It's been a really fun month at Sonoran Rovers in Tucson. We finished up a long standing expedition camper build, we had a couple come all the way down from Vancouver for Alucab roof conversion and solar install, and have also finished a complete electrical refurbishment on a 1991 Defender 1110.
Build feature - Christian’s Expedition Camper
Base vehicle - 1989 fully restored Defender 110 from UK resto company Arkonik
Approximately a 400 hour build on this one, with a really fun client from Ohio. Christian had a very ambitious spec for this truck and of course we said yes. It's actually a huge challenge space-wise to fit all this into the back of a Defender 110 but with the help of chassis mounted storage for water and an exterior box for the diesel heater and compressor, we made it work.
Build
Alucab Icarus roof
270 degree awning
Shower cube
Hot and cold running water
400 watts of solar on roof
400 amp hours of lithium ion battery storage
Induction cooking from a pull out kitchen drawer
Custom cabinetry from David Cross
65 liter water tank
50 gallons of diesel tanks for 1200 mile range
All the bells and whistles Red Arc management system
Bp 51 suspension upgrade
ARB bumper and lights with warn winch
Diesel heater
Arb twin air compressor
Look out for Christian’s truck at events in the Mid-West and east coast. He’s a great cook and will make you something if you run into him.
Project TD5 ONE
Build underway - Exporting late 2023
From Spain originally, we bought this rust- free 1998 Defender 110 TD5 in July. It’s a cool project for us as it’s one of the very first exportable TD5 Defenders that will be available in the USA and we should have it on the road in Arizona in early December.
Build:
Complete under body rebuild:
Body removed from the chassis
Rebuilt front and rear axleels
Rebuilt transfer case and gearbox
New brakes
New suspension and all bushings
New steering components including a rebuilt steering box
New prop shafts
Engine:
Coming out and refurbished - we don’t think a full rebuild will be necessary as it’s quite low miles.
New turbo
refurbished injectors
Timing chain
Clutch
All seals and gaskets
Stage two map taking the HP to a reliable 180 (this will be a completely different driving experience to a TDi Defender. Built to drive all day at 80 MPH.
Paint and body:
There are options here, we will either make into a roll caged-off road-ready vehicle or a Soft Top beach cruiser type truck. Or a great base for an Alucab roofed expedition truck.
New doors
Interior stripped
New front wings
Body dismantled for paint
Project Paolo - Frame off build Defender 90
Coming to Bring a Trailer in September - target price 90k USD
Video and loads of pics soon on the site.
