roofless S11A station wagon?

[buckscreek]

Hi All,

can anyone tell me if it's possible to run a S2A station wagon with no roof? I kinda like the idea of having a soft top LWB station wagon.

Thanks in advance.

[Landy Smurf]

I think I have seen one before on the net, I cant remember the story behind it.
do you mean would it be legal or would it actually be possible to fit a soft top to it?

[bobslandies]

Look in South Africa - quite a few had the roofs taken off and bows and canvas fitted for safari use (hopefully mesh sections too to stop oversize pussycats from hopping in).

All the trim will be ruined eventually though as its fitted to Masonite-like panels.

Bob

[dreamin']

I think only the very early ones had two piece rear passenger doors. Most are one piece doors with galv trim stuck on to match with front doors.

Probably need to fit a tailgate too, in place of wagon door, and find somewhere to attach seatbelts.

If you can sort all this, I reckon a roofless wagon would be the coolest thing on the coast this summer. Please send pics!

Roger

[JDNSW]

It is possible, but not particularly easy. The rear doors do not have detachable tops is perhaps the major practical difficulty, but engineering approval for the B and C-pillar seat belt mounts with no roof is likely to be the major legal problem. If it is an early S2a then seat belts may not be legally necessary, although I do not think it is legal to remove them if already fitted even though it would have been legal not to have them fitted. And, of course, not very sensible.

An engineered and approved roll cage (to provide seatbelt anchorages) with redesigned rear doors, fit a tailgate instead of the back door, add a specially made canvas top - could be done, but expect a price tag considerably higher than the value of the vehicle, even if you do a lot of the actual work yourself.

Of course, if you are talking about an 88, then it is a lot simpler and cheaper - the only problem is seat belt mounts, but later 2a 88s should have these already there on the bulkhead behind the seats.

John

[gromit]

Video shows bar work on a 110 to turn it into a soft top so the same thing should be possible on a SIIa

LROTV 110 soft top PART 1 - YouTube

Expensive option and possibly not quite what you wanted.


Colin

[buckscreek]

Hmmm, so the rear station wagon doors aren't two piece? I thought I read somewhere that they were but probably mistaken. The idea I have is to run a five door wagon, as suggested with the tailgate in place of rear door, etc on a "club" registration, a Sunday driver really. I'm not clear on the rules for rollover protection; if series landys were able to have the whole top removed and legally driven "topless" or with a canvas hood, there was/is no rollover protection anyway? Seatbelts and mountings would be an issue admittedly, so will look into the legalities/requirements of lap/sash v's lap belts only.

The interior being ruined isn't an issue as the plan is to remove any door trims, carpets, etc and have the seats recovered in heavy canvas to match the top (brother in law is a gun upholsterer and can sew anything I need). I want basic, hose-out practicality. And, no paint either. Inside or outside.

I've managed to source a 109" traytop in really good order really cheap, and am in the process of securing a 5 door station wagon with a good body and buggered chassis, so you know what comes next.......

My biggest concern with removing the roof from the station wagon body was whether or not the rear door pillars would need to be supported by a brace or bulkhead across the body, say behind the front seats?

I can do most of the mechanical work myself, have space and tools, time is limited of course! And I'm prepared to pay reasonable money for stuff I can't do myself. If I can't get away with a topless 109" station wagon, well maybe it's back to looking for an 88" (have located one with a holden engine, etc for $200, it's pretty good....shhh secret location, but as Landy Smurf told me, I do live in landrover heartland around Dungog!

Thanks for your input

Regards,

joe

[jerryd]

I drove mine without the roof on when I was refurbishing the roof assembly, it seemed a lot quieter, less rattles and was nice to have "wind in the hair" :D
However the rear door pillars were swaying around a bit and they would certainly need to be strengthened if it was going to be a permanent "roof off" vehicle.

I would think that the vehicle would need to be inspected and approved too.

[JDNSW]

Hmmm, so the rear station wagon doors aren't two piece? I thought I read somewhere that they were but probably mistaken.

I do not believe any of them were two piece. But, of course it is possible to convert them, albeit quite a bit of work to do properly.

The idea I have is to run a five door wagon, as suggested with the tailgate in place of rear door, etc on a "club" registration, a Sunday driver really. I'm not clear on the rules for rollover protection; if series landys were able to have the whole top removed and legally driven "topless" or with a canvas hood, there was/is no rollover protection anyway?

There will be no requirement for rollover protection. There is not a lot anyway! Check with your registration authority (where's vacy?) about the proposed body changes - they may impact on club registration, for example, hotrod as opposed to historic.

Seatbelts and mountings would be an issue admittedly, so will look into the legalities/requirements of lap/sash v's lap belts only.

This may vary according to the year of the vehicle - and the year will be the chassis, not the body.

The interior being ruined isn't an issue as the plan is to remove any door trims, carpets, etc and have the seats recovered in heavy canvas to match the top (brother in law is a gun upholsterer and can sew anything I need). I want basic, hose-out practicality. And, no paint either. Inside or outside.

I've managed to source a 109" traytop in really good order really cheap, and am in the process of securing a 5 door station wagon with a good body and buggered chassis, so you know what comes next.......

My biggest concern with removing the roof from the station wagon body was whether or not the rear door pillars would need to be supported by a brace or bulkhead across the body, say behind the front seats?

The Series station wagons have a brace between the 'B' pillars anyway. I expect you may need a similar one on the 'C' pillar unless there is a sufficiently rigid hood bow holding the door pillar, which on soft top vehicles has a bulkhead across at the equivalent point.

I can do most of the mechanical work myself, have space and tools, time is limited of course! And I'm prepared to pay reasonable money for stuff I can't do myself. If I can't get away with a topless 109" station wagon, well maybe it's back to looking for an 88" (have located one with a holden engine, etc for $200, it's pretty good....shhh secret location, but as Landy Smurf told me, I do live in landrover heartland around Dungog!

Thanks for your input

Regards,

joe

Hope the above comments help.

John

[bobslandies]

Two piece rear doors were on Series 2 Station Wagons, optional on 2A for a while. Certainly sold in Canada where you used to be able to buy replacements - maybe still can. Only seen a couple of SW with two piece doors here.

Bob

[JDNSW]

Two piece rear doors were on Series 2 Station Wagons, optional on 2A for a while. Certainly sold in Canada where you used to be able to buy replacements - maybe still can. Only seen a couple of SW with two piece doors here.

Bob

Not listed in either my 2a parts book or the 2a optional equipment book - don't have a parts book for Series 2, so you may well be right. I have never seen them, but then 109 wagons have never been very common. Interestingly, when you get to coil sprung Landrovers, the 110 wagon is by far the most common body type, perhaps reflecting a change in the sort of buyer for the vehicles. (Series Landrovers the most common body types would have been soft tops, utes and full length hardtops, going to traybacks by the end of Series production, and with an increasing proportion of lwb compared to swb.)

John