 | Home > My Defender > From white TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired poptop |
 
|
|
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365   
|
Yes, I might have just the thing for one of the unused switch banks to the right of ther centre console..
I bought one of these https://shop.binowl.com/shop/td5-on-board-computer-large-lcd/ which could be mounted there, either flush or on some kind of angled bracket...  TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread
2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
1st Jan 2023 3:51pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
As well as spending all my time and money upgrading the truck, I actually use it as well 😊 and my wife and I had taken it on a couple of big camping trips through France heading to places like the Pyrenees and the Camargue.
Over the years we had tried various types of tent but hadn’t found a setup that we liked. Ideally, we wanted to be able to make and break camp quickly when staying somewhere for just one night, and then to have something you can set up and put your gear into for a few days, giving the flexibility to explore in the truck without having to pack everything away each day. We may have got close to what we wanted with a roof tent and/or a driveaway awning, but after a couple of long holidays, checking out other people’s setups at Land Rover shows and a few discussions on this forum, we decided on our perfect setup – a poptop and an Oztent. This setup would allow us to just use the potptop for quick stopovers and the Oztent offers one or two extra rooms (using the zip-on side and front panels) for when we are staying somewhere for more than just one night. The Oztent is quick and easy to set up and so doesn’t really detract from the convenience and speed offered by the poptop. We got a great deal on eBay for an almost new Oztent RV4 and all the extra panels, but the poptop took a bit more thinking about. I ruled out the Alucab because I wanted to use my existing roof, so I focussed initially on Ex-Tec, Drexl and x-Vision-x who are all based in Germany. The first two are the big names and are amongst the most expensive, but their wait time also meant I wouldn’t make our next holiday in the Pyrenees (Aug 22). I had heard great things about x-Vision-x who are a much smaller operation, but with a reputation for quality and, most importantly, recommended by a couple of other forum members. They could also just about get the work done (a week) before my holiday, so I paid my deposit and waited until my build slot in July. I drove the truck to Stuttgart over a weekend and dropped it off and then did the reverse a couple of weeks later. The work was completed by Markus who, along with his wife, were really friendly and welcoming. Here are a couple of screen shots from Instagram that I was sent, showing the work in progress: Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread 2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
|
15th Jan 2023 4:05pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
And here's the posey shot that was taken when I collected it
Click image to enlarge Once I got it home I took a few more pics and set up the Oztent Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread 2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
|
15th Jan 2023 4:08pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
And less than 2 weeks later we were in the Pyrenees - this shot is from our first night where we were figuring out both the poptop and the new tent
Click image to enlarge Part of our holiday was a week on a guided tour through the Pyrenees crossing through Spain, Andorra and France - here are a couple of my favourite pics from the tour: Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge And a final pic showing the truck after a fun day exploring mountain trails Click image to enlarge TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread 2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
|
15th Jan 2023 4:17pm |
|
| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2117 
|
Yea!! another X-V-X pop top on the forum ! Looks fab.
Sounds like you have has some fun so far and hope hope you have many more happy adventures with it! We have a 270’ awning with sides rather than a tent, but have always slept in the top and used the awning as extra rooms for cooking and entertaining. A quick tip to do now would be turn the short ‘helper’ struts by the back door over so as the fat end is at the top and the thin bit at the bottom. The balls are only screwed on and easy to remove. This will save the seals in the strut drying out. Ours went after a year or so and have no issues since we turned them over. Looking forward to seeing more of your upgrades and trips  Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html
Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126 |
||
|
15th Jan 2023 5:57pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
Thanks for the tip - I will take a look at the weekend! TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread
2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
|
20th Jan 2023 4:00pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
(I am almost up to date on the build - so far we’re up to October 2022.)
We’ve struggled in the heat on our holidays, especially when driving for a full day through France to the Pyrenees and it’s 40 degrees C outside. Part of the problem has been heat transmission through the floor, tunnel and seatboxes and part was due to ineffective air conditioning. The underfloor ‘radiator’ issue is well discussed on these forums, and I plan to properly insulate them, but the AC cooling issue was much trickier to resolve. Because my truck is a hybrid TD5/Puma on the inside, the standard LR aircon systems for both models will not fit. I had an aftermarket HVAC unit installed to solve this compatibility problem, but it was not running properly, in spite of being looked at by some local AC specialists a couple of times. By chance I stumbled upon Clayton Classics in Coventry who are experts at fitting AC and audio systems to vintage cars. Each time I visited, there were never fewer than five E-Type Jags in their workshop getting AC upgrades, so you get the idea of the quality of their workmanship! Surprisingly, they were happy to work on an old Land Rover and so their top man, Phil, set about fixing just about every problem I could throw at him. He rebuilt the HVAC unit, noting that at its core the condenser was extremely efficient for its size, so the issue was that it had just been poorly implemented and installed. The job sheet included: - Replacing and updating the frost stat, modifying the water heater valve - Modifying the air box to improve air flow – the cool air will now reach my face instead of stopping a foot in front of me! - Rewire and replumb all the ducting, again to help airflow - Added some side demist vents to stop my windows steaming up (they work brilliantly now) - Removed the Puma dash and made proper mounting points to secure it to the TD5 bulkhead - Phil fixed every bit of wiring that he was not happy with – I told him he had free rein to replace anything he would not want to put his name to in a E-Type! - Connected my heated seats to new switches on my custom centre panel - Permanently clamped and sealed the exterior TD5 bulkhead vent flaps which are of no use with a Puma dashboard - Soundproofed under the bonnet - And then Phil did a massive soundproofing job on the bulkhead and floor with a layer of Silent coat topped with a layer of thermal soundproofing foam. My intention in the future is to add a Wright Offroad mat over the top to complete the job. Phil really spent time on the soundproofing, ensuring that every gap was sealed up to minimise noise transmission. The only thing he didn’t do was soundproof the tunnel as this will be coming off and replaced by a Puma tunnel soon when I sort out the gear shift. Here are some pics of the Silent Coat layer. You can see where the vent flaps have been permanently secured and sealed. Click image to enlarge And then into the footwells with the top layer of thermal soundproofing Click image to enlarge The modified and enlarged AC output vent Click image to enlarge Modified air distribution box Click image to enlarge And the rest of the bulkhead Click image to enlarge I am really pleased with the results, the AC was reliably outputting air at 1-2 degrees C which I could feel firmly on my face, the dashboard was properly installed, reliably wired and I had gone a long way to completing my soundproofing wish list. The truck is definitely much quieter than before the work was done, but at this point there is still no carpet/matting anywhere and there is no soundproofing around the tunnel, so I know there is still a lot of improvement to be had. We just booked another guided offroad tour around the Pyrenees in July and I’m looking forward to a much cooler and quieter journey there and back! TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread 2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
|
20th Jan 2023 5:30pm |
|
| Co1 Member Since: 19 Aug 2018 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 3685 
|
Excellent work Andy, nice job.
|
||
|
20th Jan 2023 8:56pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
My remaining “non Puma” feature is the original R380 gearstick which is doglegged under the base of the dash. The gearchange is fine, but the stick fouls the dash and buzzes in 3rd and 5th (in spite of being adjusted a few times) and the worst thing is when shifting in between hi/low range you can skin your knuckles.
Here is what we started with, the doglegged original gearstick: Click image to enlarge Luckily, like most things for the Defender, there’s a fix for this particular problem – the genius R380 to Puma gearshift adapter from Syncro Gearboxes. The idea is you buy the Puma turret, gearsticks and tunnel, and this kit will allow you to mount them on the R380, completing the replica Puma interior. Here’s a couple of pics from their website to show the adapter and how it mounts on the gearbox. Click image to enlarge So I bought this lot from eBay, giving me everything I needed (I apologise for the blue carpets… new house, dodgy décor!) Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge I also decided to get a recon gearbox from Ashcroft because I had been having synchromesh issues in 4th gear and was thinking I’d need a recon box at some point and I only want to have the adapter fitted once, so it made sense to fit it to a new box in one go. I already have a fairly new SMF clutch from LOF, so with luck this will be my clutch and gearbox sorted out for the long term. My new mechanic is ex JLR and has seen a lot of Defenders in his time, but even he raised an eyebrow when I explained what I wanted him to do (cutting, filing and a bit of welding is required to fit the kit). He is getting to know me though and can see all the other upgrades I have had done and he was up for the challenge. A couple of days after dropping it off I collected it again and drove it away – it was ‘relatively straightforward’ I was told…! The new gearshift is totally different. The adapter has the Slickshift built-in which, combined with the Puma gearsticks, gives a much shorter and more precise gear change. It is a little stiff at the moment, particularly going into 5th, but I think that’s down to the new gearbox and it should loosen up with a bit of mileage on it. TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread 2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop Last edited by andy2111 on 27th Mar 2023 5:29pm. Edited 2 times in total |
||
|
27th Mar 2023 5:22pm |
|
| andy2111 Member Since: 17 Oct 2021 Location: Kent Posts: 365
|
After the initial fitting it went back to the workshop because I was getting a lot more noise in the cab due to the fact the Puma metal tunnel does not have any sound insulation underneath it, whereas the plastic TD5 tunnel does. After the addition of some closed cell foam and applying some sealant along all the tunnel seams to prevent any noise ingress, I was back to the same level of cab noise as before. I plan to use the Wright Offroad matting system as my final soundproofing layer, so it will be interesting to see what difference that makes.
I also decided to splash out on some billet aluminium gear sticks to finish the whole thing off. And here’s the end result (I still need to carpet over the visible silver soundproofing). Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Apart from my custom AC panel the interior now looks pretty close to a genuine Puma, albeit with fancy vents and some extra switches. More importantly I have a greatly improved gearchange, full air conditioning, and (nearly) full soundproofing including the front bulkhead. Maybe now I can stop being obsessed with the interior and focus on other things… An Alive GTB450 anyone? TD5 hardtop to Puma inspired Poptop - my build thread 2002 110 TD5 Hardtop ¦ Full Puma interior ¦ Carpathian grey / Santorini black ¦ X-Vision-X poptop |
||
|
27th Mar 2023 5:26pm |
|
| LJMARSDEN Member Since: 08 Jun 2021 Location: Nottingham Posts: 341 
|
Nice Build.
4.0 V8 Defender 90
My Instagram |
||
|
23rd Oct 2023 8:55am |
|
|
|
| All times are GMT |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2025 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
