Thread: What Fastener/Sliding Bolt/Pin/Fixing/Hinge etc do I need??

Bonnet pins?

Not sure whether rails just at either side will support the weight of two adults (even a short arse like you).

I presume you don't want to use a simple nut and bolt as you're wanting something a bit more readily removable?

Dave,

We did a similar thing in our old Td5 Defender.... Using a light RHS steel frame , topped with a lift able plywood panel as the sleeping deck inside the rear tub.
I welded chain links to the steel framework, just above each of the tie down points at the bottom of the tub.
Then used cam lock tie down straps to tension each chain link to its respective tie down point.
In my case, the steel framework and deck extended as far forward as the point where the tub drops down into the rear passenger footwell.
I removed the rear seats and then welded brackets onto the RHS frame to correspond with the seat mounting points. So I was able to use the seat mounting holes to secure the front of the frame.
Ie bolts held the front of the frame in position, while the cam buckle straps held down the rear of the frame.

The plywood deck was hinged at the front and secured with an over centre catch at the rear....similar to what tradies use to secure the gulllwing doors of their large ute toolboxes.
So the deck could be lifted up to gain access to storage boxes underneath.
I'm about to reconfigure the whole thing to fit my new Puma ( bugger that they had to change the bloody wheel well boxes from the old design!).
I still plan to use a similar setup of tie down straps at the rear and seat mounting points at the front, but will use a long drawer under the deck to store our gear.

Hope that gives you a few ideas to work with. Once I've completed the conversion, I may be able to post some photos.... Maybe in the next month or so hopefully!

Alan

I presume you want it removable so you can easily get to the stuff stored underneath?
If that's the case have you considered an option like this to incorporate drawer as well?
(see post #7) Diy d/c drawersystem required - 4x4 Community Forum


Alternatively this is an easy solution (across the wheel arches):

Post #1 Defender bunk beds - Land Rover Zone
Post #39 Defender 90 as Campervan - Page 4 - Land Rover Zone

In order to keep it in place so it doesn't bounce too much I'd recommend cup headed bolts (3 per side) with wing nuts underneath. Simple, but cheap. And won't rattle.

Would loose pin hinges suit your purpose. They're strong, cheap,readily available (any hardware shop) And you have a folding joint. Might help to tack a little washer to the head of the pin so you can attach a cord for easy removal.
Don.

Thanks guys. I should have said that I have a 5 door wagon but we only use the two front seats. The rest will be removed. We won't be using a drawer system as most of the time the vehicle is used to transport our mountain bikes. Drawers would get in the way so we'll just use strong plastic tubs. We plan to carry water and fuel in jerry cans in the footwell behind the front seats.

Also I'd like to avoid a solution that requires welding, as I can't weld. Not even a little bit.

We are reasonably sure that marine ply will be strong enough, as I was thinking of screwing it to RHS reinforcing strips anyway.

I'm liking the bonnet pin idea, subject to making sure they are strong enough.

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I will soon be putting a "deck" in the back of my 110 County. It will be placed at the height of the top of the rear tub. We will be sleeping on it and all of our stuff will be stored under it (it's not much head height, but we are short ) ...

Won't it be hard to access the storage areas above the seat boxes/wheel arches?

if it were me i would just make up something which spans the wheel arches. That way it will be self supporting and hold itself in place. There will be room for the heavy stuff under there, and you can make some additional storage in the roof area for lighter stuff. Could even use netting for that. Could even just put it on sides so you dont need to remove it to put bikes in.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Won't it be hard to access the storage areas above the seat boxes/wheel arches?

We did the same thing for the trip in '96 and didn't have a problem. If you can easily remove the rearmost deck panel then you can get at these areas without difficulty. We had food & cooking gear in the rearmost boxes, so they came out anyway when we stopped for the night. We probably will have some storage in netting up high, but only for very lightweight stuff.

Back in '96 we secured the deck with some rubber tie down things and wedges, which didn't work at all well. That's why I want to do something very different this time.