Cover illustration from X-PANDA-CAB assembly manual

Land Rover X-PANDA-CAB
The invisible camper - sleeper unit

The X-PANDA-CAB was a pop up top conversion kit that utilized the stock hard top sides and roof to create a pop up top camper conversion.  It was manufactured in Colorado, USA during the mid 1960's.  Kits were available to convert both 109 and 88 Land Rovers.  The pop up frame assembly was made from aluminium and could be installed without drilling any holes in the existing hard top.  The latches are inside so the top can be raised and lowered without going outside the Land Rover.  

At the front is a zip down window that had zip down mosquito netting.  The X-Panda-Cab conversion can best be thought of as a roof tent that takes up no exterior space when put away.

Sheets of plywood create a upper birth "bedroom" . When the panels are moved to the side head space is dramatically increased with the top erected allowing a person to stand erect.  See picture below for alternate way to cut floor panels so that they can be stacked at the front or rear of the roof section instead of to one side.

When the top is lowered the X-PANDA-CAB conversion becomes invisible from the outside.

The Land Rover 88 version has 76" by 51" upper bunk space.  People frequently ask why the top opens from the top and not the back.  The answer is ease of entry into the sleeping area.  When the floor panels are in place the sleeping area is isolated from the vehicle interior so entry is by climbing up on the bonnet and entering from the front.

Most pictures of X-Panda cab conversions show the conversion on an 88.  Some people think that the 109 kits were never offered.  To the left is a derelict 109 station wagon with a X-Panda cab conversion installed.

This Canadian 109 has a roof tent  that is very similar to an X-panda cab conversion.

An X-pandacab conversion seen at a 2009 meet in Colorado.  Photos by Paul Donohue

X-Pandacab Interior accessories from a sales sheet

This is the optional galley unit made from finished plywood. Countertops are made from Marlite. The table slides out from the unit.  The cooker has 3 burner and the centre lower storage cabinet was designed to be large enough for an ice cooler.
NOTE the roof area.  In this conversion the plywood sleeping floor panels are cut so they can be stacked to one end or the other of the top interior.

Documents:

• Double sided sales sheet ( pdf file from 8-1/2 X 11 original)
• Assembly instructions This link takes you to Ike's X-Panda web page.  He and I both have a copy of assembly instructions made from the same poor quality FAX copy.   Ike's are on line and mine are bogged down in a low priority attempt to clean up the pages.

These are links to jpegs of instruction pages I have cleaned up so far.

• Cover page (drawing at top of this page is most of cover page)
• Before you start
• Parts List
• Step 1
• Step 2
• Step 3

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