Well after several delays (there are always better things to do), I made a start on the van’s cab floor today. The seats were really easy to take out, so I was pretty optimistic as to getting the floor cleaned-up quickly.

But then I took the rubber flooring up. It actually came up easily, but the old 1970s double-sided adhesive tape was firmly stuck and a real pain to remove from the floor.

This picture’s from around the halfway point in tape removal and sanding.

There was quite a bit of rust, as I’d expected, but it was limited to the surface. The blue/black areas below show the rust treatment starting to work.

To be honest, though, after removing the kick boards, the van’s really in decent shape for its age.

The paintwork in the picture is all original and virtually rust free, a good thing since this is the front of the van.

We knew that the van had spent most of its life in Florida, which has undoubtedly contributed to its preservation. However, a find under the driver’s seat shows that the van had made at least one lengthy trip before moving to the UK; to Wyoming.

I also learned that seat belt design had remained unchanged since the bay window Type 2 was introduced in the late 60s.

I’ve a cement delivery tomorrow, so a coat of primer should follow on Thursday.