What Would You Do To Your Rig, if the Floors Were Removed?

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by campism

Under-van storage boxes, either accessible from inside the van or from underneath.

Cutout for access to the top of the fuel tank(s) for in-tank pump/pickup replacement without having to drop the tank(s), and a removable cover for such openings. I'm doing this to my own van.

That is on the list for sure, thanks!

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by larrie

Am amazed that the wheel wells still in good shape.

You may want to think about adding anchor points in the new floor for interior cabinets.

Thanks for that recommendation, I didn't think of that.

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by 1der

Oh, one other thought - If there is a way to provide access to the upper nuts for the rear shocks! Those are a nightmare!

That's smart! I changed out the rear suspension in my driveway to include the leaf springs and it was WAY easier to do all the work with the floor removed. Especially when it came down to torqueing all the bolts that are related to the leaf springs.

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by 1der

Lots of great suggestions given here.
Spare tire area - basement box has proven very effective for us. In winter time it becomes additional food storage as it is very cool. The space there is about 55 gals worth of water or just over 7 cu ft of storage. Storage is better utilization of that space for us.

Water - 20 gals can be split into two tanks to better utilize interior space. Have one tank feed another which feeds your water pump. We elected to incorporate a 3" ringed fill spot which allows use of hose, water jugs, etc. to fill the tank in remote areas.

Heater - yep. Diesel heaters are super efficient and cheap. 2.5 gals of diesel should easily cover one to two weeks of camping use in under 20 deg weather in a pop top. longer in a fixed or regular roof van.

12v heating pads - these will draw your batteries down pretty quickly. An AGM battery already loses 1% capacity for every 1 deg Celsius change. That means from 75degF to 32F you batteries are already degraded by 25%. At 0F you are down 42%. If you . decide to go Lithium you will have to keep them above 32F to charge them. You have an opportunity for either AGM or Li to created a well insulated and heated ( just need a little) space that is below floor.

12v system math - take into account the temperature related capacity losses in sizing your system. Also, charging from solar is great but harder to rely on in winter. Incorporating a robust inverter/charger/transfer switch is most prudent. Even w 360watts of solar we find plugging in on winter ski trips very helpful. We have not incorporated a DC to DC charger but that may be added this coming year as a way of keeping the battery bank within best charging parameters.

Fuel tank sending unit/pump access - absolutely. No idea why Ford did do that as a standard feature.

Cabinet / wood floor attach points to the new metal floor- I would probably not do this. Every solid metal attach point becomes a sound / temperature transfer point directly from under the van to the interior floor. Better to float your floor and hard point attach cabinets to the metal of the interior walls and the cabinet bottoms to the floated floor.

Definitely prep and paint the frame, cross members, etc. Be careful around the bolts/nuts when using POR15. Great stuff but torture when trying to unscrew something w POR15 on the threads.

How do the body mounting bushings look?

Thanks for the wealth of knowledge in your post. Thanks for the forethought on using the POR15, I will keep that in mind.

I'm gonna install my AGM batteries on the inside of the van inside of sealed box that will be vented outside. I will definitely invest in some heating pads to aid in keeping the batteries warm to minimize the capacity loss. I have experienced this to some degree in the past and it did hinder how long I was able to winter camp. I do plan on getting a DC to DC charger coupled with the solar panels to keep the batteries topped off.

The body mounts look pretty good actually. One less thing to deal with! LOL

Thanks for the knowledge, I appreciate it!

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by gahamby

Do any wiring/plumbing, cross van in particular, while all that is open. Run some extra raceways (ENT inside, liquid tight outside) with pull string installed. Place some junction boxes in strategic locations for later modifications. A pathway through/under the firewall to the engine bay is a handy thing to have.
Things I have had to do the hard way include a backup camera and Blue Sea battery selector switch. One thing I would like to do is get the rear A/C controls on the dash.

Thanks, I like these ideas!

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by SteelheadJones

Where are you going to get new panels and how will you attach them?

I am going to use Ford F-150 truck bed panels to create a new floor. I'm going to use 18GA sheet metal in between the panels to tie them all in and they will be bead rolled to add rigidity.

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by SierraHawk

My concern would be the engine and trans. My 5.4L does OK but a 6cyl engine is not going to be strong enough to get a converted van over the hills (I-70 west of Green River) and the trans may not hold up if the van is heavier than the drivetrain was designed for. Liquids behind the rear axle can put you at risk of losing control of the steering, overloading the rear springs, etc.

Thank you for that. That is the biggest thing on my mind; the engine and the drive train. I've accepted the fact that it wont be a beast compared to the V8 and V10 counterparts. However, with that in mind, the build out is going to be as light as a possible. An aluminum infrastructure (luckily I had stock before prices skyrocketed.) will definitely help with that, along with being extremely weight conscious in regards to everything else in this build but still...I know. Payload capacity is 2,165lb so this will be a juggling act, but it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge!

I will be installing the water tank in place of where the rear tire was mounted. With the removal of the spare tire & the mount vs the installation of the 16Gal Water tank, there's a 45lb to 55lb weight difference (when the tank is full) so I'm gonna roll with that and evaluate whether or not its a good move once I do a few trips in it. Your point is absolutely valid in regards to the weight behind the rear axle, so ill be experimenting with different solutions if my current idea proves problematic. (adding baffles to the tank to prevent the water from sloshing around, or going with a smaller tank.)

All valid points. thanks for the forethought.

[BrianW]

Originally Posted by gahamby

Do any wiring/plumbing, cross van in particular, while all that is open. Run some extra raceways (ENT inside, liquid tight outside) with pull string installed. Place some junction boxes in strategic locations for later modifications. A pathway through/under the firewall to the engine bay is a handy thing to have.
Things I have had to do the hard way include a backup camera and Blue Sea battery selector switch. One thing I would like to do is get the rear A/C controls on the dash.

@gahamby Re: AC controls. If you mean StarCool, there are a few threads on this. I added an on/off switch to the dash (fairly easy), while Scalf (I think) put the fan selector switch on the dash (which was more involved).

[BCam]

You should seek out JWA via a PM (Private Message). He's a former body shop owner and I'm sure he'll have some sage advice. He helped me with my repair of a rusted out floor pan in the cab (my problem was the exact opposite of your's). It would be interesting if he could post his advice for all of us to see.

My biggest concern would be what with and how will you replace and attach the new floor panel(s). I don't know anything about the structural stability they provide but I'm sure JWA will.

[bnyc000]

Originally Posted by BCam

You should seek out JWA via a PM (Private Message). He's a former body shop owner and I'm sure he'll have some sage advice. He helped me with my repair of a rusted out floor pan in the cab (my problem was the exact opposite of your's). It would be interesting if he could post his advice for all of us to see.

My biggest concern would be what with and how will you replace and attach the new floor panel(s). I don't know anything about the structural stability they provide but I'm sure JWA will.

Will do! I'll do a mock up of what I plan on doing to replace the floors and post the pictures here. Thanks BCam.