Hi all sorry for the delay in posting. I've actually been getting my blog going again so if you want to see detailed updates of the build you can check it out there:
www.myreversecommute.com
I'm much further ahead on my blog than this thread but I'll do my best to catch y'all up.
New Seats
The original stock seats were in pretty rough shape on the van and I actually ordered those while the van was getting its new top. I had some fun with the fabric selection to go with the overall island theme of the interior. The base fabric is a nice green texture and the center fabric will be used as an accent throughout the interior. Once I got the van back with the new top I installed the new seats up front. This made a huge difference in comfort while driving.
Oh, and I got a custom ukulele made to match the seats, because . . . why not!?
There was a few weeks before the full build would begin so I decided to take the van out for some camping in the Eastern Sierra's at June Lake. I was very proud of the van for getting up and over Tioga Pass - but it was not without a few hiccups and some serious grumpiness out of the 302.
Interior Disassembly
The day finally came to drop the van off at the shop for the full interior build. I previously worked with Gary at
Personalized Vans in San Jose for the
CandyVan Build and he does fantastic work and our creative vibes jive well together.
As I mentioned earlier the interior was in pretty good shape so my van brother Mike with the '72 came up from SoCal to help with the disassembly and take my old interior home for extras.
The interior came out pretty easily except for the old heater, which had fused to the external radiator and required some fun with a sledge hammer. Now I had to come up with a solution for all the holes left on the exterior after removing the radiator. More on that later.
Thoughts on Layout
I've obsessed about planning this build ever since picking up the van. I've thought through a lot of different layouts, but in the end went with the familiar "RB50" style. This was the same layout I did with the CandyVan and loved it as it optimizes the interior space both for storage and livability. Of course since this is my second van build I'll have a few surprises and improvements along the way.
More updates coming soon!
It will be very similar to the RB50 but every finish and material was custom chosen to keep a retro island theme - all the way down to the vintage Hula Girl door pulls 
Linear Mode
