2001 E-350 extended WB build

[dr_nelson]

Okie dokie, starting to tear everything out to obtain a blank canvas. This will be my new home.


I finished ripping out the ceiling trim and the sidewall trims from my previous owner. As you can see, it has a high top.


My van was a wheelchair van. If you ever buy a wheelchair van, know that those metal tracks on the floor are a pain in the rear end. I had three metal tracks bolted through the van floor with a total of 44 bolts.


Since I did not have anyone who could hold the nut from underneath the van, I had to be creative:


It took me freaking 5 hours to remove them. Of course, 13 of them would not allow the nut to be unscrewed, so I had to get a cut-off tool.


Bye bye metal tracks...





From underneath the van, my floor looks like a strainer. Holes everywhere.
Now, time to take out the flooring. Unfortunately, the owner has glued the floor mat and the wooden subfloor to the van. One hammer later:


At this point, I was considering just leaving the subfloor, but this thing is so filthy and it has numerous loose bolts that go through the van floor. I guess I will have to get a wood-cutting disc to get this nasty floor out.

To be continued...

 

[Gary68]

wb as in wide body? whats the interior width?

 

[highdesertranger]

where are you located? I will give you a couple bucks for those E-tracks. highdesertranger

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Oh my... the van I'm hoping for also has those tracks... so glad I'm following your build!! Learning as *you* go :-D

 

[dr_nelson]

wb as in wide body? whats the interior width?

Oops... I just meant extended body. Sorry.
Interior width measured at floor is 66.9 inches.

 

[dr_nelson]

where are you located?  I will give you a couple bucks for those E-tracks.  highdesertranger

Greenville, SC
You can have them for free. Look at it as an "advance" for all the upcoming help that I will get from you as my build progresses 

 

[dr_nelson]

The nasty floor is gone!





I am very glad I went through the hassle to remove this nasty subfloor. Do you know the smell of your wet swimsuit left in a plastic bag for a month and then you open the bag? That was the smell... I had some struggle to keep the food in my stomach.

Need some advice. How best to remove this glue/wood residue? With a heatgun or a razorblade scraper?


Also, how do you remove these screws (that hold the seatbelt)? Do I need some special tool? Or is there a hack anyone knows of?


Thanks for your help!

 

[LeeRevell]

Ah! Extended body, standard wheelbase. Keeps the turning circle reasonable, compared to a true extended wheelbase van like a Chevy.
In any case, plenty of room to build your new "mobile apartment".

 

[wayne49]

Star bit. Like a hex key, but with star points. Widely available.

 

[dr_nelson]

Star bit. Like a hex key, but with star points. Widely available.

Thanks! Heading to Home Depot now.

 

[VanKitten]

Check out a product called "contractors solvent". 

I used it to clean up a fiberglass panel that had old plywood still stuck on it

The labels says to let it sit fo up to 30 minutes if it is really tough.
 
5 minutes and a scraping tools did the job for me.

 

[dr_nelson]

Check out a product called "contractors solvent". 

(...)

Thank you VanKitten, will check it out. I see Walmart has it.

 

[dr_nelson]

Star bit. Like a hex key, but with star points. Widely available.

Like I thought... even a T55 is too small. And Home Depot did not have anything bigger than T55.
I think I'll stop by at an auto shop and kindly ask if they would unscrew it.

 

[dr_nelson]

Plans for tomorrow.

1. Leak Test. Now that almost everything is torn out, I am gonna use my garden hose. The windows have been installed by one of the previous owners. But the fiberglass insulation around it that I tore out looked fine (I just hate that stuff and don't want it in my bedroom).
2. Cleaning the inside, get rid of all that glue/wood residue and fiberglass residue.
3. Measuring the roof to get an idea what solar may fit along with a fan (or two). I am still contemplating whether to install two fans in the roof or drill big enough hole(s) in the floor to suck air in or out.
4. Look at batteries, depending on how many watts fit on the roof.
   They will have to power a few lights, the roof vent, a portable fan, a fridge (possibly a dometic), charge my laptop and my cell, a waterpump, a small TV, and of course occasionally my Playstation4. 
   #3 and #4 will heavily impact the layout of my build.
5. If there is time, I'll also change the oil and replace the spark plugs. Apparently, they have been recently replaced, but I don't want to take chances with those Triton engines (I have a 2005 Mustang V6 and learned how to be careful).

I'll probably won't get past taks number 3 

 

[Gary68]

i would attack it with my chisel and hammer,should pop off fairly easy

 

[highdesertranger]

bummer to far away for the E-track. please do not use OSB like what was in there for the floor. I would just take a wire wheel on a 4.5 inch grinder to remove that glued on wood. with the appropriate mask and eye protection of course. highdesertranger

 

[dr_nelson]

From my experience those seat belt bolts are pretty tough and tight. I tried with a flat screwdriver and hammer; no luck.

Yeah, OSB might be good for cheap stationary build, but in a rumbling van no. The OSB boards were bolted to the van floor, but the holes for the bolts got bigger from all the shaking and most of the bolts were just hanging without actually holding the OSB floor.

I just counted the holes in my floor. 100! (44 of them because of those wheelchair metal tracks)
What is best to cover those holes? It needs to be something that can stand heat and cold and that is somewhat flexible, because the roads in SC are bad.
(I am not going to cover all of them and use some for the interior build)

Thanks!

 

[AbuelaLoca]

I'll be dealing with all these things shortly, dr_nelson, so thanks for sharing! I have those tracks too, two rows!

HDR, I'm in Missouri... if someone near here is heading your way soon, you can definitely have mine! I'll try to be careful taking them out (I'll try to have my labor be careful).

 

[highdesertranger]

how about it is anybody going though Missouri and coming to the Colorado River Valley or So Cal. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

should only be $10-20 to ship them usps