General Information
Year
1960
Make
Land Rover
Model
Dormobile
Color
British racing green & white
Packages
109 regular with Dormobile conversion
History
When I purchased The Green Rover in March of 1978 she was a worn out broken down truck that had sat under trees for over 2 years. The previous owner had inherited the truck years earlier and had used it to take him and his crafts to craft shows up and down the US Pacific coast. He didn't know to put oil anyplace except the engine. He drove it until the rear diff ran dry, put it in 4WD and drove it until the transfercase ran dry. Luckily that happened near his home so the Rover was towed home instead of to a wrecking yard. And there she sat until I came along, paid $350 for her and towed her home.
The previous owner said the truck was originally sold in Eastern Canada, purchased by his uncle and moved down to New Hampshire. There were a pair oh New Hampshire plates in the truck when I purchased her.
I moved the front diff to the back axle and rebuilt the transfercase with the old heat blued gears, new bearings and seals. It screamed loudly but worked.
She was put to work as a farm truck, hauling livestock, feed, pulling a manure spreader and more as I tried to put the truck back into reliable condition. There were a lot of missing parts, worn out parts and loose parts. In the beginning if I took her over a speed bump she sounded like shaking a galvanized bucket with some loose bolts inside. She wanted to stall on left turns. The problem ended up being one of the carb hold down studs was missing and the other was partially unscrewed. So on left turns the carb tipped to the side trying to fall off. I found and corrected many similar problems as I worked to put the truck back into sound reliable condition as I kept her working on the ranch.
In the early 1990's I decided I was tired of milking morning and evening 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and decided I needed to sell the livestock and get out away from the house. So instead of working on the ranch The Green Rover started going out on camping trips and traveling afar.
Over the decade of the 1990's she evolved into a long range Dormobile motor caravan. As I encountered vehicle limitations she was strengthened and modified to fit my traveling and camping preferences.
In the late 1990's and into the 2000's she has traveled throughout most of the US and lower Canadian provinces, seeing all the US and a chunk of the Canadian Pacific coast lines, circling the Great Lakes and followed the New England Atlantic Coast. The California Redwoods, the Vermont forests, Dakota badlands, Death Valley,, Monument Valley, Moab, Rockys and the mid west Plains. Wherever whim took me, camping in my Dormobile.
The previous owner said the truck was originally sold in Eastern Canada, purchased by his uncle and moved down to New Hampshire. There were a pair oh New Hampshire plates in the truck when I purchased her.
I moved the front diff to the back axle and rebuilt the transfercase with the old heat blued gears, new bearings and seals. It screamed loudly but worked.
She was put to work as a farm truck, hauling livestock, feed, pulling a manure spreader and more as I tried to put the truck back into reliable condition. There were a lot of missing parts, worn out parts and loose parts. In the beginning if I took her over a speed bump she sounded like shaking a galvanized bucket with some loose bolts inside. She wanted to stall on left turns. The problem ended up being one of the carb hold down studs was missing and the other was partially unscrewed. So on left turns the carb tipped to the side trying to fall off. I found and corrected many similar problems as I worked to put the truck back into sound reliable condition as I kept her working on the ranch.
In the early 1990's I decided I was tired of milking morning and evening 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and decided I needed to sell the livestock and get out away from the house. So instead of working on the ranch The Green Rover started going out on camping trips and traveling afar.
Over the decade of the 1990's she evolved into a long range Dormobile motor caravan. As I encountered vehicle limitations she was strengthened and modified to fit my traveling and camping preferences.
In the late 1990's and into the 2000's she has traveled throughout most of the US and lower Canadian provinces, seeing all the US and a chunk of the Canadian Pacific coast lines, circling the Great Lakes and followed the New England Atlantic Coast. The California Redwoods, the Vermont forests, Dakota badlands, Death Valley,, Monument Valley, Moab, Rockys and the mid west Plains. Wherever whim took me, camping in my Dormobile.
1960 Land Rover Dormobile (British racing green & white)
Modifications
Drivetrain
Drivetrain: Ford 302 (5.0L) from 1970 Mustang with 1991 Mustang EFi system and aluminum Airflow Research heads.
gearbox - close ratio NP435 gearbox, LR transfercase with Ashcroft high ratio kit,
Rear - LR six cylinder rear propshaft, to rear Salisbury with ARB diff and Great Basin Rovers hardened 24 spline axles
Front - Custom front propshaft with long spline high angle yolks. Rover axle case with Trutrac Limited slip diff, the larger 4.75:1 front R&P gears, SeriesTrek 24 spline front axles, Torrel front disc brake conversion.
Overall gearing in first gear low range is 50:1 at the axle (stock Series is 40:1). I had an earlier gearbox that gave me a 70:1 first gear and I found that it was too low for practical use for where I drive. I find the closer ratios to be much more usable under a wide range of conditions.
On the highway, my tach reads 2650 RPM when the GPS indicates the truck is at 65 MPH.
gearbox - close ratio NP435 gearbox, LR transfercase with Ashcroft high ratio kit,
Rear - LR six cylinder rear propshaft, to rear Salisbury with ARB diff and Great Basin Rovers hardened 24 spline axles
Front - Custom front propshaft with long spline high angle yolks. Rover axle case with Trutrac Limited slip diff, the larger 4.75:1 front R&P gears, SeriesTrek 24 spline front axles, Torrel front disc brake conversion.
Overall gearing in first gear low range is 50:1 at the axle (stock Series is 40:1). I had an earlier gearbox that gave me a 70:1 first gear and I found that it was too low for practical use for where I drive. I find the closer ratios to be much more usable under a wide range of conditions.
On the highway, my tach reads 2650 RPM when the GPS indicates the truck is at 65 MPH.
Interior
Front interior:
Fully upholstered front interior with 2011 installed elephant hide inside door panels, new bulkhead and kick panel upholstery, heated Defender seats and a home made centre cubby box. Radio counsel above heated windscreens with CB radio, MP3 stereo & speakers.
Rear interior:
Left side, rear to front:
Dormobile kitchen unit - This unit has a propane cooker with 2 burners, a broiler, a sink and storage area underneath. I store my dishes, cookware, canned and bottled foods in this storage space
Dormobile Spice rack (above left side window) - This is a storage shelf that sits above the stove . I usually keep flatware, pot holders, fire lighter, spray cooking oil, a cereals bowl & cup here. Oh & spices too.
Dormobile top bunk - A side fold out cot mounted at the roof line left side and protected by a white naugahyde cover when stowed. The bunk is 6 feet long. I have a right side bunk in storage.
Sink stand - This is a custom sink stand that holds a second sink. The front access door folds up to provide additional work space. There is a water pump and filter mounted below the sink. The faucet swings for both sinks and can point out the side window if I need to run water outside the vehicle. I store cleaning supplies, a stove top toaster and ale inside this cabinet.
Left side wardrobe - This is a custom made cabinet modeled after a factory Dormobile cabinet. A 15 gallon stainless steel water tank is fitted below this cabinet. There is a rough screen filter and 1 way flow valve near the cabinet base. You can see a porta-potty in its stowed position in the cabinet base. This cabinet hast three shelves plus vertical stowage for a camera tripod and a pick handle. In this cabinet I keep clothing, shoes, books and recovery straps.
Right side, rear to front:
Air pump (not visible, at rear of body) - Quickair2 12 Volt pump provides are to the rear ARB locker and for airing up tyres. There is a gauge & quick release connector easily accessible at the rear.
Folding jump seat & rear battery - This is a standard Series Land Rover folding rear seat. In the side bench area under the seat is a deep cycle 12V battery that powers the rear electrics and the radios.
Refrigerator & stand - This is a Norcold (same as early ARB) refrigerator sitting on a stand I fabricated. The base of the refrigerator stand is storage space with a flip down door. In here I stow enough engine oil for an oil change, oil filter, fuel filter and a bottle of power steering fluid. The upper sides of the truck slope inwards a little so the fridge needs to be about 2 inches from the body side in order to have open lid clearance. I stow a large griddle between the refrigerator and body. I also use the refrigerator as a step to reach the top bunk and as a table for eating.
Dormobile wardrobe - I have added a shelf near the top and a couple racks inside the door. On the shelf I store things like spare fan belts, a 300 watt DC to AC converter, toilet paper, Kleenex, and towels. Below in the main area I stow my nut & bolt box, a wine storage container, sleeping bag and inflatable mattress. There is a fold up jump seat built into the bottom of the wardrobe. There is space for a couple large cereal boxes behind the lowered jump seat. The inside of the door has a mirror with two racks below. The racks hold things like deodorant, hand lotion and other toiletries.
Tea cabinet (across body rear above the rear door) - It is a long cabinet that stretches the entire rear of the vehicle. I use the space for tea storage. I have space for 7 verities of tea back there plus a repair kit.
Fully upholstered front interior with 2011 installed elephant hide inside door panels, new bulkhead and kick panel upholstery, heated Defender seats and a home made centre cubby box. Radio counsel above heated windscreens with CB radio, MP3 stereo & speakers.
Rear interior:
Left side, rear to front:
Dormobile kitchen unit - This unit has a propane cooker with 2 burners, a broiler, a sink and storage area underneath. I store my dishes, cookware, canned and bottled foods in this storage space
Dormobile Spice rack (above left side window) - This is a storage shelf that sits above the stove . I usually keep flatware, pot holders, fire lighter, spray cooking oil, a cereals bowl & cup here. Oh & spices too.
Dormobile top bunk - A side fold out cot mounted at the roof line left side and protected by a white naugahyde cover when stowed. The bunk is 6 feet long. I have a right side bunk in storage.
Sink stand - This is a custom sink stand that holds a second sink. The front access door folds up to provide additional work space. There is a water pump and filter mounted below the sink. The faucet swings for both sinks and can point out the side window if I need to run water outside the vehicle. I store cleaning supplies, a stove top toaster and ale inside this cabinet.
Left side wardrobe - This is a custom made cabinet modeled after a factory Dormobile cabinet. A 15 gallon stainless steel water tank is fitted below this cabinet. There is a rough screen filter and 1 way flow valve near the cabinet base. You can see a porta-potty in its stowed position in the cabinet base. This cabinet hast three shelves plus vertical stowage for a camera tripod and a pick handle. In this cabinet I keep clothing, shoes, books and recovery straps.
Right side, rear to front:
Air pump (not visible, at rear of body) - Quickair2 12 Volt pump provides are to the rear ARB locker and for airing up tyres. There is a gauge & quick release connector easily accessible at the rear.
Folding jump seat & rear battery - This is a standard Series Land Rover folding rear seat. In the side bench area under the seat is a deep cycle 12V battery that powers the rear electrics and the radios.
Refrigerator & stand - This is a Norcold (same as early ARB) refrigerator sitting on a stand I fabricated. The base of the refrigerator stand is storage space with a flip down door. In here I stow enough engine oil for an oil change, oil filter, fuel filter and a bottle of power steering fluid. The upper sides of the truck slope inwards a little so the fridge needs to be about 2 inches from the body side in order to have open lid clearance. I stow a large griddle between the refrigerator and body. I also use the refrigerator as a step to reach the top bunk and as a table for eating.
Dormobile wardrobe - I have added a shelf near the top and a couple racks inside the door. On the shelf I store things like spare fan belts, a 300 watt DC to AC converter, toilet paper, Kleenex, and towels. Below in the main area I stow my nut & bolt box, a wine storage container, sleeping bag and inflatable mattress. There is a fold up jump seat built into the bottom of the wardrobe. There is space for a couple large cereal boxes behind the lowered jump seat. The inside of the door has a mirror with two racks below. The racks hold things like deodorant, hand lotion and other toiletries.
Tea cabinet (across body rear above the rear door) - It is a long cabinet that stretches the entire rear of the vehicle. I use the space for tea storage. I have space for 7 verities of tea back there plus a repair kit.
Exterior
Custom made sides to Dormobile lifting roof. Outer front outer wing panels from early Defender. D90 door tops. LR pioneer tools mounted to wing tops & bonnet similar to Camel Trophy D110's. Reinforced tailgate with lift get side hinged. military rear bumperettes. Door on right side for access to built in horizontal mount 5 gal propane tank.
Audio
7 inch wide Discovery I steel wheels powder coated semi gloss black. Tyres are 255/85R16 BF Goodrich Mud Terrains. 33.3 inches in dia.
I had planned to go with 35's but 33 inch dia was the tallest I could go and easily get into the vehicle wearing a narrow skirt without having to hike it up.
I had planned to go with 35's but 33 inch dia was the tallest I could go and easily get into the vehicle wearing a narrow skirt without having to hike it up.
Suspension
Steering converted to Scout II power steering
Suspension is basically stock. Ultra high density plastic sheets between the leaves to reduce friction so ride is the same as a parabolic spring without the parabolic's increased wheel hop tendency and side sway. Military extended shackles. Rear axle assembly has been moved back one inch to centre wheels in wheel arch. So in real life she is a 1960 One Ten.
OEM shocks & steering dampener. Great Basin Rovers greaseable poly bushings.
Suspension is basically stock. Ultra high density plastic sheets between the leaves to reduce friction so ride is the same as a parabolic spring without the parabolic's increased wheel hop tendency and side sway. Military extended shackles. Rear axle assembly has been moved back one inch to centre wheels in wheel arch. So in real life she is a 1960 One Ten.
OEM shocks & steering dampener. Great Basin Rovers greaseable poly bushings.
Wheel and Tire
3 fuel tanks, 2 under seat and one rear provides a 42 gallon fuel capacity. Built in 15 gallon stainless steel water tank at frame level. Built in 5 gallon propane tank. Built in 5 gallon air tank for the on-board compressor.
I can go from driving to camp set up, dinner salad made, dinner cooking and glass of wine poured in under 5 minutes - rain, snow or shine.
I can go from driving to camp set up, dinner salad made, dinner cooking and glass of wine poured in under 5 minutes - rain, snow or shine.
