Getting the Dormobile Usable for Me

When we got the Dormobile home we discovered it had its very own ecosystem. All the window seals had moss growing in them. The fiberglass on the roof had mold growing in the fiberglass. The tent material was covered in mold. One of the bunks was the original material and we were afraid to put anything on it, for fear it would break. The other bunk was a replacement, but had lots of stains. The stove did not work. The curtains were original, so if you got next to them you would sneeze and if we washed them I think they would have fallen apart. And everything was dirty!

So, here is what we did to get it livable for me.

1. We started with the window seals. They were all replaced, except for the driver's door. At some point in the 40 year history someone decided they would “fix” the door and pored concrete inside the door. (We have yet to fix that.)

2. We took out the stove and wardrobe. We took them apart and had them powder-coated with the original hammerite finish.

3. I bought a sewing machine and made new curtains. This was a real challenge for me. Give me a power tool and I feel just fine, but a sewing machine is a whole different story. The curtains are red, my favorite color.

4. We had new bunks made at a local upholstery shop. These are also red!

5. I painted the fiberglass ceiling with Kilz paint. I know lots of the purest would disagree with this, but if I am going to sleep in this vehicle and have my child sleep in it. I don't want any mold.

6. I cleaned the canopy with a bleach and water mixture. Got it clean. It has holes in it, but unless we get stuck in a monsoon storm we have been just fine. (One of these days, we will replace it. This is one thing I would like to keep original and a new candy striped one is over $500 with shipping from the UK. So, it will have to wait.)

7. I cleaned and put new trim on all of the ceiling panels.

8. We put new floor mats in the whole car.

9. James fixed the hole in the floor board in the front seat.

10. I am sure James checked the fluids and all that stuff under the hood.

11. And we cleaned everything!

After this we took the vehicle out to the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona. We realized we forgot to look at the tires. We got two flat tires, and were rescued by another Series Land Rover owner from Tucson. So, the last major upgrade we did at the beginning was the tires. We now have five BFGoodrich All-Terrains. We have had them for five years and they are great.

Purchasing the Dormobile

Many people ask us how we found our Dormobile. So, here is the story.

When I met my husband in 1995, he owned a Series 3, 88 inch Land Rover. On one of our first dates he took me out in the Land Rover over a rocky mesa in Flagstaff, AZ. I was totally miserable. He could sense this and asked me if I wanted to drive. I was not very good at a standard transmission, but jumped at the chance drive. I have been hooked ever since. In 1996 I purchased a 1989 Range Rover and since then we have also owned a 1993 Range Rover.

We drove our 1989 Range Rover to over 300,000 miles. It was a great car. We traveled all over Colorado, Utah and Arizona. One trip in 1998 we went through the Navajo Nation with 9 nine other rovers. On this trip there were 3 Dormobiles, including the one we would eventually buy. I remember thinking the women were crazy to be traveling is such a small vehicle. Little did I know I would be one of those crazy women.

A few years later, we traveled the Mojave Road in California with about 15 rovers. On this trip our future Dormobile was also present. Most of the vehicles left the Dormobile behind. Since we had owned a Series Land Rover, and knew they were not a fast or smooth ride, we stayed behind with it and got to know the owner.

So, a few years later when the owner was ready to sell. We were interested. We had expanded our family to include our daughter, and the 93 Range Rover had blown a head gasket. The Dormobile was in Davis, CA and so we flew from Tucson to get it. We drove the car back. It was the longest drives of my life. Hot, noisy, and very uncomfortable. Since then we have been working on making the vehicle work for us.

The Beginning

We own a 1968 Series IIA Land Rover Dormobile. This blog is to share our experiences with this vehicle and all of our outdoor adventures.