Total transformation
Defender 110 Td5 classy camper conversion
IN life you have to move with the times, identify the next big thing before it happens and you will cash in. With staycation the new buzzword, Britain has gone mad for local camping. Friends who have never camped in their lives are now purchasing Bear Grylls fire starter kits. Andrew Harrison Smith from Nene Overland is well aware of the above mentioned situation as he shows us one of his latest creations, a Bronze green Heritage Defender 110 Td5 camper. “We’ve been very busy with these type of conversions of late and we are proud of this one. The customers tell us exactly what they want and we create their dream campers using quality materials.” What makes this even more impressive is the before pictures, this was a tired Td5 with some serious rust issues. The body and engine were retained while Andrew and his team started off the project with a new galvanised chassis. A former County Station Wagon is now a camper.
MECHANICALS: I take a walk around it and look underneath. The prop and drive shafts have been replaced. When fitting the Superpro bush kit they also added new shocks and springs. I love the new, silver galvanised chassis and can’t wait to cover it in mud. As with most chassis’ replacements, the brake lines, discs, pads and calipers have been replaced at the same time. Anyone who has ever driven a Td5 Defender
will know that the clutch is as tight as Steve Miller’s wallet, a Red Booster servo clutch kit has taken care of that problem. There is not much under here that has not been replaced, including the stainless steel Terrafirma exhaust downpipe.
BODY: What I am looking at it is essentially a new vehicle. Nene’s bodyshop has done a good Bronze green (LRC619) paintjob. The galvanised bumper nicely matches the silver Heritage Series grill. Other silver finishes include the quality Optimill hinges and door handles. All nuts and bolts have been replaced with stainless steel ones. Even the wing plates have been anodised silver. So too the NAS rear step. I love the black twin step in front of the two ball, this makes opening and closing the tent pretty easy. Rear windows have a dark tint so if you want to have a naked dance in the back you can.
TOP CAMPER: It’s the camper bit of this 110 that impresses me the most. The black Polyprop carpet is pretty heavy duty and easy to keep clean. A massive 60 litre National Luna fridge has replaced some of the second row of seats. While there is a bespoke rear inward facing two man bench finished in sand canvas, to match the front seats. The beating heart of the conversion has to be the White Alu- Cab pop-up roof tent. These have become so popular on expedition vehicles, especially 110 Defenders. Yes, they do make the roof a little higher but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Another great addition is the Alu- Cab 270 shadow awning, which nearly gives you all round cover.
The kitchen and storage units have been finished in a caravan-like Maple while the work top is solid oak. Can you use it in the winter? Hell, yeah thanks to the Webasto EVO 5 RV diesel heater. They have covered all the bases with this build: water filtration system, CTEK SMARTPASS 120S Power Management System, roof mounted solar panels, loads of power and charging points. Lights in all the right places. There is a Webasto cooker and a lovely stainless steel wash basin to wash up in. Plus, a whole lot more. This is literally a Defender home away from home. It is also further proof that the old Defender is the most versatile vehicle on the planet. Top job Nene Overland!