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Old 12-31-2008, 11:46 PM   #1
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DIY Ladder Mod

I really wanted a ladder for the side of my new to me Quadvan conversion, but I balked at the price of a professionally manufactured one, so I combined a bunch scraps in the shop with $20 worth of EMT, $5 worth of SS hardware, and a $5 can of Duplicolor truck bed liner. 30 bucks and a few hours of fabrication got me a serviceable prototype side ladder. It's probably not as light as the Aluminess version, but certainly durable and very cheap.



The brackets are a little crude and a couple of the bends could have been a bit cleaner, but as a proto based only on shapes that I've seen in pictures online, that's to be expected. If I make another one it'll be a lot cleaner.





If you've got a welder and grinder, and are looking for a good weekend project, you'll be money ahead even if you have to buy the EMT bender, a notcher, conduit, and some steel.

I'll try to get a better profile picture tomorrow to show the final product.. A few more pictures of the project are in my album.


Happy New Year!

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Old 01-01-2009, 11:23 AM   #2
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Very nice. Where were you two months ago when we ordered 10 of them?

Looks really nice!


steve
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Old 01-01-2009, 01:13 PM   #3
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Nice work!

Those of us that can fabricate and machine surely understand what this project requires. Other may simply stare in awe!
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Old 01-01-2009, 01:34 PM   #4
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Yep, that's me, standing in awe! Well actually, as you see, not exactly standing..
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Old 01-02-2009, 07:27 AM   #5
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Excellent!

Good idea and nice job.
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Old 01-02-2009, 10:07 AM   #6
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Looks good!
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Old 01-02-2009, 10:04 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cellularSTEVE
Very nice. Where were you two months ago when we ordered 10 of them?
I just found the forum a few weeks ago, I think shortly after you had taken delivery of your ladders. I remember reading the posts on that order and feeling bummed for being too late to get in on that deal.

I just picked up my van ten days ago, so I actually started working on the ladder prior to delivery. I used my RB cargo as a template which worked out fine. Given the low tech approach, the ladder turned out great. Time will tell as far as durability goes. I'm sure structurally it'll be rock solid, but I haven't used the Duplicolor spray-on liner before, so it may be a bust. I may have to take the ladder in and get it sandblasted and powdercoated at some point.

Here's a better image of the ladder from the side:


And another up close:


This project really isn't above the average welder. I had never bent emt before I started on this. The conduit benders are really easy to use. I'm sure you could rent a bender for cheap too. The only other tip I would suggest is removing the galvanizing around the area to be welded to keep your joints clean. I just touched up the areas with a coarse wire wheel, and seemed to work pretty well.

Before I tacked the pieces together I made a template of the left beam so I could replicate the shape again. It has reference marks for positioning the bender and approximate degrees for each bend. If you think you want to tackle this project, I could probably digitize the template and get it to you via email.

Cheers,
Sam

PS
The sliding door is cleaner than the rest of the van because I took it off my RB cargo a couple of days ago. I wanted to have side and rear windows in the 4x4, so I just swapped the doors over from my old E250. The Quadvan came sans glass in the rear and a bare cargo, but I hope to have subfloor, all weather flooring, two captains chairs and a bench installed later this week.
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Old 01-04-2009, 05:35 PM   #8
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Killer job!

I'm installing my ladder, I got one on the group buy, but yours looks incredible and I'm sure is just as strong, and hay $40 and some time is better then $400 any day!
I'm also trying to build many different things for my van, (our vans look a lot a like) I just got mine as well, Quigley 4x4 with the sliding door as well (I really wanted the barn doors, but oh well), I really would appreciate any assistance, tips, etc. on any other project you decide to take on, because a lot of this will be a first for me as well.
Again, killer job, keep up the good work,
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Old 01-15-2009, 08:07 PM   #9
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What diameter EMT did you use?
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Old 01-16-2009, 06:24 PM   #10
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1" EMT. I think it was about $10 a stick at the local hardware store, so I'm guessing you could get it a bit cheaper at a big box.
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