Hi, I've got an 86 panel van, i cut and carpeted some ply wood to make a floor for the back. Now i want to put in an L-seat type bench in the back, or even just a rock n roll bed. Has anyone got any advice for getting this done, i.e the type of wood best to use, or even some schematics? I'm just not quite sure where to start!
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards
Max
Advice needed for pnael van 're-fit'
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Advice needed for pnael van 're-fit'
Maximillian Jonathan Powter Applin - well you did ask to put our names in our sigs....
Where to start?
Where to stop is the question you'll be asking yourself for the next 5 years or so..
In my humble..First decision..full width seats/bed or 3/4 width. If you want all the camping refinements then it has to be 3/4 width to get all the cupboards in. Personally I went for a full width r'n'r bed that I bought off of the For Sale section of this site for £150. Built my own cushions for it, upholstered in leather stripped from an old 3 seater sofa that I picked up free out of the trade-it. Fitting seat-belts in the back of a panel van is an education in itself..all I can say is..search for it on here and learn all you can from the hundreds of previous threads. Same goes for most things actually.
Then it's cupboard space to sort out after that. Buy or make cupboards? I went in knowing jack-all about carpentry but seem to have learned some skills and acquired the tools.
Fridge? Cooker? Heater? Speakers? DVD player? etc etc
I scratched my chin for about 3 months before finally pitching into the job and to be honest, I never realised half of the difficulties I was going to face. I don't think you can until you have a go. If it's your first attempt, think of it as your learning van.
One thing I would say is to be practical. What do you want the van for? Who & what is gonna be in it when you travel/sleep in it? If you want space, keep it simple. If you're going to use an awning then most of your sitting around time will be spent there and the van needs to be a comfortable bedroom. Are you going to actually cook in it? Most people I know rarely do as it's generally easier to use a barbeque or camping cooker outside. I'm not having anyone cooking sausages in my bloody van after I spent 6 months upholstering & headlining it!
Oh yeah..headlining..that's a laugh. You might want to consider just carpeting her all round. Look at how to insulate her all round first too. Google it, there's a great website where a bloke insulates his VW bay, that taught me a lot, plus threads on here of course.
Lastly..don't be scared of it. It's all tin & rubber and you can do whatever you want to it. Try something and if it's no good, try something else. Make it how you want it to be, not how you think it should be.
..and enjoy the experience.
Cozmik
Where to stop is the question you'll be asking yourself for the next 5 years or so..
In my humble..First decision..full width seats/bed or 3/4 width. If you want all the camping refinements then it has to be 3/4 width to get all the cupboards in. Personally I went for a full width r'n'r bed that I bought off of the For Sale section of this site for £150. Built my own cushions for it, upholstered in leather stripped from an old 3 seater sofa that I picked up free out of the trade-it. Fitting seat-belts in the back of a panel van is an education in itself..all I can say is..search for it on here and learn all you can from the hundreds of previous threads. Same goes for most things actually.
Then it's cupboard space to sort out after that. Buy or make cupboards? I went in knowing jack-all about carpentry but seem to have learned some skills and acquired the tools.
Fridge? Cooker? Heater? Speakers? DVD player? etc etc
I scratched my chin for about 3 months before finally pitching into the job and to be honest, I never realised half of the difficulties I was going to face. I don't think you can until you have a go. If it's your first attempt, think of it as your learning van.
One thing I would say is to be practical. What do you want the van for? Who & what is gonna be in it when you travel/sleep in it? If you want space, keep it simple. If you're going to use an awning then most of your sitting around time will be spent there and the van needs to be a comfortable bedroom. Are you going to actually cook in it? Most people I know rarely do as it's generally easier to use a barbeque or camping cooker outside. I'm not having anyone cooking sausages in my bloody van after I spent 6 months upholstering & headlining it!
Oh yeah..headlining..that's a laugh. You might want to consider just carpeting her all round. Look at how to insulate her all round first too. Google it, there's a great website where a bloke insulates his VW bay, that taught me a lot, plus threads on here of course.
Lastly..don't be scared of it. It's all tin & rubber and you can do whatever you want to it. Try something and if it's no good, try something else. Make it how you want it to be, not how you think it should be.
..and enjoy the experience.
Cozmik
Cozmik
rear seat belts
Hi lads got a panel van aswell wanna put a full width bench seat in the back can you give me a quick run down on how to fit seat belts cheers glennn
Hi mate,
if it came out the factory as a panel van (rather than the microbus that was then converted into camper vans by the various conversion companies) it wont have the retaining nuts for rear seatbelts. You can buy them from brickyard or justkampers. You're meant to weld them in, but you can drill a 11mm hole and put them on the outside held in place with nonails. Put a second nut on the outside and its as strong or even stronger than a welded in one. Much easier if u cant weld yourself. Costs about £200 otherwise. Belts & fitting kits also from justkampers.
Bottom ones go through top of the wheel arch and through the engine bulkhead just above where it meets the floor. There are reinforced raised areas moulded into the metal which show you the right spot. You'll need to get right under and remove the sound insulation mat, between the engine & the underside of the van floor. It just unclips and you only need to undo the bottom to get in, not take it all the way off. Drill your hole, stick plate on outside with nonails, screw the seatbelt bolt through and put another nut on to lock it.
The top ones, if youre fitting 3 pointers, go through the rear vent. You'll need extended belts if it has to go around furniture or a baby seat. Personally I put three lap belts across my full width r'n'r bed, one of these holds a baby seat which is made to fit with lapbelts. I read extensively about it first as wanted to be sure it was all safe & legal. Theres no difference in safety stats between lap belts & three pointers, both have advantages & disadvantages. Lab belts should not be directly beneath the passenger but angled back at least 30 degrees. I got them to check it all at the MOT and it was fine.
I treated all the drill holes with rustproofer (Acitan or something like that) and then wax-oiled over the external plate & nuts to stop the weather getting into it.
Hope this helps.
Cozmik
if it came out the factory as a panel van (rather than the microbus that was then converted into camper vans by the various conversion companies) it wont have the retaining nuts for rear seatbelts. You can buy them from brickyard or justkampers. You're meant to weld them in, but you can drill a 11mm hole and put them on the outside held in place with nonails. Put a second nut on the outside and its as strong or even stronger than a welded in one. Much easier if u cant weld yourself. Costs about £200 otherwise. Belts & fitting kits also from justkampers.
Bottom ones go through top of the wheel arch and through the engine bulkhead just above where it meets the floor. There are reinforced raised areas moulded into the metal which show you the right spot. You'll need to get right under and remove the sound insulation mat, between the engine & the underside of the van floor. It just unclips and you only need to undo the bottom to get in, not take it all the way off. Drill your hole, stick plate on outside with nonails, screw the seatbelt bolt through and put another nut on to lock it.
The top ones, if youre fitting 3 pointers, go through the rear vent. You'll need extended belts if it has to go around furniture or a baby seat. Personally I put three lap belts across my full width r'n'r bed, one of these holds a baby seat which is made to fit with lapbelts. I read extensively about it first as wanted to be sure it was all safe & legal. Theres no difference in safety stats between lap belts & three pointers, both have advantages & disadvantages. Lab belts should not be directly beneath the passenger but angled back at least 30 degrees. I got them to check it all at the MOT and it was fine.
I treated all the drill holes with rustproofer (Acitan or something like that) and then wax-oiled over the external plate & nuts to stop the weather getting into it.
Hope this helps.
Cozmik
Cozmik