Reinstalling plastic step cover and trim

[nickd]

Quick question...<br><br>I'm working on my first van conversion right now, and I'm finishing up the floor (insulation, plywood, vinyl).<br><br>How have you guys gone about reinstalling the plastic step cover for the side doors in cargo vans, as well as the plastic trim for the rear door? These pieces no longer fit properly with the added floor height from the insulation, plywood, and vinyl.<br><br>Seems to me like this is important, as these pieces aren't simply aesthetic, but help to seal the bottom edges of the doors. I've heard of people adding some plywood underneath to raise the plastic piece but I feel that if I did this, the plastic would no longer seal the doors properly.<br><br>Let me know if I can provide clarification. Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

 

[MrNoodly]

You didn't say what van you have or whether you have a sliding side door or swinging doors. From your avatar, it looks like you have a Chevy or GMC. I took a close look ay MY Chevy with a sliding door. The step cover doesn't really have anything to do with sealing the door. There's a weather strip at the very bottom edge of the door that seals against the very bottom of the opening. Some bare bones models of Chevy/GMC vans don't have a step cover or door panels, so I doubt door-panel-to-step-cover contact has anything to do with sealing the side door(s). So I think it's safe to raise the step. As for the side covers, just cut them shorter.

 

[nickd]

Sorry, my bad.<br><br>It's a Chevy with swinging doors.

 

[cygvan]

i extended my floor over the footwell with some framing and eliminated the footwell trim piece. i store my jack and some tools under there and plan to finish ot off with a hinged piece of aluminum diamond plate that also trims out the floor edge.&nbsp; this also will allow me to add a weatherstip tube to the edge where the doors can close against, giving me a seal. i havent done so yet because i have not decided on the exact finish for the doors (ie inset storage box or pantry box).<br><br>i mention this in case its an option for you to do (it adds great usable floorspace) but also because when i inspected the underside of the trim piece, i thought perhaps i could trim away some of the moulded in ribs to make clearance for the additional height of the flooring and insulation.<br><br>i didnt take it any further than looking at it since i knew i was extending the floor but i thought it might work. perhaps i would have needed a piece of 1x lumber underneath to give the bottom of the trim piece something solid to rest on.<br><br>as for the rear trim piece, i also eliminated that as my floor covers most of that area. i plan to add aluminum diamond plate to conceal the edge of the floor and act as trim to cover the small remaining area of metal floor.<br><br>i have a 2003 express cargo with 60/40 doors.

 

[MrNoodly]

<span style="color: #999999;"><strong>"</strong></span><span style="line-height: 18.18181800842285px;"><span style="color: #999999;"><strong>i extended my floor over the footwell with some framing..."</strong></span><br><br>That's going to be a big step in and out of the van.</span>

 

[cygvan]

its not bad actually. there is enough of the stepwell not covered by the floor (since the doors are thick and protrude into the interior) that i can easily get a foothold on going in or out. infact, that is lower in height than original since the footwell trim is gone which was pretty thick on the floor.<br><br>i initially thought i would need running boards but nope. its an easy step onto the remaining footwell then onto the flooring. i haul myself up by grabbing the roof gutter.<br><br>the sportsmobiles usually convert this way as well as the guys on that forum that diy their builds.