LRCC

Hi from Switzerland,

This is my "1969" Dormobile. We camp with friends who have a 1962, and I know of a third in Switzerland, ca. 1970.

It was about 90% complete when I got it, but it turned out to be a transplant onto a non-original rolling chassis, and that chassis was rotten. So were the engine and bulkhead and side frames. So I rebuilt it onto a 1970 left-hand drive sixpot. Thus the mix of deep sills and lights in the wings.

When it works for a while I reward it with an accessory (Eberspächer heater, side steps) or an original part (NOS propshafts or an original horn). It's pretty reliable and back-to-original, now. A new chassis might be nice in the next 5-10 years.

The kids love it. I like it when it's behaving. My wife, well, ...

There's a Swiss Series meet in mid-July 2013. Last year a few from the OLLR forum came down. Maybe some of you could come next year and afterward we could continue South together on the Alpine military roads to the Mediterranean? We did a small portion of the route in 2010.

-Jeremy

Very nice.

I wonder if I could graft a pop top onto Florence.

gossamer wrote:Very nice.

I wonder if I could graft a pop top onto Florence.

It's been done before I think...there was something on ebay a few weeks ago, a (non marshall) ambulance with a dormobile roof on.

You could probably have a discrete pop up section on top...the Marshall's are so wide and tall most people never see them from above anyway.

Patrick

I need to be careful to keep the centre of gravity low, so I'll spend a lot of time considering the pop top thing.

Here is a copy of a post I added on a similar thread in the series 2 club forum: -

"I saw exactly that on a 3/4 ton ambulance many-many years ago (1980-85 ) in Dundee. IIRC, looking more closely and talking to the owner, it used the f/glass elevating section of a Martin & Walter "Dormobile". The elevating roof was aligned centraly but was obviously not as wide as the ambulance body. When it was down you hardly new it was there so it didn't mess up the vehicle outline. When it was up it gave more than enough headroom along and across the rear compartment.

The owner didn't know what the roof came from (L/R, Bedford CA, Commer etc) as he bought it already fitted. It was an unfinished project with just the elevating roof. All the army fittings in the back had been stripped and the new owner intended to fit it out then go touring Africa etc with his wife.

I didn't often pass his way but do recall seeing the vehicle parked outside his house for a while afterwards. I often wondered what happened to it and whether they did the trips planned."

HTH
Dormy