Full width rear door for a 110 - thoughts?

[isuzurover]

Owning a 110 and a disco, you realise how much more convenient the full width rear door is. I have therefore toyed with the idea of making a full width door for the back of the 110. The door and frame/hinges could also be made strong enough to have an integrated spare wheel carrier, etc...

Has anyone done this before? I would be interested in the thoughts others have on this?

[JDNSW]

"Anything is possible" - but you need to remember that the sections each sideof the door give most of the strength and rigidity to the rear body. Removing these would require using much heavier structural members to replace them. Add theat the door would need to be substantially stronger, and you would be looking at a significant increase in empty weight. (using suitable locks, fastening at several points on the top and bottom would enable you to use the strength and rigidity of the door to brace the body)

Apart from the cost of the modifications, you would have to factor in engineering costs - if you can find an engineer prepared to touch the job.

The discovery has the advantage of a pressed steel body that is made up of curves, adding rigidity and strength in a way that is not possible for a body made up of flat plates like the Defender.

The 80" Series 1 station wagon had a full width opening - and a much heavier body that was plagued with rigidity problems. (O.K., it was coachbuilt, but so would anything be that you do to a Defender!)

John

[isuzutoo-eh]

Combined with a ROPS with rear hoop, many of the problems John envisaged would be taken care of.

[roobar_and_custard]

Open the full width rear door and then you still have the wheel boxes, so very little gain low down - unless you cut these up too.
Perhaps you could do a full width door on the top 2/3rds (lift up maybe?), and then have a small flip down tailgate.

Or... maybe you should buy an HCPU with a canopy.

Ian.

[Dave_S]

I've often thought a wider door would be a good thing. I'm no engineer, but I don't see why you couldn't make it work. A very rigid door aperture, perhaps bolted to the chassis, could be made to sit within the existing body corner structure. You could just bite the bullet and make up a partial cage to go with it.

Given that these things will happily run around without the roof and upper body, the modification would probably improve the strength of the body.

[Dervish]

I think Bearman on this forum has the closest thing to what you are after. His is a bicentennial 110 dual cab with a wagon roof on it, the rear section under the roof being filled in with a canvas canopy.

I have moved several times using only Landies to transport from house to house. Anything very large and light goes on the roof rack, anything very large and heavy goes on a trailer. I've never actually found the Defender rear door that inconvenient?

[isuzurover]

Fabrication and engineering are no big deal. I already have a rough design in mind which would be more than strong enough.

Of course there would be the seat box cutouts, but you would still have access to the full width of the load area above that.

[Jeff]

The seat boxes can be removed. Carawagon conversions used to cut them out and replace them with a smaller wheel arch.

Jeff

:rocket:

[isuzurover]

The seat boxes can be removed. Carawagon conversions used to cut them out and replace them with a smaller wheel arch.

Jeff

:rocket:

Only possible on one side unless you move the fuel filler.

[Vern]

What about barn doors?

[Jeff]

Only possible on one side unless you move the fuel filler.

The ones I was reading about may have been early model hardtops with the underseat tank. The fuel filler could have a cover all of its own.

Jeff

:rocket:

[landy]

The late model Santana/Iveco Massif has rear doors able to take a standard pallet. I'm guessing that as it's based on the series three rear end that it would be possible to adapt the rear end of the Defender.

Cheers,

[lmurko]

i saved this images and had the bloke send me more. he was selling this on ebay about 2 months ago. im pretty sure this was a series, and a quick, cheap home made. but im sure it could be done with a deefer

cheers,
lachlan

[PAT303]

What about barn doors?

The hardest thing would be making them so they don't fall off,troopy's that are used on outback roads are renowned for having the glass fall out of them and having the doors not closing,making them with enough clearance so they don't buckle when the body flex's but keeping them dust tight would be the biggest hassle.Maybe a two piece top/bottom like an RRC would be the go. Pat

[JDNSW]

i saved this images and had the bloke send me more. he was selling this on ebay about 2 months ago. im pretty sure this was a series, and a quick, cheap home made. but im sure it could be done with a deefer

cheers,
lachlan

That whole hardtop is home made. And hence retains the strength of the rear panels on the lower body. And the tailgate locking on pins adds to the strength. (and yes, it is a Series - no wheel arch flares.)

John

[debruiser]

I agree, I think Bearman has the best solution. Think 110 dual cab with style side tray (whatever LR call that), now remove the roof - use a wagon roof, make up some vertical stays for the rear and there you go! barman has fabric sides on his, but you could always come up with a metal/sheeting 'door' wouldn't be too hard.