Colorado E350 Gray Vhale Build Thread - Page 2

REF · 06-11-2015, 03:01 PM

FarmerFrederico · 07-24-2015, 12:58 PM

L-Track: I bolted both of the UJOR bases to one pair of 4 foot L-Track as a jig for marking my holes. I used a center punch to mark my holes. With holes 4" on center, there were many opportunities for interference with the cross-bracing of the body under the van floor and with the frame itself so I just chose a place that would give me the movement I desired while still leaving plenty of track fore and aft of where my seats will be at in their extremes so that the seat is always in the "middle" of the track and not locked in right at one end. A center aisle is not a major priority in our layout. We are all slender in our family so squeezing to the back bed/bench won't be too much trouble. I think we've got about 10" to work with.

I didn't take a close up of my finished work but I filed down the ends of the L-Track to make it smooth for bare feet - it won't catch toes or clothing now. I also chose this style track because I thought it would leave the cleanest interface with any possible floor coverings I finalize in the future. Right now I have a VanRug and I'm hoping I can just use a long bladed utility knife to cut slots out of so it lays down flat over the four tracks, then the UJOR mount will clear above. I might wish I had the flange type in the future but this is what I ended up with...I think it's the only style I could find in 7075 series aluminum as well.

I chose to place it in the valleys of the floor because that allows the 3" attachment hardware to reach all the way through bracing below and gives a more stable and uniform surface for the track to sit on...plus more headroom.

Here is how I rigged up my "jig" to mark holes. Brown marks on the floor is Liquid Nails residue leftover from a plywood floor put in by the PO.

I took one UJOR mount off at a time to mark and drill more holes so everything would line up well.

The gas tank was removed at that time so I didn't have to worry about drilling in to anything below.

FarmerFrederico · 07-24-2015, 12:59 PM

Reflectix and furring strips are going up cleanly. Using 3M double-stick tape to secure the Reflectix to the van wall. I was going to lightly secure my Thinsulate to the panels but on realizing that the panels I'm putting up are only semi-permanent, I decided to just use the 3M spray adhesive to secure the Thinsulate. For time's sake so that we can get out exploring and find out what we do and don't like about certain layouts, we're just using the original panels and headliner that came with the van. I'm envisioning finalizing the interior next summer.

Reflectix and furring strips. The 2x2 on top of the wheel well was actually shortened to be the same length as the flat spot on the top of the wheel well.

Tucked Reflectix into the space behind the "crown molding interior ribbing."

Some strategic cut eliminated folds from bending flat stock into the corners.

Thinsulate was sprayed with 3M on the fuzzy side and Reflectix was sprayed as well. Wait 1 minute. Stick it up. Since I'm using the PO's headliner and panels, I couldn't really make a continuous inner shell of Thinsulate because I don't think I'd be able to get the original panelling up on the wall that way. Might try to do that when I finalize things next year.

I'm going to use sheet metal screws to attach the OEM headliner because I think the plastic rivets won't be strong enough or have enough bite to hold up against the extra insulation in place here. I left the upper metal ribs bare to make it easier to locate where to screw in to. I may or may not cover these in the future when I finalize design.

FarmerFrederico · 07-24-2015, 01:02 PM

I've been using Google + to host my pictures and just recently the size in which the pictures are uploaded has changed - not sure if it is Google or the format on my iPhone photos just yet, but this forum doesn't allow that size picture to be posted. So, until I find a different place to host pictures that allows me to post here, this thread will be quiet.

You can see my progress here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...e-Build-Thread

Thanks for reading!

JWA · 07-25-2015, 04:50 AM

Nice looking work so far-----this should suit your needs perfectly once its all done.

As far as photo hosting I've been using PhotoBucket for years it seems----might give it a look-see sometime.