Adam -

My '80 Westi has the desired door on the front of the rear seat.
The other difference between the early Vanagons and the later
in this area is that the early ones had no rear heat vent under
the rear seat, so the entire rear seat area is useable storage.
It has a vent to heat the rear at the small step on the floor
between the front seats in line with the rear of the battery housing.
The heat has to travel aways to be useful for the rear passengers.

I use that space for valuables that need to be easily accessed.
Camera, first aid, etc.

Get your saber saw out , cut a hole, get some edge trim, hinges,
latch, viola, your own hatch!

- Jeff   Iwanna21/23windowsunroofDeluxe!
'80 Westi (2)   '67 Sqbk   '64 Ford Crewcab
'87 Subaru 4WD  '97 Nissan Quest
Grass Valley, California, USA
Jeffrey.Carver@Aerojet.com
- - - - - - - - -snip - - - - - - - -
Why isn't there a door in the front panel of the rear seat so you can
access the inside without having to lift the seat each time.  A real
pain with a child's safety seat strapped to it.