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build pages/floor 

The OEM Ford vinyl floor and the sliding door plastic step cover were removed and discarded.  The low portions of the corrugated floor were filled with 1/2" closed cell foam.  The OEM tie-down rings at the bottom of the walls were removed and discarded.  The plywood floor is bolted to the van on the perimeter using the D-ring bolt holes.  Two addition 11/32" holes were drilled throught the floor to anchor plywood floor in addition to the D-ring bolts and the two existing floor holes.  3/16" x 2" angles were fabricated to connect the 1/2" plywood floor to the D-ring bolt holes.  The vertical leg of the angle is drilled for the D-ring bolt and the horizontal leg has two tapped holes to bolt the plywood to the angle.  The angle horizontal leg is under the plywood and bolts go through the plywood into the tapped angle holes. The plywood floor is the thermal isolator.  Plywood bolted to the steel body and the 80/20 framework bolted to the plywood.  The 80/20 floor framework is not bolted to the van steel.


The walkway portion of the floor on top of the plywood between the 80/20 is a 1 1/2" thick composite with a bottom layer of 1" rigid polyiso insulation, middle layer of 1/16" fiberglass and a top layer of 3/8" rubber gym mat.  Three pieces of indoor/outdoor carpet were cut to cover the floor between the cabinets.  They can be easily removed to be cleaned.  The purpose of the raised floor is to provide a base for the cabinets, provide 1" of insulation and allow four electrical cords to be placed in the insulation to get from one side of the van to the other side.  The portion of the floor that is under the cabinets has 1 1/2" of rigid insulation on top of the plywood.  The shower water tank sits on the plywood floor.  The front part of the fresh water tank sits on 1 1/2" rigid insulation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floor Plywood and 80/20 Drawing # ODJ127-23                                             

If you want more PDF menu choices the drawing can be saved to your computer and then reopened with Adobe PDF Reader.  The Adobe PDF Reader is a better program to use for viewing.

 

BUILD PROCEDURE
1.  Remove the OEM vinyl floor and the plastic slider door step cover and discard.
2.  Build the 80/20 framework using 1 1/2" series 15 extrusions and custom fabricated connectors on the bare corrugated van floor.  The framework is the base for the cabinets.  The cabinets bolt to the floor framework.
3.  Mark the locations of the two additional hold down holes to be drilled through the steel floor.
4. Cut the 4" square floor vent hole in the floor.  Locate and punch the two 1 3/8" holes for the sink and shower pan drain hoses.  Use a  electrical knockout punch for the two holes.
5. Remove frame and drill the two new floor holes.
6. Install the four piece 1/2" plywood floor.  Plywood floor has two seams.  One front to back on van centerline and one side to side just behind the slider door.  From under van drill the plywood through the four floor holes.  Mark the plywood from under the van for the 4" square vent hole and the two drain holes. 
7. Reinstall the 80/20 framework on top of plywood and mark the hole locations on the plywood for the framework to plywood bolts.  Mark the locations for the D-ring angle holes.
8. Remove the plywood to drill the 80/20 holdown holes and install the 5/16-18NC x 1 1/4" elevator bolts.  An elevator bolt is like a carriage bolt but has a thin 1 3/16" diameter head.  The elevator bolts are located between the floor ribs above the closed cell foam.  Used polyurethane construction adhesive to glue the bolt head to the plywood.  Temporarily used a fender washer and nut to bolt elevator bolt to the plywood until the glue dried.  Drill the D-ring angle holes, the two drain holes and the 4" square vent hole.
9.  Painted the plywood floor.
10.  Filled the low portion of the corrugated floor with 1/2" closed cell foam.
11. Installed 1/8" thick loaded vinyl over the top of the corrugations and foam,  Three pieces.  A 42" wide pieces down the center and two side strips.  Used 2" wide vinyl tape to cover the seams.  Drilled the four holddown bolt holes in the vinyl from under van and cut the air vent hole and the two drain holes from above. 
12. Reinstalled the plywood with the elevator bolt studs and bolted the plywood to the D-ring angles.
13. Used Locktite PL S40 window, door and siding sealant around the perimeter and on the plywood seams.
14.  Reinstalled the 80/20 framework.
15.  Put a layer of 1 1/2" rigid insulation between the 80/20 floor framework under the cabinets.  Did not put insulation where the shower tank is located.
16. Used Great Stuff spray foam to fill any gaps between the insulation and van walls.
17. Filled the walkway openings between the 80/20 framework with a bottom layer of 1" rigid insulation, middle layer of 1/16" fiberglass and a top layer of 3/8" rubber gym mat.  Both the insulation and the gym mat were slightly over size so used 1/16" middle layer instead of 1/8".

 


FLOOR END CAP AT REAR DOORS
The floor installed in the van has the corrugations filled with closed cell foam, a 1/8" layer of loaded vinyl, a 1/2" plywood floor with the 1 1/2" 80/20 on top of the plywood.  So the floor layers showed at the rear doors.  The 80/20 floor stops at the forward face of the rear door frame.  There is a 7/8" gap between the forward edge of the threshold plastic and the start of the rear floor stack.   I bought a piece of grey Trex plastic decking and made a end cover to hide the floor layers and fill the gap between the threshold and the floor.  Put three 80/20 economy nuts in the 80/20 slot.  Used 5/16-18NC SS button head screws to bolt the Trex to the 80/20.  Trex was difficult to rip on my table saw but later learned they make a saw blade designed to cut Trex.  Recommend the blade purchase.


 

COMMENT

Floor was time consuming to build.  The only change I would make if I did it again would be to change the method used to bolt the plywood to the D-ring bolt holes.  It was tedious to get the holes in the plywood for the angle bolts to line up with the tapped holes in the angle.  Instead I would make 1/2" x 1 1/2" aluminum blocks that have a hole for a flathead screw for the D-ring bolt holes and a tapped hole for the angle bolt.  The horizontal leg of the angle would sit on top of the plywood instead of under the plywood.

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