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Old 10-11-2017, 09:12 PM   #11
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Sweet van for sure, this is the coolest van I have seen on this forum.

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Old 10-11-2017, 09:15 PM   #12
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Just too cool. Beautiful rig and oh so clean.
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Old 10-11-2017, 10:51 PM   #13
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I have seen the YouTube videos about that one and always admired it really cool rig. There is an old guy around the corner from me that had the same body style van but just cargo no 4x4 conversion and it was just white in really good shape. It was outside his garage for a few months and I always thought that body style was cool and it would be a neat conversion. A few months back I noticed it was in his garage and he had the door about 1/2 open. I could see him in there working on it and thought cool he is restoring it. I waited a few more weeks and then happened to be walking the dog and he was outside and I asked him about it. Here is where the shock and terror kicked in......He said "Yep bought it new and it just hit 200k miles and the motor blew up, not worth fixing anymore so I cut it all up and scrapped it!" He then opened his garage and all that was left was the grill and some frame pieces he was getting ready to take to the scrap yard.
I really kick myself for not asking him about it when it was outside, I probably could have bought it for 500.00!
Anyway congrats on your find that is a really really cool rig.
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Old 10-12-2017, 12:45 PM   #14
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So stinkin cool and amazingly clean. I agree with Jsweezy, maybe the coolest one I've seen.
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Old 10-12-2017, 08:38 PM   #15
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What kind of interior you going to do?
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Old 10-17-2017, 11:30 PM   #16
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So stinkin cool and amazingly clean. I agree with Jsweezy, maybe the coolest one I've seen.
Thanks for all the good thoughts! I will admit though, I am not the cleanest Gen2 out there. When I was shopping for my van I came across a 1972 Ford Sportsmobile that was in even cleaner condition than my own. Shortly after I purchased mine I was contacted by the guy who ended up buying that one. Mike and I have since become van-bros and we'll be supporting each other during our builds. He is going to use my van as a template to do a gnarly 4x4 set-up and help me upgrade my own driveline this winter.

Here is some pics of his "72SMB":









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Old 10-17-2017, 11:35 PM   #17
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What kind of interior you going to do?
More details about the interior 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

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Old 10-18-2017, 12:23 AM   #18
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So cool. So very cool. Can’t wait to see how things unfold.
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Old 10-18-2017, 08:30 AM   #19
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Sweeeeet thx for sharing
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Old 10-25-2017, 01:29 AM   #20
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The first major update to the 808van would be new canvas for the pop-top. Being over 40 years old, the original canvas had been patched up over the years and smelled a bit . . . rustic. While it was not in terrible condition, it was the one area of the build I had absolutely no idea how to approach. That alone placed it at the top of my priority list to address. The team at Sportsmobile had suggested I look into boat canvas shops and I ended up at The Canvas Works in Sausalito, CA.



Once the old canvas was off there was a lot of rot and improvements needed to the top before they could even start on the canvas portion. I appreciate Mike and his team going the extra effort to clean up the fiberglass shell and install new wood along the edge and vinyl covering on the ceiling. I’ve found with projects like the 808van, the biggest challenge is what you’ll find getting into the work, and its great to have people that will get the job done down to the small details.

Example of some of the rot:



Fully disassembled!



The biggest stress point for me during all this was selecting the fabric! I decided on a Sunbrella fabric that was alternating green and beige stripes. I felt the pattern had a retro feel to it and went well with the green on the exterior of the van. By this time I had already begun selecting my interior materials and I wanted to make sure the top matched with everything else. More on that later.

After several weeks I came to pick up the 808van and couldn’t be happier with the final outcome. The top has several screened windows around the exterior similar to the original. I’ve always been a fan of pop tops over fixed roofs because to me, I like to be a part of the environment while off grid and not completely closed off. Sleeping up top with a canvas surround and the breeze flowing through is similar to a tent. I prefer sleeping up rather than sleeping down and that was yet another reason while I wanted to prioritize this work. Much thanks to Mike and the team at The Canvas Works for getting it done!



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