[Tonwagen]

The floor is 5/8 in. AC grade Brazilian plywood of unknown species. I chose it for its thick veneer and relative absence of voids. Four 4 x 8 ft. sheets are laid transversely over the factory vinyl/felt mat. They are joined with 3 x .125 in. bands of 6061 T-6 and countersunk 10-32 machine screws into T-nuts. The floor is hardened and given some degree of moisture resistance by 3 coats of acrylic sealer/varnish.

Flanged L-track predrilled on 4 in. centers is mounted at the belt line with 1/4 in. flat head screws, hardened washers, and stop-nuts. Only a few blind locations near the C-pillar require riv-nuts. The aft-most mounting hole encroaches slightly on the boron-steel pillar and required the use of a carbide drill.

The lower factory polypropylene panels are replaced by 1/2 in. plywood wi<big><tt>th 1-1/2 x 3/4 in. (actual) poplar horizontal rub strips. The lower strip is centered 6 in. off the floor to work with cases and dollies on 4 in. casters.

The cavities behind the plywood are stuffed, to the extend possible, with R-19 glass wool.

A Tuffy Products storage box is located above the right-side wheel well to provide lockable storage for small objects while consuming minimal floor space. It encroaches into the floor about 2-1/2 in.

Going forward I intend to insulate the remainder of the walls and ceiling, reinstall the factory polypropylene panels, and add a ceiling liner (most likely Coroplast on all-thread standoffs).

I'm adding 12 volt electrical outlets at several locations (up high to avoid damage) and a 3 position switch for the cargo lights (always on, always off, Ford auto) by the right rear door.

All for now.

Best,

--Frank

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[NetDoc]

It looks great!!! What are you planning to do with it?

 

[Tonwagen]

It looks great!!! What are you planning to do with it?

The primary mission is to transport portable sound equipment as one might use for reinforcing a small outdoor concert. But I expect this van will also serve as a camper, construction/maintenance vehicle, mobile audio measurement lab, and all around stuff mover. I no longer have any motorcycles, but you never know.

It would be nice to have the option of a second row of seats, or at least some sort of jump seat, but I decided to put off that requirement for now.

I read your comments on dehumidifiers with interest. As a result I'm thinking about a 120 VAC pass-through so that I can use shore power with everything closed up.

Best,

--Frank

 

[orton]

The dehumidifier linked below has an optional $12.95 12 volt cord. I bought both but have only used it in the house. Will know more about van usage this winter.

https://www.eva-dry.com/dehumidifiers/eva-dry-1100-petite-dehumidifier/

 

[Finn]

That is beautiful interior work.

 

[Tonwagen]

The dehumidifier linked below has an optional $12.95 12 volt cord. I bought both but have only used it in the house. Will know more about van usage this winter.

https://www.eva-dry.com/dehumidifiers/eva-dry-1100-petite-dehumidifier/

That looks like a really nice little unit, perfect for the van or many other things. I assume it uses a Peltier device to get below the dew point. Thanks for the link. -F

 

[orton]

It is a Peltier device. We have left it running in the wash room. Works well and automatically shuts off when the cup is full. Restarts automatically when cup it replaced. Quiet with just small fan noise. Did run it in the van on 12 volts with the optional cord just to check it out. Will use it in the van this winter.

 

[Tonwagen]

Having worked my way up the walls it was time for the final major interior improvement in the cargo area: the ceiling headliner.

2.5" long, 5/8" hex, 1/4-20 threaded standoffs are attached to existing holes in the roof ribs, 4 per rib for a total of 20. The inboard standoffs are attached with shoulder bolts as there is access adjacent to each mounting hole. The outboard standoffs are attached with pre-bulbed riv-nuts and short lengths of all-thread to which thread-locker adhesive is applied to one end of each. Additionally, the inboard standoffs are cross drilled to accommodate a rope which is used temporarily to support the insulation during installation of the panels.

The headliner is cut from ~1/4" thick polypropylene hex-cell panels that I purchased from Penn-Elcom.

http://www.penn-elcom.com/default.asp?MC=01080601&LG=ENG

These are the "M865004-M865010 Flight Panel", which is a very nice material, superior to what Ford uses for the wall liners. It comes in 7'-7" x 5'-2" sheets, which allows the ceiling to be covered by only two sheets with little waste.

The headliner meets the walls ~4" below the roof seam. At this height the ceiling is of constant width for most of its length but tapers ~1.5" at the front and ~.75" at the rear, so some fitting is required. The headliner is scribed around the forward foam blocks and its forward edge rests on the partition.

R-13 glass fiber insulation was temporarily supported in the middle by the rope threaded through the inboard standoffs and at the edges by small pieces of tape. The rope was removed after the panels were placed and the tape should let go in due course allowing the insulation to "get comfortable".

I was unable to source any suitable divider molding for the joint between the panels, so the joint consists of two pieces of extruded aluminum carpet molding clamped together by 10-32 screws and riv-nuts.

4 LED puck lights from SuperBrightLED.com are installed in the headliner. The two original cargo area lights on the aft bulkhead are retained with the festoon lamps replaced by LED modules.

Now I need to drive a few washboard roads and see how it all holds together.

Pictures below.

Best,

--Frank

 

[Andre Jones]

Having worked my way up the walls it was time for the final major interior improvement in the cargo area: the ceiling headliner.

2.5" long, 5/8" hex, 1/4-20 threaded standoffs are attached to existing holes in the roof ribs, 4 per rib for a total of 20. The inboard standoffs are attached with shoulder bolts as there is access adjacent to each mounting hole. The outboard standoffs are attached with pre-bulbed riv-nuts and short lengths of all-thread to which thread-locker adhesive is applied to one end of each. Additionally, the inboard standoffs are cross drilled to accommodate a rope which is used temporarily to support the insulation during installation of the panels.

The headliner is cut from ~1/4" thick polypropylene hex-cell panels that I purchased from Penn-Elcom.

http://www.penn-elcom.com/default.asp?MC=01080601&LG=ENG

These are the "M865004-M865010 Flight Panel", which is a very nice material, superior to what Ford uses for the wall liners. It comes in 7'-7" x 5'-2" sheets, which allows the ceiling to be covered by only two sheets with little waste.

The headliner meets the walls ~4" below the roof seam. At this height the ceiling is of constant width for most of its length but tapers ~1.5" at the front and ~.75" at the rear, so some fitting is required. The headliner is scribed around the forward foam blocks and its forward edge rests on the partition.

R-13 glass fiber insulation was temporarily supported in the middle by the rope threaded through the inboard standoffs and at the edges by small pieces of tape. The rope was removed after the panels were placed and the tape should let go in due course allowing the insulation to "get comfortable".

I was unable to source any suitable divider molding for the joint between the panels, so the joint consists of two pieces of extruded aluminum carpet molding clamped together by 10-32 screws and riv-nuts.

4 LED puck lights from SuperBrightLED.com are installed in the headliner. The two original cargo area lights on the aft bulkhead are retained with the festoon lamps replaced by LED modules.

Now I need to drive a few washboard roads and see how it all holds together.

Pictures below.

Best,

--Frank

That looks GOOOOD, but I have to ask why the R-13 glass fiber insulation?

 

[EddieZ]

Having worked my way up the walls it was time for the final major interior improvement in the cargo area: the ceiling headliner.

2.5" long, 5/8" hex, 1/4-20 threaded standoffs are attached to existing holes in the roof ribs, 4 per rib for a total of 20. The inboard standoffs are attached with shoulder bolts as there is access adjacent to each mounting hole. The outboard standoffs are attached with pre-bulbed riv-nuts and short lengths of all-thread to which thread-locker adhesive is applied to one end of each. Additionally, the inboard standoffs are cross drilled to accommodate a rope which is used temporarily to support the insulation during installation of the panels.

The headliner is cut from ~1/4" thick polypropylene hex-cell panels that I purchased from Penn-Elcom.

http://www.penn-elcom.com/default.asp?MC=01080601&LG=ENG

These are the "M865004-M865010 Flight Panel", which is a very nice material, superior to what Ford uses for the wall liners. It comes in 7'-7" x 5'-2" sheets, which allows the ceiling to be covered by only two sheets with little waste.

The headliner meets the walls ~4" below the roof seam. At this height the ceiling is of constant width for most of its length but tapers ~1.5" at the front and ~.75" at the rear, so some fitting is required. The headliner is scribed around the forward foam blocks and its forward edge rests on the partition.

R-13 glass fiber insulation was temporarily supported in the middle by the rope threaded through the inboard standoffs and at the edges by small pieces of tape. The rope was removed after the panels were placed and the tape should let go in due course allowing the insulation to "get comfortable".

I was unable to source any suitable divider molding for the joint between the panels, so the joint consists of two pieces of extruded aluminum carpet molding clamped together by 10-32 screws and riv-nuts.

4 LED puck lights from SuperBrightLED.com are installed in the headliner. The two original cargo area lights on the aft bulkhead are retained with the festoon lamps replaced by LED modules.

Now I need to drive a few washboard roads and see how it all holds together.

Pictures below.

Best,

--Frank

I think you win the prize for most heavily insulated ceiling. I've seen some furring strips on the braces, but, this is the first "hanging" ceiling setup that I've noted. Nice find on the wide hex cell material... eliminating some fit-up joints would be very helpful.

 

[tthrsn]

I think you win the prize for most heavily insulated ceiling. I've seen some furring strips on the braces, but, this is the first "hanging" ceiling setup that I've noted ...

I too was admiring the thickness of your ceiling insulation. I used four 1" thick furring strips down the length of the van and 2.5" of extruded polystyrene foam board (XPS), covered with fiberglass reinforced plastic panels (FRP). I hope to hang things (using screws) from the furring strips.

 

[rene12341]

How much did the ceiling panels cost? Is shipping a problem?

Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

 

[Tonwagen]

How much did the ceiling panels cost? Is shipping a problem?

The panels ran about $140 each. Not cheap but not that bad compared with buying four 4x8 panels of some other material and running them transversely. Shipping is a another story. They're too big for UPS, etc., so they have to come by motor freight. Penn-Elcom underestimated the shipping charges and ended up picking up the delta, which was very nice but is not going to happen again. If you're interested in this stuff, call them to make firm arrangements. I believe mine shipped out of Los Angeles.

As to the amount of insulation, my main concern is heat gain in the summer sun, most of which comes through the roof, and I had a little headroom to burn. I know glass wool is not the most popular material on this forum, but its virtues include that it's cheap, doesn't burn, doesn't absorb water, and is space filling, suppressing the convective end-run around the insulation that can occur with rigid panels. I also did not want to stick anything permanently to the van structure that would make future modifications or repairs difficult. We'll see how it holds up over the years getting jostled in a vehicle. It seems to do pretty well in loudspeaker enclosures that get a lot of abuse both acoustically and from being moved.

Best,

--Frank

 

[tthrsn]

... (fiberglass) is space filling, suppressing the convective end-run around the insulation that can occur with rigid panels. I also did not want to stick anything permanently to the van structure that would make future modifications or repairs difficult ...

I did spend a lot of time shaping and mounting my foam panels to minimize this. Next time I would use spray foam and accept the fact that it would make future modifications difficult. Or maybe I would use polyester quilt stuffing (which can be purchased economically in large bales at your local discount fabric shop) in a manner similar to how you used fiberglass batt.

You method looks relatively easy and low cost (except for obtaining those very nice panels).

Cheers.