't get too comfy, or you may have trouble getting rid of us..lol..

 

[The Rover Shop]

Yeesh! I just finished reading your CT build and this one in 2 nights! Oh the things I have learned! I just want to say thank you for spending the time and updating a forum with your madness and awesome ideas! I will be using many of them on my own build!

Any more updates?! I need more to read! :agree::safari-rig:

And if you ever find yourself in Calgary send me a message! Steak and Beer are on me!

Must have been a couple of quiet nights up in your area..... Thanks for the kind words and I just may have to take you up on your steak and beer offer, but be careful we don't get too comfy, you may have trouble getting rid of us..

 

[Red Monty]

Overland Expo-West ?

Hello, I met you at Expo-East a couple years ago. I will be at Expo-West this year. I was wondering if you were going to be there, and if I could see all your latest work ? George

 

[The Rover Shop]

Hello George.. We weren't sure if the truck was going to be ready in time for the expo so we didn't book in... I tried to get in touch with Jonathon about getting in last minute but he didn't get back to me so I don't think we will be going this year, but that is always possibly subject to change..I have been known to just jump in the truck last minute and drive....pretty sure if we go that you won't be able to miss it...lol...