It was only through knowing the people I meet on my 1st trip that I came by her. I consider myself to be lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to have come across a van with a full original camping interior. Ok granted it all needs replacing but it's all.
I did own a 59 double door which I made an interior from scratch. I took my time over it and did the best I could but I just felt like something wasn't right and I put it down to the rubber (t-bar) trim that finishes everything off, I just couldn't get it and after all my hard work it just didn't look done properly.
Not so this time.
All the original metal edging is still attached and there will be no need to measuer cut, measure cut, measure reashape etc as I'll have templates
I'll put some photo's up and tell you a it about the state she was in when I found her and work so far.
SO, LADIES AND GENTLE MEN INTRODUCING........
She's seen better days.
Before I tell you about the work so far, want to tell you about the state she was in and how I come across her.
As I mentioned I found her in California whilst going to see a friend and collect some parts, it was this friend who put me onto her. I was told that a guy had left her on his driveway for 24 years without touching her. He had died and his widow wanted it gone and a chap had picked it up and it was him that I went to see, he lived about 20 miles from my friend.
When I got there she was sitting on 2 flat tyres, a 2 seized wheels and generally looking sorry for herself, but I could see- now how do we say it - the potential in her
I didn't buy her straight away but had a think about it. At this point I would like to say that before I left England a friends father had asked me if I could find a splitty that didn't need too much welding, would be nice if it had an engine, and also a camping interior. I had flown to LA at my own expence to see a "nearly rust free, just the floor needs repalcing" and had found this monsterous piece of s**t.
BEWARE OF CHEAP DEALS FROM THE U.S. THAT SOUND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. THEY PROBABLY ARE !
rear hing snapped
dent ( can't see it that well in the photo, but trust me .....)
door not aligning and not the screw for a hinge
front damaged and full of filler, headlight missing
bottom of door rusted through and if I remember did line up, in fact none of the doors lined up
cut dash
Gapping rusty hole
another rusty hole , this time in the tailgate-with no glass
this one I liked, the lower hinge on the rear cargo door had at some point been bent back so that the hinge part conected to the c pillar was bent back into the body, and remember folks all you need is a new floor
front door when closed
the split pillar had quite a dent, no glass
rusty window frame, no indicator, and a bolt for a hinge.
The next day I called the guy and we agreed a price and I organised transport to take it back to Steve's place where I could have a go at doing something with it.
1st of all I had to get the wheels off but the brakes had siezed. Now I'm no mechainic, but Steve has only ever done VW stuff, I had to turn the wheels so I could gain access to the star wheels to loosen of the brakes.
I ended up taking the wheel off putting 2 bolts back in and gtting a massive leaver bar and hanging off it. the wheel gave a little at first but was still stuck, after while I could move it about 2 inches quite freely by hand but only 2 inches. I though this a bit odd, even more odd was the mud coming out of the holes for the other 3 bolts, I put the screwdriver in and had a fiddle, there was something in there-mud, or rather the nests of these bugs out there.
So the wheels weren't siezed after all, just the drums full of mud mud. Handy.
Fortunately for me Steve had some wheels lying around he said I could have so later in the day I could move her about. the hand brake worked but not that well.
The interior was all there, just ratted a bit. The last owner must have been a bit of a hippy as the whole thing was a bit of a 70's time capsual. Check out the tassles they're everwhere, and the cover on the RnR bed
not sure if it's the original sterio but check out the 4or is it 8 track cassette, who remebers those-you're showing your age if you do
roof in good condition
spice rack full of mechanical stuff
underside of doors aint too bad
Full of junk, there was 3 big jigsaw puzzles and wrapping paper and all sorts of worthless stuff, but I did find a book with a log of the work that had been done from the mid 70's and also an old paper soaked in oil, but it's always fun finding an old paper with the date.
