Family fun wagon: Part 7

The 110 V8 goes soft-top, as Trevor assembles his sticks, and aims for a perfectly-fitting hood

The 110 V8 goes soft-top as Trevor fits a more stable mohair hood and frame

IN THE previous incarnation of the Land Rover V8, as an 88-inch off roader, it had been at times a hard top, a hard top with side windows and then a full soft top. The old canvas tilt was showing its age and wasn’t suitable for the new long wheelbase 110 configuration. Way back when I converted the 88-inch Land Rover to full soft top, I sourced all of the hardware and the canvas tilt itself from All Wheel Trim Ltd in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Now, with a decision made that the 110 would again have a full soft top, I spoke with All Wheel Trim boss, Kim Johnson, about the available options. The first good news was that some of my hardware would be reusable on the 110, for example the ex-military roll-bar/seatbelt hoop, as well as some of the non heavy-duty hoops. All Wheel Trim Ltd were able to put together a partial package of hardware to complement my reusable parts, keeping cost down a little (although I have quoted full kit costs for this feature).

The next question was centered around the hood itself. A full canvas tilt or a more stable mohair hood? Which would be more suitable for the County Donegal environment in the long term? Canvas tilts can shrink slightly in changing environments, while mohair is much more stable. Any concerns about the durability of mohair evaporated when Kim showed me his own Defender 90 with its mohair hood of over 20 years old. Yes, mohair is also more expensive than canvas, but I particularly like the ease of unzipping the side and rear panels, so my mind was made up.