Thread: Rear Side Door Mod

Originally Posted by gusthedog

I don't think these would work due to differing bolt patterns but surely something like this wouldn't be too hard to fabricate (disclaimer: I'm not a fabricator so obviously have no idea )

GMB 2nd Row Door Extenders

So I'm not completely crazy, there are hinge mods for other vehicles.

I guess the option of not sliding the fridge out, is always a backup solution, but I really like the idea of a unique spin on the fridge slide. What size fridge do you think I could fit in the 2/3 seat space Jazzman?

Also who is Ho Hars and Numpty? And can they sell me the parts or the service of doing whatever they did? :happy:

making the rear doors open more would be awesome!
the d2 opening angle is terrible

I had a good look at this not too long ago.

Not simple on a D1. As the door pivots on the hinge, the panel moves toward the back of the hinge and finishes within a few mm of the hinge. The link extenders as on defenders are not an option unless you want to carve out the panel to allow the extra rotation.

The next issue is the slide. iirc my fridge (the plastic engel 36l thingie) sits approx 200 mm in from the door skin. To be able to drop down it needs to clear the horizontal bit of wheel arch. So the slide you get needs to be capable of 150% extension, eg. An 800mm slide that extends out 1200mm so it can drop down without fouling on the wheel arch. These exist but are hard to find and horrendously expensive. $350 or thereabouts a pair!

Giving up on extending the door i had considered a dual slide setup so it would start against the cargo barrier, first slide forwards 300mm ish to line up with the doorway and then slide out (and on a slight angle back - or straight out IF i removed the grab bar from the door, was possible) then drop down for vertically challenged wife.

Concluded: overly complicated, too much money in slides and said vertically challenged wife rarely comes camping these days anyway (I wont be doing much camping either, till i sort out a replacement engine)

Rip out the rear seat and sit the fridge on the floor base, see how that goes - apart from getting mud on your thigh as you lean in the height is good.

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Originally Posted by SSmith

Rip out the rear seat and sit the fridge on the floor base.

That's what I've done with my P38A.

Originally Posted by Jazzman

All true. I thought I'd offer an alternative solution if the idea of extending the door arch becomes too difficult. But was not clear in explaining my thought process, it happens to me too often.

There are some advantages to having the fridge in the passenger side:
Like not having to open the door all the way to access the fridge on a shopping centre car park for example. People seem to get frustrated when you have the disco door open taking up the road in the car park.

If you ever remove 2/3 of the rear seat the fridge sits nicely behind the 1/3 of passengers side rear seat leaving max of space available in the rear.

If you have a table on the rear door it makes it difficult to have a fridge slide on the drivers side.

Each to their own though, no right or wrong way. I hope for DR4GON sake it is an easy mod and works as intended.

Originally Posted by onebob

Hi Jazzman,I installed a fold down table on my rear door this week - dunno why I struggled without one all these years however if i understand correctly the OP is referring to Right Rear side passenger door access and installing his fridge immediately behind the driver seat.

onebob

I'm a Numbat! I misread these twice. The OP clearly states "side door". And yes I agree it would be a good idea.

Originally Posted by DR4GON

What size fridge do you think I could fit in the 2/3 seat space Jazzman?

I think you would be struggling to get a 50lt fridge out one passenger side rear door. But If you didn't want it to slide out the door you might fit in a 80lt.

The logic behind my setup was with the fridge mounted behind the 1/3 seat accessed by the rear of the car and the 2/3 rear seat removed, I more or less have the same amount of space in the back of my car (all space now on the drivers side rear) as having both rear seats and no fridge. (Like standard) Also I solved the vertically challenged access problem by fitting a factory rear step and no fridge slide required.
I hope that makes some sense.

I hope that makes some sense.[/QUOTE]

Perfect sense (to me) I have exactly the same set up

Sounds like I'm going to be looking at just mounting it at the side door instead of getting fancy with it. (I really thought the door hinge would be the least of my problems, having just spent 2 days with a builder friend, and his collection of heavy duty cupboard hinges. They pivot and extend in all kinds of wonderful ways, but I doubt he has one that will hold a disco2 door obviously. )

Thanks for all the personal solutions, by the way. Love hearing about all the different setups.
As for mounting the fridge in the 2/3 seat space then: How do you go about breaching the floor to secure the fridge tray? Cut out and rip up the carpet? Or carefully go through it for padding? What kind of clearance is there underneath the floor? I'd hate to drill into something important, or create a rub point with a long sheet metal screw or bolt... :laugh:

The main reason I don't want to mount the fridge at the back is because I need the full width and depth of the standard boot for cargo, more than I need the overall volume.

Originally Posted by DR4GON

As for mounting the fridge in the 2/3 seat space then: How do you go about breaching the floor to secure the fridge tray?

At the front the bolt holes left from the seat mointing, at the back the seat belts are no longer needed, remove the receiver and you have a threaded hole there. Make up some brackets and use those. They should easily be strong enough.

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