Whitey Ford

Nomadcat · 03-17-2010, 06:30 PM

The time has come.

The van is pretty much ready mechanically. Going to put in the kill switch at some point soon, but it's got 5000 test miles since I got it from Quadvan in January.

It has 80 percent of the sound-deadening SPL tiles up on all the sheet metal. Need to spend another hour or two finishing that off. I'll post some photos.

The thermal paint and foil-backed jute arrived today, along with a 70 degree forecast, which would be like a gift here in NY for March. If I can get the inside painted and insulated in the next few days, it would be amazing.

The only problem is that I seem to have some kind of pinched nerve in my shoulder and back, but I'm going to deal with that and try to take advantage of this weather window.

If all goes well, I can start the floor and paneling in less than two weeks.

I will provide photos here as I go.

Now, it's time for Tiger Balm and a hot bath, not necessarily in that order.

Nomadcat · 03-17-2010, 10:28 PM

A couple of questions:

1. How far do you think I can bend 1/4" plywood? ie: will it be easy to bend it to the radius of the van walls or should I think about 1/8"? I liked the sturdiness of 1/4", but maybe it's overkill.

2. Do the christmas tree clips used to hold the headliner and door panels come off easily AND, more importantly, are they re-usable or do I have to find new ones?

Thanks to any and all who answer.

Paul

Aldercrest · 03-17-2010, 11:07 PM

Quote:

1. How far do you think I can bend 1/4" plywood? ie: will it be easy to bend it to the radius of the van walls or should I think about 1/8"? I liked the sturdiness of 1/4", but maybe it's overkill.

Last weekend I pulled the CO sensor on our beast to replace it. Looks like the Sportsmobile plywood sidewalls (under the fabric) are at least 1/4". To be sure, I just checked a partial sheet of 1/4" I have in the garage and it has plenty of flex in it.

teeots · 03-18-2010, 05:08 AM

Back in the good old days we used to bend 1/2" plywood to a 6' radius for skateboard ramps no problem, but you have to have signifigant supports to hold the torque/springback. I would be scared of using 1/8" for any fastening.

Nomadcat · 03-18-2010, 07:27 AM

1/4" will probably do it.

thanks.

paul

AndrewST · 03-18-2010, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nomadcat

2. Do the christmas tree clips used to hold the headliner and door panels come off easily AND, more importantly, are they re-usable or do I have to find new ones?

I just pulled out my headliner and got them all out without breaking. Yes they can be re-used.

Andrew

Nomadcat · 03-18-2010, 07:48 PM

Yeah, I re-used the fasteners with no problem. It felt good to get that headliner area insulated with the jute.

I have used up all my SPL tiles and they really make a difference. You can see them all over here. The next step is the thermal/sound deadening paint, then more foil-backed jute, then plywood. You can see my boss in one of these photos, as well.

And just cause I got around to it today, a shot of my sand ladders. I found some tremendous eyebolts, got 1/4" wingnuts and some heavy-duty washers, then stuck it on the roof-rack. Now, I have almost never used them, but I have been carrying them for well over a decade, first in the Wagoneer, then in the Tacoma, so it's a joy to finally have them up and out of the way on the van. I have certainly had to use cardboard, carpets and other stuff to get out of mud and snow, so I don't mind continuing to carry these around. Also, the eyebolts could conceivably come in useful for tie-downs at some point. In the background, you can also see the front of a Quigley van. Somebody where I park saw my Quadvan, left a message on my windshield, and I got in touch with him. Gave him a bunch of URLs and resources, including this site, and he actually found and bought a used Quigley a month or two ago. Incredible that we now have two of them downtown after never seeing one.

I plan to do the painting on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed. My pinched nerve seems work-able so long as I don't sit down. I'm going to cut this post short because typing is starting to kill me.

Paul

Nomadcat · 03-24-2010, 06:46 PM

Phase Two has ended. The SPL tiles were done, so I applied the paint that allegedly has thermal/sound deadening qualities via tiny ceramic balls embedded in it. What the hell do I know? In the immortal words of another poster here: don't listen to me. I don't know what I'm doing.

Anyway, I gave it four coats over the course of a few days. Ended up slathering four gallons of the stuff on there, the last coat especially I was just laying it on super heavy. It's at least two credit cards' thickness all over and probably an 1/8th inch in much of it.

Here's another, and this is only after the second coat. I laid on the fourth today and it's almost like a lining at this point.

So, I was going to do the whole insulation job next, with the foil-backed jute, but I am now thinking of getting the floor done first. I think it will make life easier.

I am still debating a number of things:

1. 3/4 vs 1/2 ply. Leaning towards 3/4 at the moment, but the idea of that extra weight bums me out.

2. How do I deal with the bolts in the floor? I could cut holes in the insulation and then the plywood to leave them semi-exposed and to make the floor level, which is my bigger issue.

3. Should I use some 1" foamcore board below the jute and the ply as a way to level the floorbolts? I'd rather not take another inch of interior headroom.

4. I am thinking of using studs in that channel along the bottom, screwing in from the top down to fix them in, then putting in the floor and then using 3/4 inch pine baluster, screwing into the studs and down into the ply, fixing the floor that way.

5. Other option is to drill into the floor, then get underneath and seal every screw I can find to mitigate future rust issues. I'm not as into this idea.

Any ideas or experience?

Thanks.

Paul

Jeffrey · 03-24-2010, 08:33 PM

Looks to be a worthy tribute to the famous Yankees pitcher.

Nomadcat · 03-24-2010, 09:24 PM

It's a silly name, but it's white, it's a Ford, and I'm a lifelong Yankee fan, having been born a couple of miles from the Stadium. When I was a kid, they sucked - the Mets were the local team to like then - but I am nothing if not loyal. He is still one of my all-favorites: "The Chairman of the Board - Whitey Ford..."

I usually don't drive around the country with Yankee stickers on my vehicles, though. I feel as though someone having a bad day would just slash my tires just for the fun of it.

And forget about driving to Boston...