Recreating the distinctive Land Rover barrel side profile ?

[CompoSimmonite]

With my intention to chop off the back of the rotten Disco I've been thinking of making a Series / Defender style homage replacement bodywork with the distinctive barrel profile.
This would be for cladding the front doors as well as new rear tub. I'll leave the front for the moment
The complete Disco cab with windscreen, dash, doors and B posts would be retained.
I don't expect an exact replica of the famous body profile but as I say a homage to the style within the limitations of how the doors could be reclad. Rear doors are not worth selling (but window motors and central locking worth keeping) so I can experiment with them to see if the idea would work.
Anyway back to my question.
The profile is little more than a 1/4 circle with straight tab on one edge and 90 degree tab on the other for my idea.
How easy would it to make lengths of Zintec into just the top profile so flat pieces could then be added (pop rivet or spot welded) below.
Is there anything like this already available, say in aluminium for commercial vehicle coachbuilding ?

Thanks.

Paul H

 

[wookie]

Defender style homage replacement bodywork with the distinctive barrel profile.

I take it your on about this ....

If you have access to a set of slip rolls and a box pan folder it's easy, just form the curve and then fold the 45deg angle with the box pan folder.

The advantage is that it's a slab sided vehicle that your copying so very easy to replicate.

For the returns I'd make a template out of heavy gauge steel and then clamp it to he panel and shrink/stretch the metal around it, it's the same profile everywhere so one template would do for all your returns.

 

[Tinbasherdan]

If you're putting that much effort in you might as well just fit a defender tub

 

[Gritineye]

If you're putting that much effort in you might as well just fit a defender tub

X 2

 

[CompoSimmonite]

If you're putting that much effort in you might as well just fit a defender tub

(1) Defender tub too narrow (hence they fit the ugly wheel arch brows for the coil sprung axles)
(2) Had enough in the past of sorting out alloy corrosion on Land Rover rear tubs and never again.
(3) This is not intended to be a 100" Hybrid but rather using some of the traditional styling identifiers.

 

[MoreWellie]

how about using the sides off a defender tub and mounting them on to your own structure

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I think there would be less work in widening a defender tub than trying to clad the panels personally, your idea is nice but it's a hell of a lot of work for something like a disco

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I think there would be less work in widening a defender tub than trying to clad the panels personally, your idea is nice but it's a hell of a lot of work for something like a disco

But that is part of the fun
Also try and find a dent and corrosion free LWB Series tub to widen. Defender item not suitable as they have different arches for the horrible plastic eyebrows. Land Rover should have widened the Defender from the start rather than adapting the Series body.
They did make a "Big Lightweight" prototype which is wider but army went with the 101FC instead-

Then there is the LCV⅔ which is based on the Discovery 1 -

 

[owas]

Here's one

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Here's one

Hi cap tub, seen that before. Doesn't have barrel sides thoigh

 

[winchman]

Personally I feel it would be better to just put a different body on it

 

[Kent]

Here's one

That's totally horrid

 

[Kent]

Big lightweight? That sound pointless being a lightweight. We have Chinnook now hence no need for lightweights forward control is a different animal

I just ain't into all this cross breeding stuff