Brent's Van (uante)

Taking my seats to the shop after work to get new foam and covers. Got NOS vinyl, light gray with dark gray inserts. All 4 seats will be done the same. Looking forward this seeing this part of the project done, it'll be cool having a 4 seater!

Congrats Brent, always look forward to seeing updates to the spy van!!!

Got my front seats back and installed. Should get the "Back" seats back Monday!

I know they look like the old covers, but this is NOS vinyl from SMS Fabrics. The old ones were ripped and patched up and sprayed with vinyl paint because of dirt and stains.

Those look Great Brent! Old School New!!!
Can't wait to see the back seats installed...

vanny wrote:Those look Great Brent! Old School New!!!
Can't wait to see the back seats installed...

Thanks Vanny. Seems the "Back" seats are a little different than my front ones. The Upholster said the backs were more tapered than the others. My originals are from '63 and the ones I got from AZSupervan were later, maybe '65 or '66. You can kind of see that in the picture of the four seats in the back of my 4Runner.

NICE!!!!

It must be nice living in the heartland of old tired vans

Seth G wrote:It must be nice living in the heartland of old tired vans

Yes, nice and warm

Wow they look just as great as the rest of your van. I got one up here in Charleston you can work on if you run out of work on yours, and you get bored.

Thanks Bruce, but I have a neglected Torino and a Bug or two to keep me busy if that ever happens...lol

"Rear" seats are all back together and placed where they'll go. Now to decide whether to drill the holes? Hmmmm.

Bill if you see this, where did those seats come from, a '66? They are a little different than my '63 seats. The '63s are more square backed and the bottom cushions are a bit taller.

I guess I've prolonged doing the paneling long enough, time to get on that...Augh!!!

Those seats looks like they were made to go there! Looks Great to me...are they comfortable and will they have seat belts?

Yeah Vanny, I got a set of new lap belts I got to replace the old nasty red ones that came with the van. I think it will be a rare occasion anyone will be riding in the back.
The seats will mostly be for sitting in at car shows and to fill space after all the electronics go in.

Those seats were out of a '66 Falcon that a cactus fell on. I think the taper of the back actually looks, and maybe works, better than the square backs in the front (easier to get through the middle?)

uante wrote:Yeah Vanny, I got a set of new lap belts I got to replace the old nasty red ones that came with the van. I think it will be a rare occasion anyone will be riding in the back.
The seats will mostly be for sitting in at car shows and to fill space after all the electronics go in.  

I thought maybe that could be an interrogation area of the spy van!!!

It's the survillence lounge area

They look great Brent

Started my interior today. Didn't get very far, but I'm excited about how it might not be as hard as I was thinking.

Got some ideas from Dan (Whalemstr) and others on here and decided on a course of action. I think the wooden 1 X 2 idea to frame out the shape is a good idea and got that started in my experimental right rear corner.

The steering column was tilted towards the driver starting in 1965. This necessitated a shorter bottom cushion.

Learn something new on this site every day! Thanks Barnabas!!!

Yeah who woulda known...guess that explains the redesign on the column to dash bracket.

[quote="uante"]Started my interior today. Didn't get very far, but I'm excited about how it might not be as hard as I was thinking.

Got some ideas from Dan (Whalemstr) and others on here and decided on a course of action. I think the wooden 1 X 2 idea to frame out the shape is a good idea and got that started in my experimental right rear corner.

Brent,
I watched the videos Dan mentioned in his thread. I must say I was impressed. That looks like it will be perfect for van finishing. I think I will use it, although it will only be a little since I have a "van-up" (and a lot further down the road). I think it will be great! I really liked the doors they did with maps. Keep us updated on your progress.
Jim

Got some good progress this weekend even though I had to work Saturday. All the 1" x 2"s support pieces are in for the sides and insulation is cut to fit. I have the Passenger side panel pattern cut out, but I'm going to redo it to change the grain direction to match the Driver's side which will be all one piece.  

That insulation should quiet things down quite a bit!

Looks real good from here. Those old vans drove like you were herding cats after they got some wear in the steering. Also, these were not designed to be high speed road trucks. They were designed for local delivery. At speeds over 55 they can get squirrely on you, especially for stopping issues from high speed. Just have a great time with it and drive safely!