What These Rebelles Want You to Know About Rallying Older Vehicles

Lead photo by Richard Giordano

There are so many parallels between competing in the Rebelle Rally with an older vehicle and overlanding in one. Usually, the vehicle is already parked in our driveway, budget prohibits the purchase of something newer and comfortable, and the vehicle isn’t just a mechanical object transporting us from one place to another. Like many Rebelle competitors, overlanders consider their vehicle a third teammate and are willing to experience discomfort, additional problem-solving, and the potential for a very different type of experience. Speaking from experience, our attachment to these vehicles personifies them, and we’re willing to forego reasonable speeds, our hearing, and any form of temperature control because, well, it’s “fun.”

Three teams competed in this year’s Rebelle Rally with older vehicles. Team Roaming Wolves returned for a fourth year in their yellow 1969 Ford Bronco, while Marie Reyes and Hanna Temkin of Team B3 Rebelles returned with Marie’s 2001 Land Rover Discovery II for the second time. Finally, rookies Nicole McCammon and Emma Debany of Team High Mile Club had a very eventful rally in Emma’s 1986 Toyota 4Runner. I caught up with the teams to learn more about the realities of competing in the Rebelle Rally in an older vehicle. Maybe you, too, can relate.

Team Roaming Wolves’ 1969 Ford Bronco

In 1969, Rochelle Bovee and Melissa Vander Wilt’s father bought his first vehicle: a Ford Bronco. Over the decades, the Bronco took their dad hunting and camping, recovered stuck vehicles, uprooted stumps, transported tools and building materials, and even joined Oregon’s Sandy Mountain Festival parade a few times. After their father passed away in 2014, the sisters, with Rochelle’s husband, Joe, gave the Bronco a refresh, preparing for the team’s first Rebelle Rally in 2020.

Do your Rebelle Rally goals differ from teams running newer vehicles?

You’d think so, but not really. We might make different decisions on course because of the Bronco’s age, but at the end of the day, our goals are pretty much the same as most other teams we know: finish, have fun, stay friends, and do at least a little better than we did the time before. After our first two years, we did say one of our goals was to not incur any mechanical penalties. I’m not sure if teams running newer vehicles would say the same, but maybe?

What are the realities of competing in the Rebelle Rally with an older vehicle?

We’ve come back in the Bronco four times because it means a lot to us. Our dad loved that Bronco—and us—so rallying is our way of honoring his memory. That said (we’d be lying if we said she’s not a pain at times), she’s really earned her nickname, “Cranky.”

Mechanically, she’s more sound than folks might expect from a 55-year-old vehicle. Most of her components are robust and modern, and she’s capable as hell. Her body and chassis are original, though, and that reality doesn’t come without its share of mystery noises and unexpected issues.

Would we love to roll up the windows against the onslaught of dust and blast the AC to keep cool? Of course. Would it be nice to press a button to shift into 4WD and not have to hop out to manually lock the hubs? Sure. But, on the bright side, we aren’t trying to decipher cryptic diagnostic codes or troubleshoot software when we break down, so sometimes running old school has its benefits. We just try to ride the middle as much as possible. The Bronco has good and bad days, just like us, and deserves the same grace. She’s amazing for her age.

But the body is still all original and really wonky. The passenger door sits so crooked that there’s no seal, so there’s nothing between us and an entire desert of dust and silt, especially when I forget to close my door, and we subsequently drive through a massive silt bed. That was fun, nearly choking to death and driving off the road. We literally have to put on gators and goggles inside the cab sometimes just to manage. I (Melissa) am constantly de-dusting my maps, the Terra Trip and stopwatch displays, my glasses and goggles, and the inside of the windshield—it’s ridiculous. We like to blame our mom for this, as she rolled the Bronco while learning to drive (she got distracted by a tulip farm, no joke, she rolled right into a ditch), and, well, things just ain’t sat right since then.

What are some mechanical challenges you overcame during this year’s rally?

The Bronco did awesome this year, actually. We lost a wheel bearing one day, and the newly installed AC sadly failed us, but otherwise, she did great. Maybe the only really vexing issue this year was the fan hitting the shroud. We suspected it was the source of a mystery noise coming from the engine, but investigation revealed plenty of clearance, so we crossed ‘fan shroud’ off the list of possibilities, only to confirm a day later that it was, in fact, the fan hitting the shroud when trail conditions got extra rough. That one stung since we chose to err on the side of caution and take it easier than normal (in case it turned out to be something critical) and ultimately lost precious time (and points) as a result. But…thems the breaks when you choose to rally in a vintage rig. Mystery noises happen. Constant vigilance.

What did you learn from this experience? What advice would you give potential competitors wishing to do the same?

In our very first year, we learned two huge lessons that changed our perspective on rallying in an older vehicle. The first is that whatever your experience of the rally is the rally experience. We thought spending more time broken down than actually competing meant we weren’t getting the true rally experience, but veteran Rebelles corrected us. Whether you’re broken down or breaking records, it’s about embracing the whole experience. The ups, downs, successes, and failures are all part of it. Growth comes from challenge and effort, not ease and auto-pilot. Adversity is a great teacher, and old vehicles are great at throwing plenty of adversity in your path.

The second big lesson we learned is while the Bronco might be somewhat more prone to certain mechanical issues given her age, we are never the only ones out there breaking down. The mechanic bay is full of vehicles at the end of each day, and most of them are from the 21st century. It’s easy to feel like you and you alone are struggling out there, but you’re totally not. It’s so much easier to lean into it and come through the other side with a new perspective.

Team B3 Rebelles’ 2001 Land Rover Discovery II (“Bernard”)

When Marie Reyes first learned about the Rebelle Rally, she knew her 2001 Land Rover Discovery II would be the vehicle to take on the adventure with her. “I owed it to him after all the years of L.A. commutes and his reluctant life as a pavement princess/driveway diva,” she says. Before the team’s first rally in 2023, Marie’s Land Rover, “Bernard,” was parked in the driveway for 6 years. For her, one of the best parts of the rally was finally allowing the Land Rover to do what it was built for.

Where did Bernard’s name come from?

Bernard got his name from a thrift store jacket I purchased a year or so before I purchased him. It was the late ’90s/early 2000s, and I scored this great trucker’s jacket. A huge Old Milwaukee patch was on the back, and the name tag said Bernard. I just had this amazing image of this very proper British man driving a truckload of this cheap (but fantastic) beer across the country. And when I got Bernard, it all seemed to come together. He’s this proper British guy playing in the dirt. Of course, our life together didn’t start this way; it only took us about 20 years to get here. And because I’m sure you’re wondering, yes, I still have the jacket.

What modifications have you made?

Let’s start from the ground up (and then in):

• Pirelli Scorpion tires with steel wheels
• Old Man Emu Shocks (at the beginning of the Rebelle Rally); now Bilstein shocks
• Two-inch lift
• Front and rear steel bumpers
• ARB snorkel with pre-cleaner
• Voyager Racks Offroad Challenge roof rack
• GG Lighting Day Maker lights
• Carrs 4×4 aluminum coolant system
• MANY Golden Rovers upgrades: tailgate table, dash mount, cargo shelf, ultra-gauge mount (can’t discount these quality-of-life upgrades)

Do your Rebelle Rally goals differ from those of teams running newer vehicles?

I think the obvious one is ‘Don’t break Bernard,’ but we also have to have some more realistic goals. Bernard’s favorite terrain would be a nice hill climb. He loves to mosey. So, when we know that kind of terrain is going to be featured on a stage, we’re going to try to get the most points at that time.

We’re a little heavier than some of the other vehicles on the rally, so we have a disadvantage in the dunes. We have to pick and choose our battles on those stages.

Speed isn’t really our strong point. We’re not going to beat a Braptor out there, although I did get a hefty speeding penalty this year that might say otherwise. Of course, speed doesn’t factor too much in the Rebelle. As they always say, “It’s a rally, not a race.”

What are the realities of competing in the Rebelle Rally with an older vehicle?

Let’s start with the good—daresay, the great. I’m out there with a vehicle I love and have continued to fall in love with over the years. I know Bernard. I can feel when something is wrong; I can smell when something is wrong. Land Rover quirks don’t phase me; I’ve been living that life. There’s something special about being out there with a vehicle you’ve had for most of your adult life.

Now, here’s the more realistic part of this: Bernard is over 20 years old, and sometimes things don’t work as they should. With the amount of silt on the course this year, our doors were only intermittently working. There were a few times I would have to let Hanna out of the vehicle, or Hanna would have to roll down the window and open her door from the outside. There’s a lot of dirt in the vehicle because some of those seals aren’t as airtight as they used to be. I’m always concerned about overheating, so a few times, I would see Bernard’s temperature rising, and I’d say, “Sorry, Hanna. It’s time to turn off the AC.”

What are some mechanical challenges you overcame during this year’s rally?

Our major issue was I blew our shocks on Day 3 (I think). We took a really rough powerline road, and I just took a ditch at the wrong angle, and we suddenly went from moseying along these rough roads to looking like a video of a low rider. I will still take pride in the fact that it wasn’t technically a mechanical issue; it was a suspension issue.

What did you learn from this experience? Do you have any advice for potential competitors who wish to do the same?

I’ve learned that Bernard is still a capable old dude. Throughout the rally, I never once wished I was in a newer vehicle. Doing the rally with Bernard is the best part of it. It’s proving that even with all these new vehicles, we can still do it.

For future competitors who want to run the Rebelle in an older rig, I’d say know your vehicle. You don’t have to obsess over learning how to fix every little thing (we have an amazing mechanic crew on the Rebelle), but you have to be able to identify a problem. In the absence of technology and dashboard notices telling you what is wrong, you have to be the one to understand.

You can avail of that awesome mechanic team, but you have to be the interpreter for your vehicle. Those guys are maintaining all these vehicles, and they don’t have time to help you diagnose the problems. Also, hit the forums or other online groups (Facebook or Reddit) for your vehicle. Research some common faults and prepare accordingly.

High Mile Club’s 1986 Toyota 4Runner

Emma Debany and navigator Nicole McCammon are suckers for old trucks. “I just always wanted something older with character,” Emma says about her 36-year-old Toyota 4Runner. “It’s just a little bit weird in the best way.” Learning to drive a manual transmission en route to pick up the 4Runner from Northern California was just the beginning of Debany’s journey to the Rebelle Rally, where she and McCammon competed for the first time.

Why did you choose a 1986 4Runner as your Rebelle Rally vehicle?

The rally was everything I ever wanted to do with my truck: take it on adventures and challenge myself. I learned how to drive a stick just so I could buy it. Plus, taking it into a rally mostly full of modern vehicles was kind of funny to me. If a new vehicle can do it, so can my old truck. And it did.

What modifications have you made to the vehicle?

It’s mostly stock. We did a ton of preventative maintenance and refreshed the entire fuel system over the year but didn’t make any massive modifications.

Here’s what we did: sized up the tires from 29s to 31s—mud terrains from Kenda that gave us major sidewall protection. Frankly, I wasn’t thinking that hard about not hitting rocks, and the tires were solid, not even a leak. IronVolt Garage installed a custom roof rack; Baja Designs gave us two auxiliary lights for the front bumper.

We added a gas tank and engine skid plate (to protect the truck from all those rocks I hit). We replaced my DLX gauge cluster with one from an SR5 4Runner, which offered a few more bells and whistles like a tachometer and oil pressure gauge.

I found a clinometer from an SR5 and installed it on the dash. It helped calm my nerves when we were stuck at a bad angle once. I guess I only have to worry once I exceed 30 degrees—25 is just fine!

Do your Rebelle Rally goals differ from those of teams running newer vehicles?

At first, our goals didn’t differ, but they ended up needing to differ. My truck is a trooper, but I got to the point in the rally where we couldn’t drive as fast over the rough terrain as newer trucks without feeling like I was damaging my truck and ourselves. Thank god for our helmets because otherwise, we would have numerous concussions from knocking heads.

What are the realities of competing in the Rebelle Rally with an older vehicle?

It’s loud. It’s rough. One day, on a frantic morning of chasing checkpoints on narrow roads flanked by huge sandy berms with no good place to pull over, two other cars made contact with my truck. One just tapped my mirror, but the other pinned my door closed. Being the mature badass I am, I just started crying. It’s not easy to find new body panels..

Magically, neither of the situations damaged my truck, but after that, I was like, I’m gonna drive in a way that makes sure it survives the rally no matter what. We quickly accepted that point-wise, we didn’t stand a chance against the professionals or the manufacturer-sponsored teams who had trained all year. We just decided to enjoy our surroundings, have fun, and do the best we could with the checkpoints.

I think I was the only vehicle that had to get a 3-gallon fuel splash in the dunes because we just ripped through all the gas, making sure we never got bogged down. Sometimes, it was stressful being in an older car, but a lot of the time, I wasn’t even thinking about it. I’m just so used to driving it. That is until I leaned into someone else’s window and got a faceful of fresh AC. That felt nice! It also felt so fun to rip through the dunes and keep up no problem with massive Jeeps and Broncos. You really don’t need the biggest and best to get where you want to go.

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What are some mechanical challenges you overcame during this year’s rally?

During tech inspection, oil was dripping from a part of my truck that shouldn’t even have oil near it. It made no sense. We figured out that a decades-old quart of oil bottle left in a storage panel had jumped over the wheel well inside the chassis, hiding itself, and had pressurized at altitude, leaking down between two metal panels. Silly.

On the transit to our first base camp, my engine got a rod knock. I was pushing the engine up a hill, the RPMs were a little higher than I’d like, there was more weight in the car than usual, and the oil was probably a little too low since the engine burned oil like crazy. All of a sudden, I heard a little ticking, like a stick stuck in a bike tire. It got worse, and I was like, Oh no—my nightmare.

Everything else on the truck had been replaced except the heart. After some frantic phone calls, our sponsor, LCE, secured us a performance engine, and the rally found two people to transport it from Arizona to Las Vegas and Las Vegas to Tonopah. The rally’s incredible, unbelievable mechanic team installed it in under 12 hours. We didn’t even miss prologue day.

Another time, after a particularly rough ride, my steering wheel locked up. It sounded like there was a rock in there. It ended up being a screw that had literally just fallen out of my cluster bezel into the steering column.

To be honest, due to how much preventative maintenance we did over the year with our mechanics at Squirrel Concepts, the truck was mostly good to go; everything else held strong aside from the engine dying.

What did you learn from this experience? Do you have any advice for potential competitors who wish to do the same?

I learned that I don’t want to beat up my truck as much as I think I did. It was pretty difficult to want to go balls to the wall after I spent $13,000 on mechanical work over the course of the year preparing for the rally. That’s the same amount I bought the truck for. It was, frankly, financially irresponsible of me.

I’d still encourage other people to do it with their old vehicles, though. Too many old cars just sit at home and do nothing. People are too scared to damage them. Use them or lose them—not everything needs to be a collector’s item. Enjoy life. My truck came through just fine, and I have amazing memories with it now. Just be prepared to pay a little more than people with new trucks to prepare for the rally and focus on preventative maintenance. That’s what will get you through the rally, not a crazy lift or 35-inch tires.

Read more: Cool Vehicles of the 2024 Rebelle Rally

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