Goodbye Shaggy, Hello Woody. Custom interior

Shaggy carpets might be cool but the amount of critters squatting in there freaks me out!    

I also have two young boys who love riding in the van but when I first got it there was only a bed in the back, no good. Here's how it looked when I first bought it.

(BTW, all my pictures have been cut lengthwise while posting here but if you click on them you'll see the full picture)



First thing was to gut the interior. I kept the ceiling, for now, but it will be coming down later on as well.



So I went looking for a bench that could take care of my boys and double as a bed if needed. I also have collectors plates on the van so I'm limited as to what I can use, gotta be either original or Era correct.

A friend gave me this old reclining bench. The upholstery was trashed but the frame was fine and it will hopefully look old enough to keep my collectors status.


It was too wide so I cut it in 1/2 and took 12" off the center, inserted some reinforcement tubes inside and welded it back together along with some tabs at the feet and a flat bar at the back for the seatbelts.







Added some paint, 3/4" plywood (stained and varnished) and I'm back in the game!





Almost forgot... I really like the simplicity of how the bench originally attached to the floor. So I went ahead and tig welded some grade 8 bolts to use the original slots in the floor. Works a charm!

I need a new floor!

I was quite lucky to find a rust free floor under all that shag. So I gave it a good clean up and started with some Dynamat (FatMat) like material to absorb the "tin can" effect. No need to go crazy on the floor but on the wheel wells I decided to wrap the entire thing. From experience, noise intrusion (aside from the engine) comes mostly from the wheel wells and the doors.





While at it might as well get started with the walls!



Next I added some closed cell foam (1/2") to provide some insulation for both temperature and noise. It's important to use closed cell foam as it doesn't absorb water or humidity. I found mine at HomeDepot as a carpet underlay. As you can see there's also ridges underneath to allow air to circulate. That stuff is not too expensive and it's easy to work with.

Once I had it all over the floor I decided to go with 3/4" plywood. Making the template to ensure a good fit is quite time consuming but that's the way to go...









In the Zzzzzzzzz position!



I also found this site step for dirt cheap ($25) so I sandblasted it, painted it and slammed it underneath. I made sure it would be fairly sealed from the element...







More to come!

I could use some suggestions here...

I'm not certain how to finish my floor. I could stain and varnish the plywood, I think it would look decent and maybe add an area rug.

I also thought of using linoleum, maybe the white and black 1' squares (Chess pattern?)
I just got to make sure it's old school for my collector's status.

Any ideas?

Cheers,
Mr. D

Keep the photos coming.

Looks Great!! Good Decision!! except!! Quit drinking that = "Fat Tire" Swill !! or= you will get a "Flat Tire"!!

I think how you finish it depends on type of use. Will you load things and use it as it was intended from time to time. That is my dilemma. I want it to look great but also be durable enough to not look worn when I load boxes/bins/folding tables.

Nice work!

Twinpilot001 wrote:Looks Great!! Good Decision!! except!! Quit drinking that = "Fat Tire"  Swill !! or= you will get a "Flat Tire"!!  

As you can tell from another picture down the build I followed your advice and switched to a Canadian beer supporting our old Econolines.

As for type of load dilemma, it obviously crossed my mind. That's one reason I didn't do permanently attached cushions on my bench. As is the cushions can be removed to allow the loading of large items. I also have a trailer so all those greasy parts don't need to travel inside my van.

I'm also getting ready to build my "trunk" which will be behind the bench to complete the last portion of the bed. One nice thing with this bench is that when it folds down it travels forwards. This allows me to build the trunk right against the back of the bench (and same height for the bed...) Should provide plenty of storage

westcoastvanner wrote:Keep the photos coming.

A few more before I head out to do some more work on this project.

I already posted some of this in another post about wall insulation but here we go anyway.
No disrespect to anyone but I hated the old paneling that came with the van. So out they came and while at it might as well do it right. Same process, clean it up (no rust nor critters), FatMat, Closed Cell Foam but this time I added a layer of Roxul insulation. This one is the sound barrier/fire retardant type. Again, it doesn't absorb water (unlike the typical pink insulation) and is much easier to work with. I could easily cut the thickness as needed.

Sorry for letting some pictures fall on their side! No idea why this happened.











I build new panels out of 1/8" plywood with a nice coat of natural stain and a couple coats of varnish. Later I'll add some storage boxes against them but good for now, need to move on!





You can also see in the background of the last picture my newly found fiberglass panel. It will need a nice paint job but I needed it in place to start on the lower panel which will be pretty much the same as the doors.

Years ago I had this old VW, drove it for 10 years before selling it. The inside was all in plywood, just like my new doors and it was amazingly cozy, just like a little sailboat. So this is the plan for this one  

Coming along very nicely!!! Keep the pics coming, Please!

vanny wrote:Coming along very nicely!!! Keep the pics coming,  Please!

You guys sounds like 16 years old watching porn!

Today was mostly stain and varnish, not very exiting. I went ahead and did all the floors, this way I'll have the option to either use them as is or later on add another layer on top.

I'm doing my best to keep it all modular, this way I should be able to easily bring it back as a cargo van if needed.





I'm not done with the driver side wall. I still need to add another metal trim at the top but need to test fit first before gluing it in place...



I hesitated between going straight walls and thus framing it as so:



But at the end I decided to follow the natural curve of the van's ribs which 1/8" plywood allows me to do so.

Moving right along looks really "Good" gave me a few ideas Great job on the bench seat also..!!!...

G'morning van lovers!

Yesterday really started to come together and I'm very pleased how it's turning out. Started the day by putting the newly stained/varnished floors in place. Followed by repeating my old recipe; clean, FatMat, Closed Cell Foam and Roxul. I used tape to hold it all in place until I could mount my paneling piece. I also added a metal trim at the top of the side panel. I tried without and it didn't look as good. Looks sharp doesn't it! (Although I'm not sure how long those floors will stay nice   )





Once I put my new cushions in place I could really see light at the end of the tunnel!







And in the Zzzzzzzzz position. I have another cushion that will go at the back to complete the bed but first I need to build the base for it... Still, it gives an idea of what's to come.



Kids approved!!!




Cheers,
Mr. D

Nice to see you got the stamp of approval!!! They will remember this van for the rest of their lives!!!

Anyone out there have a floor pattern for a Dodge A100?

Abitibi that looks really nice. Nice choice of colors.

Hey guys, thanks for the support! I got far enough with the conversion to take it out camping for the weekend and what a nice cozy sleep!!! Everyone at the campsite were jealous of my setup

I'll post more pictures once I'm done with the varnish but man do I have a lot of storage in the back now! I can easily load 6 milk crates in the trunk then I still have room under the bed and more.

I'm also pretty much done with my front floor and it looks pretty sharp. Pics to follow...

Only thing left for now is my tall side cabinet but that won't happen until next month because it is now holiday time!

Cheers
Mr. D

Can't wait to see the "Proof"...I mean pics! Sounds like a successful Camping trip. Congrats and get used to the attention. People love these vans because they remember them growing up and there's not that many around with the exception of Van Diego, Portland, Arizona and some of the dryer,warmer states.

I can't wait to see the day I can actually head out in my van again!

Yes, had a great weekend with the family! It was nice to go camping in an old bus again after so many years! We even managed to squeeze all 4 of us on that bed but it was a tight fit although our boys are still pretty young. Nevertheless, I'll figure a second bed for the boys...

So here we go with some "Proofs"

This is how the bed looks like. As for dimension is about 53" wide by 6'4" long. The foam is 3" thick and is really firm which is what I like.





Here's a small storage compartment beside the larger one. I finished it with the same material that I used for the front area, some 1/8" thick rubber.



This is the main compartment and it's huge, 32" deep by 48" wide and 14" tall. I can easily pack the kids in there if they don't behave, or my wife



Just a cool shot of the finishing trim on my side panel.

And this is the front floor. I still need to work on the trim pieces but it's getting there. I pushed the rubber as far up as I could to prevent critters from finding their way behind the mat. It also goes towards the back all the way to the plywood floor. I like how the floor now tightly wraps around all the accessories (steering column, all the pedals...)
It is now waaaaaaay easier to keep clean than the old shag carpet.





So not much left at this stage. Need to finish the rear corner, build the tall cabinet on the rear passenger's side and later on re-do the ceiling. And a second bed for the kids!!!  

Cheers
Mr. D

You need to make a console for your cold drinks so they will be easier to reach while driving. But aside from that I must say that this looks totally awesome. That bed looks perfect back there and the size is nice.

Thanks!

It's in the work! It will incorporate armrest and will be secured by magnet. But patience Boyz, patience!

very nice work!

Love the front floor, seems like that rubber will protect the floor from all the dirt and stuff that gets stuck on bottom of shoes. Great looking work. The bed looks comfy too! Did you do the seat covers yourself or did you have them made cause they look Fantastic!

Thanks a bunch. I'm much better with wood than upholstery so I just bought the high end automotive foam, cut it as needed and got a local lady to do the upholstery based on my idea. Turned out pretty good

For the front I did just like the rear and soundproofed and insulated the floor before laying down the rubber mat.

I'm thinking of getting a skirt for the doghouse as well...