Thread: Keeping a bit cooler in summer .... in a td5

We have an 03my 130 with the airconditioning unit under the 'dash' that others have documented elegant modifications to upgrade/relocate the evaporator/fan unit to great effect. We generally travel across the country at least once a year, often in summer, so the aircon gets solid use. One year we were the only residents at the Birdsville Pub on New Year's Eve, 46c in the shade.
The Defender doesn't allow the heater air flow to be turned to recycle so there is always some air coming through from outside and when it is above 40C this gives the aircon additional difficulty, notwithstanding the fact the evaporator air intake is near the floor!
To shut off the 'heater' air I purchased a Mud brand heater snow guard and fabricated a simple seal out of thin steel sheet to turn the cover into a simple rectangular sealed tube. A bit of sikaflex before riveting, a stick on gasket and a simple heavy foam rubber 'plug' means in hot weather there is no 'heater' air at all. Don't worry the vehicle isn't that sealed airtight!
I have a couple of round caravan type push up to open air vents in the rear roof to vent the hot air near the roof and, with the heater intake plugged, the inside temperature is noticably improved. The air vents in the roof made a marked improvement with the airconditioning for rear seat passengers (when the children were still travelling with us!). Just remember to remove the plug if you want the heater to function in cold weather!
A couple of pictures to illustrate.
.........peter