[old wood]

I have a new project and I need help. I bought a butt ugly 83 conversion van. Low milage, everything works, and I think it will be way cool when I get done with it. It has a 351W, c6, towing package, and its loaded. The colors definatly arent my choice but I am changing all that. The headliner is about the only thing tats going to stay. Its like a chestnut brown courdaroy and it is perfect showroom, not a mark on it. The shag carpet is going and replaced with factory black tight loop. All the fake paneling will be used as templates and replaced with virgin Wormy Chestnut. It has four captains seats that swivel and lay down where you could sleep in them that I am going to dye. They are comfortable and I think they will look good. Its missing the back couch. I am going to make it with storage boxes on either side where the couch comes out and my street bike can go in. I have a 72 Norton that I have no interest in riding on the highway. Just backroads. With the van, my wife and I can load up, drive where ever unload and cruise. I can haul lighter loads of lumber with my trailer when I dont feel like driving the big truck, take it to the races, you know all the redneck stuff us hillbillys do. I love it. It drives like a Lincoln, has a skinny steering wheel, vent windows, and it doesnt tell me what to do. Now heres the deal. I am a woodworker. I can design a radical staircase, or a custom door, or for that matter a whole house. Stripes on a van forget it, and I can not do photoshop. The running boards are gone, right after I took these pictures. I am lifting it three inches and switching it to four wheel,( I allready have all the parts ) Firestone Winter Force, 245-60-16 and old school Cragers or Tourque Thrust rims. It is going to be Wimbledon white with some kind of bronze stripes to tie in to the interior. What I want is a photoshop design so I can see what it will look like and give it to my body man to duplicate. Which ever design I use will get a 100.00 dollar gift certifacate for Don Rushs Cougar parts. Fair deal, doable? Let me know. Get your artistic juices flowing with a few cold ones and blow me away.:beer:

 

[dmac]

Cant really help, just like to say the deck in the background must be a nice place to sit in the early AM with a tea or coffee!

 

[old wood]

It really is. I am usually out there every morning about daybreak. Its nice late in the day too. There is a good sized mountain right behind it and lots of wildlife. This used to be my childrens playhouse ten feet up on posts. My barn, shop, and office burned last summer and I set the playhouse up on the hill with a crane. I am using it as my office temporarily. I put a addition on the back and built the deck around it. Its still a work in progress. Once I get my new shop built my grandson is going to have it made! We will still use it some but it will mostly be his and I hope more grand kids to come. I took some more pictures today. All I have left to do is the corner boards, w indow trim, the railings, (which are really going to set it off) with the differant levels and they are going to be Wormy Chestnut, and a big flat rock for the bottom step. I also took some more recent pictures of the van, minus running boards. I hope I can get somebody to take me up on the photoshop de al. I just want a simple stripe job nothing as elaborate as whats there. But I want to see it before its done. It wont be an easy fix if I dont like it.

 

[Smith Brother]

Personally I would leave the aluminum running boards OFF, they look to INDUSTRIAL. IMO.

It does not to be in great condition, have fun, FUN IS GOOD!

Dale in Indy

 

[old wood]

The running boards are scrapped!. They wont be back on there. I am having fun with it. I think its going to be a really good before and after for sure. Thanks Dale and D Mac