Ok, not updated this for a while. Time to get back on it.
So poor Jimmy is in a bit of a state right now. Probably feeling a little unloved, but that will soon all change.
As said in the earlier post, I saw Alan last month, discussed all my ideas and plans for Jimmy. I've spent a long, long time thinking about how I want this van to look and feel, and he commented that it showed, when I had planned nearly every detail for it.
I had previously kept my idea quiet, but now that Jimmy has been picked up, and transported to Creative Coachworks in Shropshire ready for the work to begin, i'll let you all in on my plans.
I appriciate this is a long post, so if you can't be bothered to read, there is a summary list at the bottom 
The work is due to start in May (for finacial reasons) where he will be completely stripped back to a rolling shell. Creative will then send him away to be sandblasted (thats one of the only jobs they don't do in-house). Once he has returned, he'll be cleaned up and covered in an epoxy primer.
Next comes the bodywork repairs (after the sandblast has shown them what they're up against). I know from the outside theres a few things to be done, the N/S locker door will be some repairs, the O/S rear corner looks to be slightly dented, and the seatbelt mounting points will both need welding. They will be able to see if the paint has been hiding any nasty repairs, fingers crossed.
Then comes some of the modifications. My plans for Jimmy are as follows:
The van currently has one rear door, being a RHD model, on the N/S. This will be complemented with an additional door on the rear O/S. These will be be engineered and modified to open backwards (Suicide doors). The B pillar will be removed, and therefore the front doors will shut onto the rear doors. Think the back doors of a, for example, Ford Transit panel van, you have to open one before the other can be opened. My aim with this, is that once all four doors are open, with the lack of B pillar, the cab will feel very open, and airy.
To complement the newly acquired open feel, the roof panel is going to be cut out, and replaced with a glass roof. Although, when I say glass, I mean Perspex. This is mainly due to the cost of a one-off custom glass piece, and also the weight of such a unit. The roof glass will be tinted slightly so that IF the sun ever comes out in the UK, the occupants won't be boiled like they're in a green house. I will also have a two-part blind system in place. One blind that can be pulled from the front (i.e the top of the windscreen) backwards to the centre by the driver, and one that can be pulled from the rear forwards to the center. This is so that if the sun does get too warm, i'll be able to pull the blind accross whilst driving. My aim with this, is that the van will, even if it's raining and dreary outside, still feel light and bright.
Continuing the Perspex theme, the rear window of the cab always looked to me like it should have been made bigger. There seems to be a recess that spans the entire width of the rear panel, but the window only takes up 75% of that. I intend to have that window taken out, and the window opening cut out to use the entire width of the rear panel. I then want the new perspex window the be able to open outwards.
The interior of the cab is slightly more out of the box again. I've always wanted a campervan, but also want the practicality of the crewcab (muddy bikes, kayaks etc). For this reason, I started thinking of a way to get the bed within the cab area so I can use the van year-round, and not be sleeping in the pick-up bed. The front seats will be captain seats that rotate 180degrees to face rearwards. There will be a table, westfalia style, on an arm that will sit behind the passenger front seat. I plan to have a rear bench seat with 3 seats, but heres where it gets complicated.
The locker doors are going to be sealed up, and the metal panel that separates the cab and the locker is going to be removed. The locker will be insulated and will be come part of the cab.
The rear bench seat will have a custom mount made so that it can rock'n'roll into a flat position, but then decend down to the floor of the cab, and join up with the area provided by the locker. This locker space will contain 1/3 of a bed, that the bench seat will complete the other 2/3s. This will, as near as dam it, make a decent size double bed. The locker-come-bed area will provide some storage space when the rear bench is in seat form also.
Now onto the rear pick-up bed.
Firstly, it will be covered with a custom made canvas, where both side panels will be pulled outwards to provide shelter for what will be happening underneath.
On the drivers side, there will be a custom made wooden cabinet running (probably) the entire length of the bed. It will contain cupboards, draws etc, general storage space I don't have in the cab. This will be my 'kitchen' if you like. On the drop-down side panel there will be held at 90degrees to the van, so it is horizontal, there will also be a gas stove mounted, and the dropside will be panelled so as to provide a worktop if you like.
On the passenger side, the drop-down panel will drop-down to lower than the height of the flatbed, whilst being held horizontally, and a panel will fold out to provide a table. This way, I don't have to use space in the flatbed for a table, it's built into the van. More space for beer
.
For as long as I can remember, i've really liked LOW, LOW cars. Of the nine cars i've owned so far, 5 have been lowered. The van will be no different. Having looked at various amounts of lowered-ness, i've decided that Jimmy will be treated to air-ride. Springs and shocks just don't get it low enough for me. I hope to get the van (when the bags are emptied) scraping along the floor, just how I like them!
As for wheels, Jimmy will be sat on regular 14" steel rims, but they'll be banded to be wider, and provide a dish.
The bull bars that came on the van when i bought him will be staying on. As for colours then, I must have changed my mind about a hundred times on what colour I want Jimmy to be done in. However after seeing a colour I have been seriously considering for a while now in the flesh yesterday, i've finally decided.
The van is going to be vinyl wrapped in a Porsche colour called Riviera Blue. The canvas over the read bed will be done in a kind of burnt red colour, and the wheels, bumpers and bull-bars are going to be done in a Beigey-Creamy-Mocha type colour. This colour will continue on the interior for the leather seats which will have the same Red piping.
Thanks for reading, and i'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, criticisms.
Summary list:
1) Twin rear suicide doors
2) Glass roof
3) Air Ride
4) Fancy interior bed contraption
5) Main colour: Blue
Thanks again.
within the seams and sad to say you wont really stop this, slow it yes slow it a lot