replacing curtains

[i(heart)delis]

hi, has anyone replaced curtains in their deli?

mine are all falling off the little toggles in the metal rails (and some toggles are lost), looking ragged, impeding my vision because they hang funny, and not to mention ugly.

i am not sure i want to go back to the slidey-toggle-rail system. has anyone just used velcro curtains, or have any other ingenious solutions?

thanks

jen

[glenn]

I was lucky enough to get a great set of curtains with my van. When they hang right, and have all the bits they should have, they are pretty great. When closed, they velcro together and snap to the van to create a completely private space. I would try to recreate the existing curtains rather than try to reinvent the wheel. I used to have a VW van (like so many delica owners), and the homemade curtains in it were useless - little more than window dressing. I'll bet you can get the missing toggles from the usual sources.
Have you looked into used curtains at all?

Good Luck!
Glenn

[JMK]

So this is something I have also pondered. Assuming you want to recreate the stock fabric with some new fabric. So you go find some real nice fabric and buy a few yards and bring it home, and get out your sewing machine. How do you get those pleats into your new fabric so they will fold up identical to the old ones?

[delicat]

That's a good question, I'd probably ask your local dry-cleaner if they could get the same result...

[i(heart)delis]

i have sourced some good material and will try to make some using velcro instead of the toggle/slider thingies. if this works at all i will post pics :)

[TardisDeli]

Hi IHD, I have seen a 4 or 5 deli's with homemade curtains, but they all looked very homemade and bulky.

Most used a velveteen (I guess for darkness?) which then they tied up in bunches. We have the stock ones, which don't dim the morning sunlight, so I have been looking for alternatives.

The original pleats make them hang very tightly closed without bunching. In sewing, Pleats are normally heat set in fabric, you need to test your fabric for how hot you can iron it, without burning fabric, then allow them to cool in place so they set. Then always wash after in cool water as hot water will undo the pleating. A lot of work.

Fabric: I wouldnt use cotton anything as it absorbs and holds moisture, causing dampness to remain in deli. I am testing a heavy polyester sateen (in the bridal fabric section) as I tested each fabric at the window of the fabric shop and peered thru the fabric to see how far I could see out (see the passing traffic). I bought some, it hangs down well, not bunchy.

The curtain hooks that fit in the slides are hard to find, they are a bit bigger than the typical ones in our stores. Glen at CC Autos had some, not many left since I bought mine.

My next thought is to cut Reflextix (thermal bubble wrap aluminum plastic from hardware store for around hot water heater) into pieces about 1/4 inch too wide so they will squish into the window (maybe with a splotch of velcro ??) for camping.

How are you thinking of using the velcro ???

Your profile doesnt list location, are you near Burnaby, if so let's meet to discuss.
Cheers,Christine.

[JMK]

I've noticed the same thing about all the curtains in these vans. In Japan, as in many other SE Asian countries, there are as many hotels that rent rooms by the hour as by the day ('Love Hotels'). This is because, unlike our society, you generally live at home when you are single and courting until you get married, and finding a place for a private rendevous usually leads to park benches, etc. Those that are fortunate enough to have embarked on a career, own vans (in Hong Kong it is much cheaper to license a van if it is for commercial use than to license a car so many go that route). Hence the need for curtains that let in light but protect your privacy.

I've often speculated that the primary reason for the continued existance of the Delica in Japan, and why it did not emerge in North American Markets, is significantly related to unique demographic factors such as this that do not exist here, but have propped up its popularity in SE Asia withal.

I have a work related meeting on Friday at a professional upholstery shop to get a new top made for our patrol boat, I'll ask them about the pleat and fabric question as well and see what they have to say. If I'm lucky maybe they willl also have some suitable leftover material they will part with for cheap.


The following is an interesting perspective:

Differences in dating styles
Not all cultures look at dating the same way

By Mark Gomez

This is something that actually happened at the end of 1999 in Kyoto, Japan. I had a friend called Tsyu-pon (strange nick-name for a Japanese dude) who was one of the downtown "nanpa" boys (i.e. he drove around in his customized airbrushed red mini-van all the time, looking for girls) He had long blonde hair and everything else that goes with that personality.

The inside of his van was all pimped out – fur seat covers, U.V. black lights, a small aquarium, CD/DVD player, 10-inch screen, and complete with Ranma ½ manga characters air-brushed on the back of the vehicle (he explained that was also to captivate the ladies).
I saw this guy regularly with different girls, and although his English was really bad, and my Japanese was, um, really bad too, we still managed to communicate the essentials. One day he was just dying to tell a "hilarious story" so I told him we would meet up at a bar later, so that my Canadian friend could translate the story. (Related: Smart dating)

This was my first exposure to understand how very different the Japanese culture and mentality can be. Apparently, a girl he knew through a mutual friend was spreading rumors (throughout the nampa community, I suppose) that he wasn’t a good lay, although they had never slept together. This, of course had greatly offended him, so he knew he had to "take action". The course of action was rather unpredictable, though. He drove around downtown (Kiamachi and Kawaramachi, Kyoto) looking for this girl or any of her friends. He soon spotted one of her friends and got her cell-phone number (always a key ingredient in these situations). He called her so he could find out where she was hanging out. He then agreed to meet her 30 minutes later. When he pulled up in his nampa-van he ordered her to get in, which she did.

[piyeguyo]

Oh, the love motels... You North American guys don't know what you're missing.

These "love motels" are not only popular in Asia; they're super popular in Central and South America. Owning a car is something different... It's way much cheaper to go to "love motels" than to buy a nice van like the Delica... Maybe that's why these vans were not so popular in Colombia, because they couldn't compete with the room prices.

It would have been nice to have one Deli back in the day though...

I think this topic is sidetracking a tiny little bit, isn't it...

[TardisDeli]

Hi JMK, what happened to the end of the story ... I am fascinated. Please post more. christine.

[JMK]

It got a bit more detailed and bizarre, and therefore I cut it off there, but the link is part of my post, just mouse over the link and click it and it will take you there. Having lived in SE Asia for 6 years and then Tokyo in the late 80's, not a lot of surprises there regarding the nanpa culture, but in this case I really feel that most of the Delicas had a more innocent use for true courting couples rather than nanpa boys.

Hey piyeguyo, you're the one that made the thread 'go south', (pun intended), you'll note I was strictly on topic with regard to why these curtains are diapahnous Interesting diversion though, I often have said to my friends 'if only these Delicas could talk....'.

[Blissy]

My deli came with only hatch curtains,
So I started experimenting a little bit.
Tried strong magnets, doesn't work so well. Made just simple curtains out of cotton, sowed the edges in. But in Medicin Wheel colors , yes hippie bus all right.
Anyways right now I just pinch the corners in the sliding windows or wrap them around seat belt attachment spot.
I tried finding slidythingies in the stores, without success.
Maybe they could be fashioned out of wire?

[Jonny5ive]

Oh the things we learn on Delica.ca

[jessef]

Maybe they could be fashioned out of wire?

You're onto something.

How about those thin wire curtains from Ikea ?

[Green1]

Tried strong magnets, doesn't work so well

I'm curious as to why not? I find magnets stick very well to the upholstery above the curtain rails (though not as much to the rails themselves) Although I haven't used this method for curtains, I use it all the time on events to attach various paperwork up there...

[Blissy]

Maybe my magnets aren't strong enough, I got those thin coin-like ones from the dollar store.
Also people ( especially little ones) always pull on the curtains and then the magnets will fall down and hide behind a bench post. Somehow it's just not as strong as it needs to be.