Introductory post

[Rynner]

Good morning,
Thanks for approving my membership request,
I have recently aquired a '68 series 2a 109
Carawagon diesel,
my previous '69 88 petrol safari which i completly rebuilt from the ground up was too small and thirsty for my needs so sold to provide funds to buy a 109 t&t exempt diesel to convert to a camper, i have always owned self converted campervans and decided to combine my interest in both types of vehicles, for months i looked at many regular 109s to convert but price and distance travelling to view and getting them back to west cornwall was against me, as luck would have it the Carawagon came up for sale locally, i am now the third owner,
Here are some details of the vehicle and my plans,
It has only covered a few miles a year for the last 20 or so years,
It is a two door,The internals were completely stripped out circa 1985 and lost, it has a regular safari roof and rack fitted, the bulkhead and door pillars require attention, this structural part is in hand, this will be the first job to do and then brakes,fluids etc, the galv chassis is good as is engine gearbox,overdrive and tyres, it drives very well,
i am planning to fit it out to suit my particular needs and skill level but very much along the lines of the original, after searching the net for reference pics i discovered the forum and the info i have already found is wonderful,
Ryn,
West Penwith

[RMS]

Hi, and welcome.

As you probably know, Carawagons were bespoke, made to customer requirements, so there were different layouts (though most went for the standard layout you'll see in the pictures).

So, doing your own interior, to suit your needs, is a good idea.

Not all Carawagons came with the 'pop-up' roof - it was an expensive option, though it does make the vehicle so much easier to use as a camper.

Looking forward to seeing pictures and posts as you get on with it.

Cheers,
Robin.

[RobW]

Another option is a Dormobile roof - they're still available. From the swearing when mine was done (not by me) it's worth going to them!

[Rynner]

I will be fitting it out to my requirements when all the mechanicals are done(inc servo dual lines),and when i have driven it for a while i while be raising the roof height by means of a filler section between the roof and tub, this alows me to easily revert back to original and hopefully a used carawagon or dormobile roof may become available,
Atb

[Dormy]

If you are intending to fit a filler section to increase your roof height, why not go the whole hog and make the section hinged with the ability to raise the full length of the roof.

This has been done successfully by a few others before;

There was one I saw which hinged sideways (like a Dormobile) and had solid ( mid-hinged) insulated side and end panels.

Another, by a S2 club member, is hinged at the front and uses a modern style campervan material.

Good luck with the project however you decide to do it.
Ian

[Rynner]

Hi,
Thanks for the suggesyions,
Thats on the cards, i dont want to mess with my original tropical roof so am actively looking for either an old 109 roof to try and adapt or a carawagon/dormobile roof, for now a filler height section will enable me to fit the inside out and get the needed headroom without altering the original parts,
In my local scrappy there is a fairly good nick forward opening elevating roof of a veedub t25, it has all the material and supports etc,
It seems that with some adaption which as far as i can see would be mostly fitting/scarfing an upstand to the roof for it to fix to it would go onto a 109, so as above, i am actively looking for an old non tropical 109 roof to experiment with,

Atb,

[Dormy]

I think if you follow the route you have detailed above ^^^^ you will be making things even harder for yourself.

If you want to build a section which raises the height of the roof (without alterations to the existing roof) then it has been proved already that this can be done by incorporating hinges and suitable material etc.

If you want to take existing elevating roof parts from some other vehicle and fit it to yours, then you have an even bigger project by the fact that you have to cut a hole in the existing roof, make extra parts, find suitable vinyl etc.

Which ever way you go, I wish you luck and look forward to reading the story.

Ian

[Rynner]

Slowly getting there,
Chassis is done, now to get onto the raised/infill section,