 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Home made lifting roof on a 110 Land Rover |
 
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| jocklandjohn Member Since: 16 Sep 2016 Location: Highlands Posts: 62   
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 wondered who would ask!
Doing without them means trying to effect a seal on the diagonal which of necessity faces towards the oncoming wind/rain when driving. Trying to seal that was going to be a pig so I decided a 'cleaner' and more efficient seal could be had by adding the triangles and bringing the outer roof down to the horozontal and sealing it against a lower lip. It also makes the back end look like I have a camper shell so is perhaps more aeshetically pleasing. Weight penalty was neglibile and it seemd a good solution to the problem of water ingress. |
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28th Jan 2019 1:16pm |
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| jocklandjohn Member Since: 16 Sep 2016 Location: Highlands Posts: 62
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If I'd been starting from a 'clean' sided vehicle rather than with side windows and racking on outside it would have been more easy to seal the diagonal - but I'm working around an evolving build that had a previous function I'm trying to enhance so of necessity dealing with some minor problems.
The external tracking was put on to allow a batten on the inside to be bolted in place horizontally and to which (inside) the internal fittings, storage and gubbins is solidly bolted. It also allows outside tying on of camp table, tarpaulins whatever as well as a fixing point for straps for the rear tent/awning I got. |
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28th Jan 2019 1:20pm |
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| jocklandjohn Member Since: 16 Sep 2016 Location: Highlands Posts: 62
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The saga continues! Here's where I'm now at.
Finally got the sides attached. What a bloody nightmare - more than 6 months of messing about with them. Put them on, drill a hole, measure. Take them off. Think about stuff. Figure out where a doohickey will go, how something might fit, put them back on, measure, take them off. Repeat literally dozens of times. But each time inching forwards a fraction. Major nightmare was discovering that the van is not square - it apparently leans to the driver side! However my construction methods had deliberately built-in error correction strategies (ahem...'clearances'!) so I was able to accommodate the difference - a keen eye will notice the slight lean to one side, but tbh on a 30 year old LR I'm not really fussed about it. My partner was away for the whole of February so I took the sides and back section indoors into the hallway and spare room and so was able to comfortably (in the warm and dry) install the windows and seal them, fit the back door, stainless hinges, gas struts and rod latch and get them all working. SO basically I had all the components complete(ish).  Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Working out where the gas struts would go was a bit of a challenge so to save me drilling holes everywhere as I 'guessed' it I decided to make a wooden jig and experimented, and it worked second try, so I was able to transfer the dimensions to the alloy and it worked beautifully. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Then neoprene seals fitted and the latch adjusted to pull tight. Anyway, finally got it to the point where I thought it would all work, and the linear actuators appeared to be able to lift the combined weight (I was a bit worred about that), so went for a dry run, bolted it all together and made many holes, and it all looked pretty good. Click image to enlarge |
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3rd May 2020 6:47pm |
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| jocklandjohn Member Since: 16 Sep 2016 Location: Highlands Posts: 62
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So, pulled it apart again and started assembling in earnest. I'd decided that instead of copious mastic I would seal the sections together at the rear corners and the long seal on the side of the roof with 2mm self-adhesive neoprene strip, then it would be easy to dismantle should I have to. Then simply put a thin smear of sealant down the joint onto the neoprene.
And thats what I did, lots of bolts, and cursing, as the usual gremlins made their presence felt, but it all went together. Once that was done it was attach lower seals so thast whe the roof is lowered there's something to stop water blowing in and making the sides damp - water cant actually get into the vehicle because the original gasket sealing the roof is still in place, so its really only to keep the inner surface of the lifting sides dry. So now, hopefully, it is fully sealed. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge I took it out yesterday for a maiden voyage and got up to 60mph with no creaks, grumbles or rattles and nothing fell off. I could feel the wee bit extra weight but its not drastic, a few extra pounds pressure in the rear airbags will fix that. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge I'm now inside fitting the seals along the sides and back which is a bit of a faff and I'm not entirely certain how I'll do that but I have a few ideas, but good thing is I can do it inside the van in the dry so hopefully not too terrible a job - not like the winter work standing outisde with the arctic blasts rattling my underpants. Click image to enlarge Meant to add - the way to access the back is to swing away the wheel, lift the whuffling gas strutted exterior door, then open the original LR back door. And the added bonus is that when the roof is lifted the top hung exterior door allows the whole end of the lifting roof to open for fresh air and view. |
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3rd May 2020 6:50pm |
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