My new home

[wmkbailey]

Many of you have inspired me to finally start my “Land Yacht”. This is something I have wanted to do for a while, but just found this Forum. It has been very helpful. I have a farm with my ex-wife that we cannot sell. I can’t afford to live where I work, which is DC. I was going to build one to retire and live in, so the time line has moved up a few years. I just bought the van and realized I got the VIN messed up and got the RB instead of the EB. What a way to start. Well this one drove better and had less rust, 2003 E350 with only 85,000 miles. Life sometimes gives you lemons and I’m realizing I’m getting tired of lemon-aid.

I will post pictures tonight so I will have my starting point, and hopefully the end product will look better. Now for the hard part, finding the pop-top. I may have to search Indiana and make a trip home. They seem to be rare around here.

[wmkbailey]

Here she is:





I knew there would be a little rust to repair. It was a landscaping Van, and smells like fertilizer.



It has a cage that I'm removing. I feel like I'm driving a prison van.



It has a bed liner that I have to remove. There is rust forming where the liquids have eaten through. It also has a center console that vibrates around and drives me crazy. While removing it I discovered something. Drum roll please.



Yes that is the setting sun light that is shining under my van. Hey the transmission and exhaust looks to be in good shape. The rust stops right where the bed liner starts.

[bettyford]

Ron

[wmkbailey]

I got the rubber liner up off the bed and only surface rust there. I will have to repair some of the mount holes they used but no big deal. I got the passenger side seat out and pulled the rest of the carpet on that side. Just surface rust there also. Drivers side I don't know yet. The last torx bolt in front is striped out. Anyone know an easy way to remove a striped trox bolt?

My neighbor said I should leave the hole or just put a trap door over it to make transmission work easier.

Bettyford, was that suppose to say RUN. or where you telling Ron to watch this train wreck.

[jage]

Originally Posted by wmkbailey

I feel like I'm driving a prison van.

Looks like somebody Shawshanked out the floor already...

[Silver350]

In that picture of the rear door sill, is it rusted right through? I'm assuming you own a welder and just love doing bodywork right?

[Bigduke6]

Fertilizer BAD!

[lopracer]

That is one big hole ... I might consider putting a plate in place to cover the hole instead of a comvential patch, of course after cleaning up the rust and cutting a nice neat hole. An access hole wouldn't be all bad. We have similiar access holes cut in our bus floors to make access to the top of the fuel tank and the sending unit a 4 screw affair. Maybe a nice big piece of diamond plate aluminium.

[jage]

The front is easy enough, because it's flat. The rear, I'm not a body guy, but I'd look for a donor van and cut a whole chunk out- like the whole back sill plus, then cut as much as you salvaged and weld back the cancer free part. Is there other rust?

[wmkbailey]

The rear door sill I'm going to cut out and weld in new. The hole over my transmission I'm covering with sheet metal from the steel partition that was behind the front seats. This steel is thicker than the floor. Here is the hole after I cut is back to good metal.



I used a pizza box to make my template.



And presto a new floor.



My neighbor wanted to know if I plan to armor plate the rest of the van.