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A pop-up solution

Text and photographs: GG van Rooyen. Article from the November 2012 issue of Leisure Wheels Magazine.

How do you transform a Land Cruiser 78 Troopie into the ultimate overland 4×4? Simple, says Andrew St Pierre White, you chop off its roof and replace it with a tent.

How do you transform a Land Cruiser 78 Troopie into the ultimate overland 4x4? Simple, says Andrew St Pierre White, you chop off its roof and replace it with a tent.

“The idea came to me while I was sitting in a 4×4 during a sand storm,” says Andrew St Pierre White. “I realised that the ideal overland vehicle would be one that provided access to your tent from inside the vehicle. That’s really where the idea for this Land Cruiser started.”

Andrew St Pierre White
Andrew St Pierre White

Andrew, whose company, Autograph 4×4, assists clients in creating overland vehicles that suit their specific needs, wanted to build a truly practical overlander.

“My aim was to create the ultimate overland 4×4, so I wanted something that was capable off road, boasted loads of storage space and allowed you to set up camp quickly and easily.”

But it wouldn’t be easy. Andrew would have to get radical. “I decided on the Land Cruiser 78 as the base vehicle because it has loads of space in the back. You can fit in an astonishing amount of stuff – it’s like a cave back there! If you plan on transporting more than two people it isn’t ideal, but for two people it’s great because it offers so much usable space.”

To turn the vehicle into an overlander with a tent that could be accessed from the cabin, however, would require some serious surgery. Andrew would need to chop off its roof.

From left to right: The base of the tent can be pushed upwards, so you can stand in the cabin. A water heater provides for warm showers, while a Snomaster Fridge keeps food and drinks cool.

“It was a drastic measure, but I felt that it would work well,” says Andrew. “I needed to find a company that could assist me in the process, and that proved to be quite difficult. Most companies weren’t receptive to the idea. They had certain established methods and didn’t want to try something so different.

“Luckily I did eventually find a company that was keen to give it a try. I spoke to Jeremy Bergh from Alu-Cab, and he was immediately keen to assist.”

Alu-Cab tackled the project and quickly came up with a solution that allowed easy access to a roof-top tent from inside the Cruiser. “Alu-Cab really impressed me,” says Andrew. “They came up with an excellent answer to my problem – and they did it in a very short time.

Andrew White's Land Cruiser may look like a standard model, but it's not. Its roof has been chopped off and replaced with a roof-top tent. This allows direct access to the tent from the cabin.

“The floor of the tent which, of course, now acts as the roof of the Troopie, has a hatch that allows you to climb into the tent directly from the rear of the vehicle. But that’s not all. The entire floor can also be tilted upwards, allowing you to stand upright in the back of the Cruiser.”

Andrew’s goal of creating the ultimate overland vehicle was within reach, but there were still a couple of additions needed to complete the Cruiser. He fitted a set of BF Goodrich mud-terrain tyres, a snorkel, a replacement bull bar with a winch and a replacement rear bumper with a set of swing-arms that hold a spare wheel and a hi-lift jack. He also fitted an Eezi-Awn awning and replaced the standard suspension with an EFS system.

The nifty pop-up tent allows the traveller to set up camp in a matter of minutes.“The awning is fantastic, because it covers a very large area when open. Smaller awnings aren’t terribly effective, since they cover only one side of a vehicle. This awning opens to 270 degrees, covering the side and rear of the vehicle,” says Andrew. “Fitting a suspension was a tricky process. A suspension that works fantastically well when a vehicle is heavily loaded is often too hard when the vehicle is empty. In order to find a decent compromise, I decided on an EFS suspension with Firestone helper springs. These allow you to fine tune the suspension to improve comfort and handling. “The inside of the Cruiser sports a few must-have overland necessities such as a large Snomaster fridge and two long drawers on the sides of the cabin that double as benches. There are also two water tanks – one for drinking water and one for washing. The tank for washing water is connected to a nifty water heater/shower at the back of the vehicle that allows you to wash up swiftly and effortlessly.

So is this the ultimate overlander?

“For two people, I really think it is ideal,” says Andrew. “The Land Cruiser’s diesel engine is tough and reliable, and should something go wrong, you can find spares for it all over the continent. It can also handle just about any diesel fuel.

“With the roof-top tent, setting up camp takes no more than five minutes, and packing up is just as quick. And, of course, should you be stuck in terrible weather, you can move from the cabin to your tent without braving the elements.”

Autograph 4×4

Andrew St Pierre White’s Autograph 4×4 assists clients in building and kitting out overland vehicles to their requirements. “We help clients to custom-build overland vehicles that suit their specific needs. We are not tied to any specific manufacturers, so we always fit the best component for the application, regardless of brand,” says Andrew. Apart from the Land Cruiser 78, Autograph 4×4 can kit out other makes and models such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Professional, Toyota Prado TX, Land Rover Discovery 4 and Toyota Hilux. For more information, visit www.autograph4x4.com.

Leisure Wheels Safaris - a great way to offroad

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