Inside The Mystery Machine

The interior of the cartoon Mystery Machine consisted of plain black, cube-shaped seats for Scooby's gang and guests. I wanted a little more for the inside of my Mystery Machine. I wanted an interior as equally interesting as the exterior. The Chevy gave me an excellent platform to work with. The inside of the van is all red- the dash, the floor, the doors, the walls, the ceiling are all the original red, painted steel. Originally, everything was just painted steel except the two front seats and the padded dash and sun visors. The passenger seat is smaller than the driver's seat. It is an optional seat than can be easily folded to the side or completely removed. Removing the seat allows you to haul items like ladders or a roll of carpet as long as 12 feet and still be able to close the back doors. The rear floor of the van is corrugated just like the floor of a pickup bed. In fact, the cargo area behind the motor is the same as a pickup with a 7-foot bed. I placed a sheet of 1/4" plywood under the carpet so the corrugations don't show through the carpeting. I also attached plywood to the walls and ceiling for insulation and sound deadening before putting up the carpet. Everything is covered in turquoise carpet except the seats, dash, and front door panels. All of these remain their original orangish-red color. I have some carpet left over if one wished to carpet some of these remaining features. The interior is surprising well insulated both to sound and temperature, even the engine compartment between the front seats. Other interior features include a miniature Mystery machine key ring dangling from the rear view mirror. The very first decorating item to go up was a string of red dingle balls along the top of the windshield. The dash has been spruced up with an assortment of stick-on and painted on flowers. The Am/FM cassette even has flowers on the knobs. Other control knobs have been colorized to complete the theme.The glove box door is signed by the artist. The original instrument panel consists of the original, elegant, round gages that are in full working order. Where the horn button once said Chevrolet Division, it now reads Mystery Division. Pink and green bean bags provide removable seating for passengers. A vintage lamp has been converted to 12-volt and permanently mounted to provide light when desired in the rear of the van. The speaker box is mounted on one wall of the van where it takes up no cargo space. It is easily removable if one wishes to remove or improve the sound system in the van. Dividing the rear compartment form the front seat area is a beaded curtain of brightly colored plastic flowers and miniature, silver disco globes. The front floor mats are vintage rubber mats with stars and stripes spelling out LOVE in red, white, and blue. The gas pedal is shaped like a bare foot, complete with 5 chrome toes. Riding in the back of Mystery Machine is fun. The carpeting and lack of windows make it feel more like a basement rec. room than an automobile. Friends can socialize all the way to their destination just as if they were partying at home. 10 people is the most I've ever had in the van at one time, but I know there's room for more. I've always wanted to pack them in just to see how many we could get in there. Riding up front and driving the Mystery Machine is even more fun. The doors swing open in front of the front wheels. You climb up to your high seats just above each wheel. You sit right up front where you can see everything. The only thing in front of you is the dash. The dash on the van is very useful for storing just about anything. It slopes down holding everything in with nothing spilling onto the floor. It if gets piled too deep, simply step around to the front of the van, spot the location of the item you want through the windshield, and then reach back inside to retrieve it. I'm not a slob that normally lets thinks pile up, but it can be an opportune place to display Scooby nick knacks. The advantage of sitting up front is that you get the reactions of all the people flipping their lid when they see the Mystery Machine. The broad steering wheel sits at a flat angle, inviting the driver to lean over on it at stop lights and soak up the admiration of onlookers. Driving the Machine is a blast to drive. There's no other feeling like sitting way up front.