Converting my Pajero to commercial

colm_mcm

Today I started work on commercialising the Pajero. I'll post pics of any work done, it may be of help to someone who wants to do a DIY job too. Please point out anything that looks wrong on the conversion too as I've never done one myself before.

First job was to rip out 5 of the seats. Seems a pity to be tearing the jeep apart, but I'm not paying 2.9 road tax and €700 VRT.

The middle seat bench weighs an absolute ton, it's one of those sliding, reclining, folding jobbies. The rearmost seats came out in about 2 minutes, only 4 bolts holding each one in.

Seats to be thrown away


Then I set about removing the seat belts, carpet, and the trim around the sliding rear windows - leaving it looking like this:

Jeep without interior


As I'm tinting the windows before I panel them off, I figured it'd be easier to just remove the sliding window assembly whole rather than try and tint them from inside the jeep. the whole thing is only held in by 4 tiny clips. i thought there'd be at least a few bolts or screws!

Jeep without side window



Next job was tinting the windows. This was fiddly because of the sliding window. the first one took about 4 times as long to do as the second one
Luckily they came out ok, no bubbles yet. Needed 2 rolls (760*1520 rolls) to do the job.

Windows drying overnight

fonecrusher1

Looking good. Massive amount of space in the back of those Pajeros.:)
What sort of material are you going to use for flooring?

Why did you take out all the plastic interior moldings? I presume you're going to put it back.

colm_mcm

The mouldings came out because I needed to remove the seatbelts and weld over the mounting points. I'll also be fitting the new floor underneath the wheelarch mouldings rather than cutting the floor to suit the plastic mouldings. should look a lot neather.
Will be putting down a thin insulation layer then some MDF which will be carpeted.
There are a number of lashing hooks on the existing boot floor - I will be getting longer bolts and mounting these on top of the new floor - these bolts will also be holding the floor down at the back.
I decided to run an MDF sheet all the way back, as this spec Shogun has a seperate rear heater (you can see it on the right hand side in the interior pic, square thing that the ratchet is lying on) which I want to keep working, the new floor will be flush with the heater duct.
I don't know what the craic with having to use steel on the floor, planned on having a steel frame bolted to the bottom of the footwell which the floor will sit on. how would Revenue whats underneath the carpet anyway?

aujopimur

Revenue have no interest . as VRT has been paid

fonecrusher1

colm_mcm wrote: »

The mouldings came out because I needed to remove the seatbelts and weld over the mounting points. I'll also be fitting the new floor underneath the wheelarch mouldings rather than cutting the floor to suit the plastic mouldings. should look a lot neather.
Will be putting down a thin insulation layer then some MDF which will be carpeted.
There are a number of lashing hooks on the existing boot floor - I will be getting longer bolts and mounting these on top of the new floor - these bolts will also be holding the floor down at the back.
I decided to run an MDF sheet all the way back, as this spec Shogun has a seperate rear heater (you can see it on the right hand side in the interior pic, square thing that the ratchet is lying on) which I want to keep working, the new floor will be flush with the heater duct.
I don't know what the craic with having to use steel on the floor, planned on having a steel frame bolted to the bottom of the footwell which the floor will sit on. how would Revenue whats underneath the carpet anyway?

Fair play.
Are you just going to use it for work or will you take it off the beaten track a bit, I mean off road. It would be well capable you know?
Theres a good few 4x4 trails in the wicklow mountains.
Have you owned a 4x4 before?

colm_mcm

I'll be doing some off roading alright.
Had them with work but never actually owned one before.
Did some off-roading in Todds Leap and loved it, We have land too bordering on a river so plenty of scope for mischief!
Bought it for towing mainly.

fonecrusher1

You probably already know this but theres a very good uk website for Pajero owners. Here; www.pocuk.com Should have pretty much all you need to know about em.

How long do have before you must pay the VRT?

colm_mcm

Technically 24 hours to pay the VRT.....

Tricky1127

Hi Colm_Mcm, Great thread keep us informed with how it goes for Ya..! looks like you know what your doing + the pajero is a work horse and the LWB is the DB for towing
:cool:

WestWicklow1

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'll be doing some off roading alright.

Call into http://leinster4x4.ie/vbulletin there's lots of Pajeros there and we have 1100 acres on the Wicklow / Wexford border.

colm_mcm

aujopimur wrote: »

Revenue have no interest . as VRT has been paid

It's UK reg at the moment, so it'll be it's first Irish registration.

colm_mcm

quick update, cut the floor out today. was a pain to get the opening for the heater right, especially when my jigsaw expired.


Couldn't get suitable carpet anywhere either.

Have the frame for underneath the floor done and the sides where the side doors open.


Taped inside the tints with sileage tape (I know!) to completely blacken them off. looks 100% from the outside. Will be covering with hardboard and carpet - don't see the need for steel sheeting.
I won't be following the Revenue requirements to the letter. See what I can get away with!

fonecrusher1

Starting to come together nicely.
Looking at the lengths you've gone to i dont think you will have any problems with the DOE.
Just get some black or grey long-lasting office carpet for the base. Doesnt need to match the rest of the interior. I have a cargo box in the back of my 4x4, not exactly a perfect match but good enough.

colm_mcm

All the carets they had were too wooly. I'm looking for something very thin. office carpet sounds about right.
Will try a few more places and see what happens. It's not at the stage where I can stick down the carpet anyhow. lots more to do.
My main concern is building the floor in such a way that it won't make noise when the jeep is moving so lots of insulation and brackets to come

fonecrusher1

colm_mcm wrote: »

All the carets they had were too wooly. I'm looking for something very thin. office carpet sounds about right.
Will try a few more places and see what happens. It's not at the stage where I can stick down the carpet anyhow. lots more to do.
My main concern is building the floor in such a way that it won't make noise when the jeep is moving so lots of insulation and brackets to come

How about a good thick picnic blanket or something? Secure to body with double-sided carpet tape or spray adhesive. Then place wood floor over it.

colm_mcm

I'll probably end up cutting up the seats that came out and use the padding from that!

fonecrusher1

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'll probably end up cutting up the seats that came out and use the padding from that!

Are you sure?! You could get money for those on ebay you know?

colm_mcm

I doubt they're worth anything TBH. they're perfect, but who'd want them?

fonecrusher1

What if you need to re-fit the seats at some stage in the future?

colm_mcm

I won't want to refit them. Apart form anything else, I won't legally be allowed to do so till I pay the VRT and change the tax classification

Tricky1127

colm_mcm wrote: »

All the carets they had were too wooly. I'm looking for something very thin. office carpet sounds about right.
Will try a few more places and see what happens. It's not at the stage where I can stick down the carpet anyhow. lots more to do.
My main concern is building the floor in such a way that it won't make noise when the jeep is moving so lots of insulation and brackets to come

The first "Defender 110 9 seater" 200Tdi i did i needed help ,ie;- what and how to do it so found a man who did it for a living that was his full time job! he put down a rubber mat like one from a GYM then hardboard it out and covered by grey office carpets It was a dream to sit in on a long drive, before you ask i don`t know how to get GYM mats i`ve used carpet under lay not as good
Regards T :rolleyes:

101sean

You can get plain grey or black carpet for trimming vehicles from motor factors and trim suppliers (browse a copy of Irish Vintage Scene at Easons). The cheapest source of sound/cold proofing is closed cell foam camping mats, used by many a Land Rover owner although their panels are very flat. For rubber floor matting try cattle or horse matting. Plenty of non automotive solutions if you do a bit of lateral thinking. If money is no object you can get dense polyurethane matting with a chequerplate pattern as used in tractor cabs and the like.

Useful post, be intersting to see how you get on with the VRO

CJhaughey

You can get old rubber belting from quarries and the like, heavy and sound absorbing.
My factory toyota never came with it, just carpet. I guess it makes for a quieter ride though.

Viejo Zorro

Nice job

To get any bubbles out of the tints, a hairdryer comes in handy.

Did one of these a few years back. But in a timber floor, which was cool, but the Rev's wanted steel in the windows. We went to the local roofing place, got flexible cladding and stuck it on with some silicone sealer. Worked a treat I left it bare until they gave the jeep the once over...

colm_mcm

Today I braved the cold weather and bought some carpet and adhesive. Carpet is perfect and cost €25.
Stuck the carpet down and re-fitted it. Trimmed 20mm off the bottom of the wheelarch mouldings and refitted. the floor is now flush with the heater vent



Proper pics to follow. It's looking class even if I say so myself!

Only job left now is to bolt the floor down.

colm_mcm

Quick run down on costs so far:

12mm Plywood €24
Carpet €25
Adhesives €14
Brackets, bolts etc €15
Tinting film €48
Silage tape €3

Total so far: €129

colm_mcm

fonecrusher1

Looks great.
Well is she DOE'd?

colm_mcm

Not yet. have to get it inspected by Revenue first and get it on Irish plates. It was MOT'd in the UK 2 months ago so it shouldn't be too much hassle.

mossfort

nice job on the floor.
are you just panelling the far rear side windows or are you doing the ones on the rear doors as well?

colm_mcm

I have to do the doors too but the weather outside is too cold to do them. I was able to unclip the sliding ones and do them indoors.