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This page details my 1969 Land Rover right-hand drive SIIA Dormobile.

Here are the pages detailing the car and the work I've been doing on it:

I am looking for information about it, so please let me know if you recognize it. You can contact me via the Land Rover Series 2 Club Forum, username "jkhackney" with any comments or questions.

A Dormobile is an aftermarket pop-top camper conversion from the Martin Walter company, approved by the car manufacturer. Several brands of large vehicle were converted to campers by Martin Walter until 1983 or 84. See my links page.



This Land Rover is a standard 626 model, meaning it has 2 hammock beds in the roof, 2 beds on the flat-folding "Dormatic" seats, a dining table, a stove, a broiler, a sink which empties onto the ground, and wardrobe. This vehicle was special in having two interior lights rather than one, a toilet(?or maybe it is an owner mod to the wardrobe), a parking light, bug screens, and apparently a roof rack. All of the latter are missing except the parking light.

The history of the vehicle doesn't add up. It was registered before it was built.

From the V5 document:	First registered February 25, 1969 Number "BBY 6G". Last registered in Gloucester Last color Blue Latest engine a 4-cyl 2286cc petrol. On MOT documents from 1999-2004 it was variously listed as White, Grey, Dark Blue, and Blue, and it indeed has all these layers of paint. It also has green paint on the bulkhead and front wings.
From the last owner in the U.K.	The Dormobile was named, "Baby G" from its license plate and took at least one vacation to Scotland.
From the Land Rover Gaydon Heritage Center:	Marine Blue 6-cylinder 2600 cc engine RHD Export model Ordered March 6 1969 Dispatched May 1 1969 to Lawrence, Marlborough

I bought it in Germany in September, 2007 after looking for one for a couple of months. It still had one year's valid registration, so I was able to go there on the train and drive it 750km back to Switzerland. It was a rare find. It is my first Land Rover and my second vehicle at all. I overlooked some major problems, most of which were intentionally hidden with chassis coatings and body putty, and I quickly became an expert on broken Series Land Rovers.

Its chassis number is that of a 1969 Station Wagon, but this number is not found among those sent to Martin Walter. The two vehicles before it and one after it on the assembly line were sent to Martin Walter. Swapping Dormobiles to serviceable Station Wagons was apparently common as their chassis rotted near 20 years of age (1980s). This is probably what was done to this vehicle, and its original chassis number is lost.

While on SORN in Britain in 2004, it was again repaired extensively, then MOT'D in 2005. It was sold and re-registered on the road in Germany in 2006. The repairs from that time, and I don't know if they were done in England or in Germany, include massive chassis repairs and plating of the bulkhead rot, front axle ends, and body work. It was rebuilt onto its third chassis because the current chassis is a modified Basic chassis rather than a Station Wagon chassis. Only an experienced Land Rover owner could tell, and being a newbie, it took me several months' research to figure this out. The engine and brakes are 4-cylinder rather than the 6-cylinder one would expect from the chassis number. The chassis and bulkhead repairs are unfortunately of very poor workmanship and the rot has continued.

I think that I can date the 4-cylinder 8:1 engine from July, 1970 at the earliest, from its serial number and the SII club archives. The gearbox is an early one from before 1966 and runs perfectly. However the straight 4WD lever on the old gearbox was designed to be used with the round heater. It hits the flat heater and pops out of gear.

Its pluses include overdrive, free-wheel hubs, Lumenition electronic ignition, new side doors, the apparently original table, and the apparently original broiling pan, both rare items. The interior panelling is all original and complete. The front upholstery appears original and the rear seats have been reupholstered and look presentable.

Its minuses include almost no paper history, exceedingly rotten chassis and bulkhead, rotten front panel, leaking radiator, leaking fuel tank, leaking roof, bad brakes, rotten sill channels, badly corroded front doors and rear door. The steering and the rear differential have probably got too much play. The roof wiring and front headliner have been removed. The original side doors with the bug screen mounts have been lost along with the interior lights, "roof up" warning light and buzzer, bug screens, bunk covers, and bunk fabric.