Cutting the bulkhead.

I have a friend with a 110 van fitted out with beds, cooker etc. The bulkhead is modded as you suggest, only his cut out is square. Does not seem to make any difference to the strength of the Landy and it is much more civilised when it is pouring with rain and you stop for a cuppa.

Nick

I saw a picture in one of the mags of a 90 that had had the rear bulkhead cut. They had fitted a brace right across it about halfway between the top of the wheel box and the capping.

They had done it to enable you to recline the seat further - as the brace right across it would still leave it quite hard to walk through!

IIRC there was a place advertising them for sale. They were big tubular braces.

I dont see why you couldnt cut all the way down (to the top of the seat box anyhow) and just fit a nice hefty brace like you say. I had thought about doing mine when i was first rebuilding it - but then i fitted a truck cab and didnt want a big air vent! I can't see that you would loose that much strength if you re-inforced it decently?

Just adding that the strength the bulkhead gives must be across the vehicle. If you have a hardtop on (as percy does), and it is bolted on securely you might be able to get away without any strengthener (or just fit a strengthener that doubles as a roll bar/cage that runs as close to the insides of the roof as you can.

I think this is what you're talking about...

Cheers,

On or around Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:04:30 +0100, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

SIII station wagons (and 110s) don't have a bulkhead. On the SIII there's a rail thingy going across, but on the 110 there's sod-all.

Good point. They both have hardtops too (and youre unlikely to remove the hardtop off a station wagon). So presumably the roof strength is enough to make up for not having it.

One of the carawagons has the bulkhead cut right down for access into the back body. I'm guessing that a hardtop makes up for the lack of bulkhead. Maybe cut your shape and roll or fold the edges over if you are feeling ambitious. I doubt it will affect much unless you are planning on taking roof off etc at later date. Might be better in the long run to beef it up now before you tidy things up. How about one of the walk through stairgates, cut the shape out and weld the main frame in?

Yep, thats the kind of thing i was on about!

I would kind of like to remove the bulkhead in my landy.. but ive just been thinking about when i use it, and that bulkhead is quite useful! (though i suppose i could make a removeable piece that filled the hole) In the last 6 months i have moved a few loads of rubble. A lot of loads of soil (just chucked in the back to the level of the capping/tailgate) and quite a few loads of plant cuttings. All of them made use of the bulkhead to keep my seat seperate to the loads!

In article , snipped-for-privacy@lardrover.co.uk writes

As memory serves (mate had one in the 70s), there is a removable bar that runs level with the top of the lower body, which supports the seat backs. Wing nut each side, so quick removal. I think it was done so that (with the SWB) you could drop the front seats down, and have two full length bunks.

Adrian

The strength isn't in the roof itself, it's in the station wagon side frames, as they are one-piece which eliminates the flex at the capping line. Badger.

Mudstuff do a similar thing to what you're talking about, have a look here...

On or around Wed, 5 Oct 2005 19:08:22 +0100, "McBad" enlightened us thusly:

looks handy, and ought to fit a series as well, I should think. Walk through is a relative term though as you still have the seatbox.

Wouldn't allow of more seat movement on the driver's side of a series III with the front tank, either.