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Land Rover Dormobile Cabinets |
The three photos immediately below are period photos form either Martin Walter or Land Rover. I have acquired these from Simon DeBues, Land Rover rep for the Dormobile Owners' Club. I know they are period shots because a couple of the set are used to illustrate Martin Walter brochures showing Land Rover Dormobiles. The top two photos show the interior of a series 2 Land Rover 109 Interesting to me are: the dark colored surround where the Land Rover roof was cut out; the lack of a fluorescent light; the fuzzy stuff on the fold out seat; the water bottles (metal tap, size, shape and position in the refrig version); the cross brace on the bottom of the rear seat frame; the drapery fabric; the bumper on the rear door to keep the table from rattling when under way.
The next photos show the inside of the Middleton/Britt 1969 NADA Land Rover Dormobile. The interior cabinets are unusual because they are wood with formica laminate. They mimic the sheet metal cabinets that are commonly found in Dormobiles and were said to be installed at the factory. The stove looks like a standard Martin Walter item but the stainless steel sink and water faucet are not.
The right hand cabinet is much taller and wider than the standard sheet metal cabinet. Look at the right side of the cabinet-- It extends to the rear wall of the vehicle, eliminating the area where the water bottles would normally go. Inside the cabinet are several shelves, providing more organized storage space than the regular sheet metal cabinet illustrated below.
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This is the common 626 style sheet steel cabinet
The inside of the metal cabinet is completely open except for a bar in the top, from which you are supposed to hang clothes on hangers. Useless on Hess camping trips. We normally pack things flat on the bottom that we might want to get out but probably won't. Things like an extra tarp, or the rear cover Katherine made that provides a bit of a rain protection or shade over the rear door. On top of this we pack a couple pillows and the sleeping bags. On the top go heavy jackets that we might want when we stop.
The warped wooden square on the inside of the door is the backing to a mirror. I have since repaired this and mounted the mirror back inside the wardrobe where it belongs. |
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Notice that the sheet metal cabinet above left does not extend to the rear of the vehicle and a couple of shelves seem to be between the rear wall and the wardrobe. Two water bottles are supposed to be mounted in this location.
Canvas straps are riveted to the wardrobe and rear side panel to hold the bottles secure on the shelves. The horizontal strips of wood keep the water bottles from rubbing the paint off the side of the wardrobe.
This photo shows the water bottles in place. The lower one is usually larger and comes with a spout. |
Another standard option is to have a refrigerator on a stand in place of the wardrobe.
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The propane powered refrigerator is mounted on a sheet steel stand that occupies the same space the wardrobe would occupy across from the kitchen unit. Shelves and straps are provided to mount the two water bottles in the rear corner location. |
The refrigerator is located on the stand by L channels mounted to the top of the stand.
It is held in place by a sheet metal strap on each side that clamps the refrigerator side handles to the stand. |
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Both the wardrobe and the refrigerator stand has either a fold up jump seat or an opening to install a chemical toilet. Both can be used a a step to climb to the upper bunks and as a place to site whilst cooking.
All the cabinetry inside the Dormobile is painted in Silver Hammerite, a real cool paint that is supposed to be anti-rust. I say it is really cool because it comes out of the spray can or pint jar as a silver liquid that then moves and changes to dry like a hammered metal surface. In fact, you can stir the paint in the jar and then just sit and watch it move and make shapes on the surface. It has lots of organic vapors in it, so don't sit and stare at it too long.
If you have a hard time locating hammerite paint, phone Hammerite Products Inc of Tacoma Washington, phone 1-800-733-4413.
