Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 11:40:03 -0500
Reply-To: Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski <kpcnsk@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski <kpcnsk@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Advice needed for Lucky-Seven . . .82 Vanagon
In-Reply-To: <BAY105-DAV1CEDDC7F377C332CCA7D1B9690@phx.gbl>
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Wow! That's quite a project. But if the body's in great shape,
you're golden.
Sanding and painting the panels may be the easiest route if they're
some sort of plywood. The panels in my old '73 Westy were that way.
They were birch, and I actually stained and varnished them (very
pretty!). The panels in my '89 are some sort of press-board stuff,
so sanding/painting those would be out. Don't know what you have.
Bare wood will make your interior more noisy. If you want a bit more
quiet on the road, you could think of covering them with a vinyl or
velour, which you can find at either a larger fabric store or an auto-
upholstery place. It's a bit of a trick to pull upholstery smooth
over a flat suface, but once you get it down, it may be quicker than
painting/sanding. If you decide to recover, i'd go get a canvas
puller (found at an art supply store, used for stretching canvas over
frames).
I don't know anything about the GoWesty headliner. Their stuff is
usually pretty good quality, though sometimes pricey. Again, you may
be able to find something cheaper (especially if you're not going for
a stock-look) at a local auto-upholstery place.
Easy way to take down the curtains? Hire a crew of nimble fingered
little people would get my vote. Four or five should get the job
done nicely.
Finding seats with arms may actually be a cheaper route than trying
retrofit a set onto your existing seats. They're usually not
terribly pricey. One listmember just recently spoke of getting a set
for around $50 at some salvage lot, if I recall. I don't know about
any difference in the fitting of the rails between newer and older
vans, though, so you'll want to check this first.
Repairing the formica would probably be your toughest task, I would
think. It seems pretty well attached to the wood on my '89, so
removing it would be a chore, I would think. You MIGHT be able to
put something over the top of the existing surface, if you make sure
it's level and smooth.
Good luck!
Jarrett
89 Westy, Olly
On Mar 24, 2007, at 4:42 PM, Rose Lee Geiger wrote:
> BlankAlso sent this post to the Type-Two list.
>
> I'm finally getting around to asking some questions. These questions
> pertain ONLY to the Vanagon's interior . . . .NOTHING mechanical!
> I understand that MOST "first" questions are about TIRES . . . but
> thanks to
> the Archives, private emails, and all of the stuff I've already
> downloaded
> for Granddad John, I'm not going there.
> FEI . . . (For Everyone's Information) I am the computer guru in
> this family
> . . John might control the TV Flicker, but I control the computer
> keyboard! So when HE asks the questions, I'll be doing the typing.
> HONESTLY, I DID try to search the Archives for stuff about the
> interior, but
> either I missed something or didn't type in the right "search"
> words. I DID
> see the gorgeous work done to an '83 Westy,
> back in 2002, but I think it was a bit more than I can handle. These
> fingers aren't
> nearly as nimble as they were 20 years ago.
>
> I'll try to be brief and precise.
>
> If you can log on to our site at:
> http://www.geocities.com/nannarose70/pagethree you can see what
> I'm talking
> about.
>
> 1. I'm thinking the best thing to do is to sand down the panels and
> PAINT???
> 2. Has anyone purchased and installed the headliner available from
> "Go
> Westy"? Is there a better one somewhere?
> 3. Has anyone found an EASY way to remove/rehang the curtains?
> 4. Is there any way to install arms on the front seats?
> 5. What can be done about the many cracks in the Formica . . . I
> GUESS it's
> Formica . . . this is the worst of all of our previous vans.
>
> That 's probably enough for the moment.
> Hoping to get started as soon as Lucky gets home from the German
> Motors
> Shop.
>
> Nana Rose in Mesa, Arizona
> roseleegeiger@msn.com
>
>
> "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."
> - Aldous Huxley
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