DeiselPunk

[DieselPunk]

I'm not sure on quarter mile stats - mines much lighter now and being a 2.2 turbo diesel it shunts...

Here's what I've been up to...

Found some time to tinker inside the Panelvan the last couple of days. I've been wanting to finish off the inside of the rear 'Panelvan area' for quite a while but just not really known what to do...I've had the factory rear trim side panels in place but didn't like the protrusions for the parcel tray which I don't use. It was tidy but not custom enough...

I started by removing all the slots for the parcel tray with an idea to smooth it out...



I bought some adhesive foam and other coverings but after a short trial it became apparent it was going to be a bust...so I had a beer and let my mind wonder a bit and a new idea was hatched!

I pulled the side trim panels and got to work...



A new template started to take shape...



Which I transferred onto some mdf...



then I had another beer while considering my favourite pastime since my youth...and after another trip to Jewson, I changed tack again and made another template...this time with a big grin on my face!



Can you tell where I'm going with this?

Fun times in my Panelvan!

[LionPT]

Originally Posted by DieselPunk

Can you tell where I'm going with this?

Fun times in my Panelvan!

Is it a wave (water)..??

[DieselPunk]

Yep. Curling surf @LionPT

[Gkon]

Originally Posted by DieselPunk

Yep. Curling surf @LionPT

Very nice!

[wingman55]

Originally Posted by DieselPunk

New wheels and tyres fitted!


I went for 15" steel wheels with an Atlas whitewall toppers on Khumho EcoThingys. The ride quality is much improved - as well as the overall look of the panel van.

In some circles this is known as "poke" rather than "flush"...the wheels came out a little wider than I thought but I'm still happy with the look.



Preston Tucker looks rather beefy now...




To show off I headed over to Wheels Day in Hampshire and fitted the Tri-Star centres I've been hoarding for a few years...

Very cool ride!! I love the whitewalls and the "James Bond" wheel centers!

[Busted_PT]

Like the interior design your doing.

[DieselPunk]

Thank you for the positive feedback guys.

I flipped the template at then cracked on with the right hand side which has a slightly different layout because of the filler tube.



Once happy with the fit it was time for a splash of colour!




I've used a mustard colour leatherette which is as close match as I could find for the insert colour of the Street Cruiser front seats and door cards.

On to the wheel wells next before I set the surf panels firmly in place.

[DieselPunk]

Right - some progress after a summer break.

The rear wheel wells have these brackets for mounting the plastic trim to - they were intruding a little too much into the cargo space and needed to go.




So out came the grinder and drill, and I lobbed them off. The metal is surprisingly thin and some small holes were left...




...which required welding closed.




With that done the wheel wells were treated and primed before being covered.

I decided that using the standard rubber shaped sound deadening would be best kept in place to keep the road noise down - so they were glued securely in place with the cavities filled & taped over.




To finish the wheel wells off at this point I covered them with the closest matching carpet I could find that would take the curves:




With the wave shaped inserts it's looking pretty custom back there! I cut the original plastic side panels up so make the rounded corners look a bit more "factory".




Looks a lot neater now but I have an idea brewing to finish them off.

On to the floor!

I made myself a template, taking lots of measurements...



...before transferring the template to some marine grade plywood and cutting out.



It took quite a lot of removing and trimming to get a fit I was happy with, then it was a matter of flipping the wood template over, making some adjustments for the differences between the two sides...



But I'm very happy with the results so far and the acoustics - well, they're superb now!