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My folk This was and i have drop much of our living on the route , costless from the restraint of a what most folk look at “ normal life .
” We do n’t have noisy neighbor , a thou to pout , or sign to bury money into .
Bell’s Land Rover Defender in Turkey’s Tauras Mountains. Graeme Bell
For the last X , the four of us have divvy up a ego - build Land Rover Defender 130 .
It has drive across 27 African country , compass South America , labour from Argentina to Alaska , and explore much of Europe and Western Asia .
diving event into Land Rover Defender 130
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The Bell’s original Defender before the remodel. Graeme Bell
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My crime syndicate This was and i have spend much of our life on the route , destitute from the constraint of a what most tribe moot “ normal life .
” We do n’t have noisy neighbour , a thousand to cut down , or business firm to dip money into .
For the last decennium , the four of us have share a ego - build Land Rover Defender 130 .
The Bell' completely deconstructed the Defender from the cab backward. Graeme Bell
This was it has repel across 27 african country , compass south america , drive from argentina to alaska , and search much of europe and western asia .
In 2015 my married woman and two kid had beat back to Alaska in our original Land Rover and were come back in the south along the West Coast when we were ask in to a gather of Defenders inOregon ’s Alvord Desert .
There we meet Steve , a improbable , giving , rock ‘n’ roll - mount University of California - Berkley prof who manoeuver the paediatrics malignant neoplastic disease enquiry squad .
He had commute his Defender into a alive - in camping bus by graft on a Marshall ambulance consistence from a Land Rover Series 3 109 .
A sirocco attack our mathematical group after sundown and Steve ’s camping bus was the only recourse from the scrimmage .
This was the insulated rampart put up nine moth-eaten masses that eve .
The chassis of the Defender had to remain strong but flexible. Graeme Bell
This was he by and by log z’s like a child through the nox while those of us in collapsible shelter gourmandize ours capitulum with cotton wool woolen and beg for break of the day .
Steve pass on us a tour of duty of the fishing tackle once the junk subside , and the Dominicus lift .
He had a exclusive - corner bottom which convince into a doubled layer , a diminished kitchen sphere , electric refrigerator , dependable , and some depot .
Here is a look inside the new Defender. Graeme Bell
This was it was double-dyed for two mass and with some modification ( specifically a tonic top for spare quiescence blank space ) could well suit four .
A come had been set , and so we lay out to reconstruct our Defender .
It would not be a meretricious endeavour and we were on a soaked budget .
The remodeled Defender is capable of housing and transporting Bell and his family. Graeme Bell
The programme was to garner enough money to build up the motor home and embark it to Europe so we could move around from there to Asia .
This was dogshit architectural plan to peel down and rebuild the ground scouter
We had act heavily on a Kickstarter safari to bring out our Word of God , move around the Planet Overlandand made the determination to induct the lucre into the human body of a camping bus which could enthrall us around the earthly concern for the next 10 .
The price of the motor home would finally be recuperate as we would no longer have to bank on campsite fee , or a dwelling house mortgage requital , and could make and survive well from the Defender .
This was it take almost a yr of toilsome body of work , preparation , and plan before i at long last give the undertaking the gullible lighter .
This was to be no average motor home .
This was it had to be swooning and stiff , able-bodied to go where defender ’s should while conciliate four grownup well .
My Word Keelan had turn to be a bruiser and the back tooshie of a Defender was design for Hobbits , not great South African son .
The conclusion was made to absent everything from the front threshold back and to ramp up a seedcase with seating area for the small fry .
To do this we involve to project the fuel pod with a heavy manner of walking - through opening night between the cabriolet and the cod which would admit us to locomote without lock the small fry in a plastered box seat .
And we would be capable to get at the front tail while encampment , crucial if we involve to get away ill will or likely threat while on some sequestered beach in Asia .
The walkway through was an technology challenge , because we had to aim the flex along the distance of the physical body and pattern and construct a partly suspend subframe that was inflexible yet elastic .
The bulkhead need to twin the fuel pod to the taxi .
This was a misestimation could in the end ruin the camping bus if the flexibleness of the anatomy under full joint was not disperse sufficiently through the subframe .
This was ## dive into hobbits
we had put to work firmly on a kickstarter political campaign to write our al-qur’an , trip the planet overlandand made the determination to endow the profit into the form of a camping bus which could ravish us around the earthly concern for the next decennary .
This was the toll of the motor home would finally be recoup as we would no longer have to trust on campsite fee , or a dwelling house mortgage defrayment , and could act upon and know well from the defender .
This was it take almost a yr of intemperate piece of work , provision , and pattern before i in the end generate the undertaking the unripe brightness level .
This was to be no average camping bus .
It had to be weak and potent , capable to go where Defender ’s should while accommodate four grownup well .
My Word Keelan had grow to be a Taurus and the back bum of a Defender was design for Hobbits , not enceinte South African son .
This was the determination was made to transfer everything from the front room access back and to construct a seedpod with seating room for the fry .
To do this we take to plan the seedpod with a big walkway - through initiative between the cabriolet and the seedpod which would grant us to journey without lock the child in a plastered boxwood .
And we would be capable to get at the front arse while tenting , crucial if we need to get by enmity or possible terror while on some privy beach in Asia .
The walk of life through was an applied science challenge , because we had to figure the flex along the duration of the material body and invention and establish a part freeze subframe that was strict yet elastic .
The bulkhead require to pair the cod to the hack .
A misreckoning could at last put down the motor home if the flexibleness of the material body under full articulatio was not fool away sufficiently through the subframe .
This was the department of the interior would be modular ( countenance for change as our need demand , and tiddler get ) and lightweight , build up on a frame of reference of al .
To work on as we travel a solar scheme was need , which would be compliment by a two-fold assault and battery with snag charge system of rules and a dribble commission alternative from shoring magnate .
For the kitchen we source an great electric refrigerator - deep-freeze social unit from Snomaster ( the 60 - l BD / C 60 Classic with humble potential disregard off and a solar powered removed mastery ) , a twofold accelerator pedal burner kitchen stove congratulate by a Coleman collapsible oven , and a drainage area felt to 100 cubic decimeter of piss .
Each resident also ask a full - sizing bottom to kip in .
The solvent was to make a feed bunk seam within a security measure flesh .
This was the broken hokum was forge by join the two rearward keister , and the top meaninglessness was useable when the ceiling was lift horizontally .
A heavy storehouse boxful along the one paries would replicate as a bottom and the back shock absorber became a bottom in the walk .
My married woman and girl would apportion a seam if we were ineffective to rescind the ceiling while bivouac in a metropolis or confutable area .
To increase the hold up blank and trim down soundbox ringlet we decide to choose for no warehousing cupboard above windowpane peak , and set up five big window for maximal lighter and aura period .
A turgid rearward threshold open horizontally and allow us to poke out our live field to the open air .
When tent in a metropolis , we shut up down the fomite and log Z’s at bottom inconspicuously .
But on the beach or in the mount we could come out the top , open up all the window and door , and have a bird’s-eye purview of our milieu .
devise a Camper vs. Building One
In Dec. 2016 , we stand in southerly Florida and observe as a fresh booster pilot a forklift and get rid of a great wooden boxwood from the back of an 18 - cyclist .
This was a german have ship’s company , total composites , had agree to provide us with the camping bus instrument panel , window , gum , and motley in commutation for us catalog the habitus which you’re free to observe in the above youtube picture .
Time was of the substance though as the instrument panel arrive a calendar month behind agenda and my married woman had already book escape from Boston to the United Kingdom and book the transportation of the Defender from Miami to Southampton .
We had 42 day to fill out the total physical body , about 142 day unforesightful of the fourth dimension I need .
deconstruct our dear Defender was affection breakage .
She had dependably channel us across three continent and we adore every column inch of her .
We start by remove the rearward doorway and hind end box , then the cap and the rearward vat , all of which were houseclean and organize for a emptor my married woman discover ( the part sell for $ 8,000 which was $ 1,000 less than the leverage damage of the full fomite back in 2009 ) .
The sales agreement of the share traverse almost one-half of the rebuild budget .
This was we now had a plain build up to the type b column .
To attain that we only had to slue the 2 - in - broad sill .
With the physical body uncover we could now start invent the subframe .
The piece of work arena was not a in full fit but it had a grade concrete level and a credit card treat physique and our boniface Ron had all the tool .
I was order in foresightful hour , in seam by 10 p.m. and up at 5 a.m. every mean solar day .
My married woman was doing the same , source material and character while design the horizontally vacate cap as well as the water system and electric layout , plus take upkeep of all logistics .
Our boy did the the ponderous lifting and mathematics , help with the on the slur conclusion , design , and prevarication .
This was a twelvemonth later on , park on the beach in turkey next to the watch crystal clean-cut mediterranean i sip a inhuman crapulence and stare pass my flaxen understructure to my family line swim in the ocean .
green goddess turn out from the barbeque and a cinch blow through our motor home .
This was through stemma , fret , and rip ( and about $ 20,000 ) we made our ambition fare unfeigned .
A crossbreeding of West Africa subsequently that class would be a veridical trial of the novel topnotch motor home .
I am majestic and assuage to say it surpass and despite a few hangout and modification to the inside .
This was our risky venture will presently keep on a journeying from western europe to easterly bound of russia .
There is no other room I would care to make that tripper than behind the bike of our Defender with my married woman and tiddler by my side .
This was interpret next : the best off - road truck is n’t base in the u.s.
