Plywood Wall Mounting

[2horsegarage]

OK. Did a search, saw lots of partial answers, but nothing complete enough to help a guy like me--- one with no skills in this world.

I have a completely blank E250 2011 cargo van RB. How have you guys mounted your walls? There does seem to be enough upright supports to screw into. Am I missing something?

[cygvan]

one of the numerous reasons i went with chevy was the fact that the body is constructed with "studs" rather than a monocoque construction.

it seemed to make sense for me as i have remodeling experience.

having said that, i would think that self tapping screws are in order.

i used several different lengths and chose the trim head style which has a stamped ring around the head which gives is a smoother profile if gluing carpet or whatever over the luan it holds to the studs. caution is advised on getting the right length. or youll go right through the body lol.

for cabinets and critical points, i used various brackets by Simpson Strong-Tie (available at most places) fastened with multiple self-tappers or regular metal screws. i used a few lag head self tappers for the really big stuff. after driving around for a year, nothing is loose and everything is solid.

im sure there are a number of ways to fasten the walls to the body panels.

[Elltom]

Don't forget about "Riv-nuts". They set into the hex shaped holes, and will be helpful with attaching things....at certain points.

[dhally]

There is a fairly flat horizontal strip about half way up the wall. Screw some 1.5" thick clear fir to that the entire length of the van. Then the plywood walls will attach at the top, the middle, and the bottom. At least that is what I think my builder did.

[klinquist]

I am in the same boat - I just covered the interior of my van with sound deadening and insulation, my next plan is to buy plywood, cover it in some waterproofing paint or epoxy, cover it in indoor/outdoor carpet, then screw it to the wall (row of screws bottom, center, and top) with sheet metal screws and some finishing washers. I'll drill pilot holes which will let me stick a pin in the hole and measure the depth of the space between the "inside and outside" sheet metal layers and choose the appropriate length screw for each row.

[2horsegarage]

@dhally... That makes sense. As I got back into the back to look at things, there seems to be enough depth at the top and bottom and the strip you suggested should fix my concern. Thanks!

[Nomadcat]

A couple of things:

1. Take photos of the bare interior so that you can refer to them if you need to once it's covered up.

2. My walls remain a work in progress. I did intense insulation and sound deadening, but I wanted as much interior room as possible, so I didn't want to do straight plywood. I experimented with many things, including very thin plywood that was curved, but I ended up with masonite. I'm eventually going to swap that out, though, which is why I say work in progress.

3. You can run strips halfway up the side and at the top. There's more than enough surfaces for you to adequately frame it out. You just have to be careful and creative. If you want to run straight verticals, there are even more possibilities.

[cygvan]

Originally Posted by Elltom

Don't forget about "Riv-nuts". They set into the hex shaped holes, and will be helpful with attaching things....at certain points.

i was wondering what those were for lol