Safari (double skin) roof?

[SixthFlick]

Good Day All!

I'm a newbie to the Land Rover bug and have a ton of questions, of course. I bought my LR2 in Oct 2008, just purchased an '04 Disco II SE, and already have my eyes set on either a Series III or a IIa 88" for my future purchase.

Questionette #1: I've been drooling over all the pics of the Series vehicles on the internet and keep seeing this Safari (double skin) roof.

What's it for and does it actually work?

Questionette #2: Not a gearhead by any means, yet not afraid to work with wrenches, I'm keeping my sights towards the Series III (1984) simply because of the coils.

Is it expensive to have leaf springs converted to a coil or is money better spent just looking for a good condition coil spring?

My thoughts are that if a good condition IIa comes along with leaf springs the cost to convert to coils is better than finding a Series III that doesn't match the condition of the IIa.

Thanks All.

[scott]

i don't have a safari top, mine's canvas, but everyone who has 'em will tell you they do keep you cooler, as long as you're moving.

parbolic or oem springs are easy to find and install (the install part is a lie, the old springs will be a bear to ge off)

coils are for goils. real men (excuse he sexist sarcasim) ride springs

[NickDawson]

Good Day All!

I'm a newbie to the Land Rover bug and have a ton of questions, of course. I bought my LR2 in Oct 2008, just purchased an '04 Disco II SE, and already have my eyes set on either a Series III or a IIa 88" for my future purchase.

SixthFlick - welcome! You'll find this board to be a wealth of expertise and people who share the Rover passion.

I'm in a similar boat as you - having sold a Disco a few years ago, I'm looking for a Series IIa or III to get back into the fold. As such, I've been checking out the different roof options and am interested in replies regarding the safari top as well.

My plan had been to swap a hard top for canvas in the summer... although when it comes to logistics I dont have a place to store a hard top when not in use. A safari top might be a nice mix between the two.

Keep us posted on your search!

[greenmeanie]

The safari top is an extra thin aluminium sun sheet over the basic roof and a set of 4 vents to let air in when you are moving. They work up to a point but you are still going to be sweating in the desert. The sun sheets are not very robust so you can't climb on the roof and you have to be careful with roof racks etc. I'm currently beating out about 100 dents on the one on my project 109. They are desireable for most environemnts though.

A SIII is still leaf sprung. The boingers only came in with the 90/110. If you must have coils then buy a 90. A series can be made to ride nicely with parabolic leafs but it ain't no SUV.

I'd advise a bit more research before parting with money on one of these trucks as, I'm sure Nick will testify to this, there is a lot to learn and an educated buyer is a happy owner.

[Bertha]

Converting a series truck to coils is probably not a practical solution. You need to make a decesion if you want a series truck or if you would be better suited to a defender(coil trucks) Where in NY are you located?

[NickDawson]

I'd advise a bit more research before parting with money on one of these trucks as, I'm sure Nick will testify to this, there is a lot to learn and an educated buyer is a happy owner.
Amen! there's a lot of trucks out there for a lot of money and if thats not a concern then you can find something asap...but if you want to make an informed decision, then it takes some time, a lot of patience and some reading.

I've been reading (and loving) the Restoration Manual (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1859606229?ie=UTF8&tag=powporpro-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1859606229) which has a great section on finding and buying old rovers - what to look for, etc.

Here are a few of the threads that have helped me from this board:
Shamless plug for two of my own
http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6566

http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6393

Tread on someone looking at a IIa
http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6342

and everyone loves the rover p0rn here
http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4702&page=2

For shopping:
http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=28
http://www.landroverexchange.com/

Craigslist is also a nice resource - google craigs list search engines - there are tools out there to search multiple locations at once. I nerded-out and wrote my own code to scour the net for series trucks, its been worthwhile as most are not in my home state.

Good luck - the hunt is 1/2 the fun (and 1/2 the frustration too :) )

[chester rides again]

I previously owned a '67 109 station wagon with the safari top - real cool and could carry a few people nicely.

I now own a '68 109 regular (pick-up) with a pick-up top, a full hard top (not safari) and a full canvas top.

I believe I now have the best situation as I basically have many vehicles in one awesome ride. I run the pick-up top in the winter and switch over to canvas once it warms up.

I really like the 109 size as it offers a little more leg room, and can carry a lot more stuff. Now fitted with parabolic leafs, it rides like, well, a series land rover with parabolics.... it is what it is, but it's sure fun!

As mentioned, you should do a lot more research before you buy - try to find one of us locally who can get you in a truck so you can get the feel of it. There isn't much like riding in a Series Land Rover.

[BackInA88]

Craigslist is also a nice resource - google craigs list search engines - there are tools out there to search multiple locations at once. I nerded-out and wrote my own code to scour the net for series trucks, its been worthwhile as most are not in my home state.

Good luck - the hunt is 1/2 the fun (and 1/2 the frustration too :) )

Have you guys seen this?
http://www.searchtempest.com/
Will search Craigslist and Ebay and other sites are suppose to be added.
You and even set how far away to want to look.

A little cumbersome but it works.

Steve

[Blueboy]

What's it for and does it actually work?

others have answered the function so I'll throw in my 2cents on if it works.

nice part on a 109 is that 2 vents are above the rear seat so air hits that area directly and in my case, the 2, 4-paw drive Rovers sitting back there like it.

the other 2 vents are in the rear seating area so that keeps that area "air circulated" or AC.

it is a nice feature when the temp is "nice" for you - it also can be like a convection oven when it is too hot!

Jaime

[adkrover]

I have a 109 safari top riding on parabolics (new style leaf springs) and it is quite comfortable to drive. I've looked at converting to coils and is not worth it in my opinion. The advantage to coils is better articulation of the axles so in hard core off-road excursions the coils are better at keeping all 4 in contact with the ground. It all depends on where you plan to drive.

The extra skin on the top does keep it cooler and adds extra protection agains leaks but does somehow manage to get a lot of abuse (saves the real roof from abuse). If you plan to add a full rack then maybe it's not as much of an issue but the vents are nice.