4x4 conversion, am I mad?

irlkeith

Hey everyone,
Been reading the fourms here for quite a while now as I was thinking about doing a conversion myself.

Can anyone tell me if you need to be able to get from the driver seat into the back? This was my plan:
Buy a 3 seater 4x4, i really like this one
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/82/65486382.html

Do the minumium required: height, cooker & sink

Sort out some sort of table & seating

Then use it for driving on the off road weekend trips, at least then you can have tea and maybe a fry up the side of some forgotten mountain. I'm not too worried about dampness or sleeping for the moment. Maybe also use it for music festivals.

Anybody any views on this plan?

Thanks!

WildWater

AFAIK there has to be a passage way from the cab to the habitation area in order for it to be registered as a camper.

Good luck with it.

*Kol*

Or you could get one of these?

http://www.trekoverland.com/globe_master.htm

irlkeith

yeah true,
but that means expensive tax and an expensive insurance policy. I cant afford to do it that way.The campervan mod would get me the cheaper tax and insurance and would also be an interesting winter project

spaceHopper

irlkeith wrote: »

yeah true,
but that means expensive tax and an expensive insurance policy. I cant afford to do it that way.The campervan mod would get me the cheaper tax and insurance and would also be an interesting winter project

your best bet is to call the VRT office in Roslare and ask then I don't think you will get cheap tax and cheap insurance, certainly not with dolmen...

Why not just get a 4WD and put in a some storage so you can have a camping stove, water, pots, a cooler... and rought it in the back a bit then insure it commerically and tax but also be warned you have to sign a deceleration that you will only use it for commerical work.

irlkeith

the insurance is the catch, i cant get any reasonable quotes for commercial insurance. And that new decleration is a bit off-putting too. What do you think the problem would be with dolmen? would I need to make it a bit more 'cosy' looking?

Toyota1968

commercial insurace...... try sheridans insurance in wexford....

cormac_byrne

I think you'll find it very difficult to meet the height requirement
(remember a poptop or dormobile roof, won't do)

Why not go for a pre 1980 Land Rover, with classic tax / insurance.
(maybe ambulance or a forward control model)

Then add camper features at your leisure.

It's been said elsewhere on here that the 1.8m rule + sink + 2 ring cooker, is due to change soon.

So even if you think you can do a legal conversion, the rules could be stricter by the time you get the work done.

101sean

If a requirement is walk through, you have 2 choices with a Land Rover, either buy an ex military ambulance or go for a Dormobile type conversion on a station wagon. The latter is more practical for everyday use, ambulances tend to be based on a 130 chassis (turning circle of an ocean liner), have very wide bodywork and affordable ones are usually V8s. Even then you'd probably have to remove a bulkhead, despite being coachbuilt, the cabs on battlefield ambulances are usually separated from the back

You can still get parts to do a Dormobile conversion but you are looking at £2000 just for the roof, there are fancy German ones that are even dearer. Genuine Dormobiles come up for sale occasionally but hold a big price premium, even basket cases.

If you can't get commercial or motorhome road tax, private tax on a LR is around €948 :mad:

cormac_byrne

Land Rover Dormobile

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250722318456

http://www.leriche.com/sales.php?car=228

101sean

http://www.dormobile.co.uk/

peasant

pffff ...Landrover ....:rolleyes:


This is what you want


a bit rare and a bit pricey though ...


Seriously, the min 1.8m inside is what's going to kill most 4x4 conversions as such a high roof on what is (in most cases) already a high chassis just doesn't work.

paddyp

t25 syncro is financial suicide unless you have a very deep wallet

this ones is worth the money though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgmF8as2mFY

101sean

There's 3 of 4 of them in Ireland and very capable they are off-road, they turned up at an off-road event at Dartfield

irlkeith

whats the catch with using a pop up roof do you know?
What about extending the height of the roof permenant for the inspection, then convert it to pop up?

del88

this is what you want

http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.armyrecognition.com/europe/Angleterre/Exhibition/Chelsea_Barracks_2004/pictures/Land-Rover_Ambulance_UK_01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lro.com/forum3/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D26%26t%3D35675&usg=__ah4Hkee6-Oh_yFWsTHJkixbvVxc=&h=600&w=800&sz=123&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=0IvNidRZ_Bs0QM:&tbnh=160&tbnw=213&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dland%2Brover%2Bdefender%2Bambulance%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1503%26bih%3D633%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=583&vpy=332&dur=2692&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=129&ty=215&ei=I0fbTNCnCMSLhQegkEg&oei=I0fbTNCnCMSLhQegkEg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0

That's how I'd do it, I doubt It's 1.8m so I'd go for commercial tax.

101sean

That's the current in service Pulse ambulance, one was released last year with accident damage and went to a collector for £18,000 :eek: Other types were used in small batches but would still set you back £6-7000 as they are in demand as expedition vehicles.

101 ambulances are popular as expedition campers, usually the V8 is replaced with a diesel. Still set you back £4-5000 for a good one and the base vehicle will be 35 years old.

I like those German actionmobil type trucks, bit impractical here though! The nearest I've seen here is ex army Bedford MJ with a radio body on the back fitted out.

stevire

irlkeith wrote: »

whats the catch with using a pop up roof do you know?
What about extending the height of the roof permenant for the inspection, then convert it to pop up?

The only catch with a pop up is it won't qualify for camper tax. Nothing to say you cant change it to pop up once you get the camper tax!

peasant

stevire wrote: »

Nothing to say you cant change it to pop up once you get the camper tax!

Well ...strictly speaking ...you'd be a tax cheat.
Whether you'd get pulled on ot or not is a different question

i reckon if it doesn't fulfil the camper manifest then it isn't a camper so it's not cheating...if you're keeping it commercial.

*Kol*

What about one of these?