Starting on Teddy ! Plz Help!

[Sleep]

Hi Gang,

Well first of all I have decided to rename my van "Teddy", he was the best furry friend ever who I lost last year and who happens to be the same color as the van. It just feels right.

I have finally started my build. Not sure why it has taken me so long, fear perhaps, even though I'm so anxious to get  on the road. One thing that has given me a boost was a better layout. Yes,  I  am one of those people who will think things to death. Anyway,I posted pictures of the inside of the van after the seats were removed, that left bolts sticking up from the floor. Since I never figured a way to rid myself of the bolts I thought I had come up with a solution! I decided to lay a floor on the van using 3/4" ply so that I could attach my bed and everything else to it. I had Home Depot cut the 4 x 8 sheet in half so that I could more easily handle them. My brilliant idea was to drill holes on the bottom of one piece to slip on top of the bolts.  The concept was good, but the execution not so much    After giving it several attempts, I just can't get the holes and bolts to line up.  

Surely someone here has a better suggestion than I apparently had. I did attempt to make a card board template, but it wasn't the same size.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Almost There]

There's two ways of doing it.

Probably the easy way is to take a grinder to the bolts and reduce them. BUT that puts ruining the carpet in the 'highly possible' realm and you  need to be careful of the heat from the grinding burning the carpet.

The more correct and long lasting way is to have the bolts removed as well as the carpet...you probably don't want it in there anyways, it's likely to be wet underneath and has been soaking up odors and debris since the van was new.

Bolt removal is always a two person job and sometimes even then they just have to cut a bolt at floor level because some of the bolt heads underneath the floor are buried up above stuff like the gas tank etc and are just impossible to access.

If you can't do the bolt removal yourself then at least you can take out the carpet and then take the van in to a body shop that can do it for you. I had to have the entire seat and bolts removed from a van because there was no way I was able to do the job myself.

Once the bolts are out, then the next step is to seal those holes up. You can epoxy coins or small pieces of metal down. Even old fashioned bondo works! Anything is a whole lot easier and cheaper than having someone weld them which then ruins the paint job.

Then you can template the edges of the van so that you're cutting out the side edges to fit snugly against the van walls.

Good on you for finally getting started on this project!!

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Buy some black chalk or whatever color for the bolt tips and step on board. The chalk would leave a mark. Paint works too if it doesn't dry on ya'.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Try placing the plywood in position and then rapping the top side of the plywood over each stud with a rubber mallet. This should make a small indented mark on the bottom side of the plywood where each stud was making contact.

 

[Sleep]

Thank you all for the input! I had given some of those ideas consideration, but guess I need to reconsider.

Almost - I broke down last night and bought  the Kreg Pocket tool! Wish me luck!

 

[Almost There]

It became easily my favorite tool. I still carry it so I can show it off to others.....

 

[Weight]

How I did mine. Rip out the seats and carpet, and the sorry insulating crap under the carpet. Scrap and paint the floor with rust paint, not a nice job but covered. Wood 1x2 length way in the channels that were over the "frame". Those with a dodge know what i mean with the " " . They were screwed to the metal floor with sheet metal screws. 1/2 inch foiled sided poly insulation between the furring strips and the walls to cover as much of the floor as i could. Then 3/4 ply was cut and fitted and screwed to the furring strips and as needed, then the furniture could be fastened to the 3/4 ply wood. It is dificult to match the existing bolts or even inserted riv-nuts and aling the plywood floor. Modern sheet metal screws are the cats ass.
All my furniture was built with 1x lumber using kreg tool pocket screws. The key bis to cut the wood with a excellent 90 degree. I use my power bench miter saw.

 

[frater secessus]

Might leave a couple as places to tie down batteries or gear.

 

[mayble]

Buy some black chalk or whatever color for the bolt tips and step on board. The chalk would leave a mark. Paint works too if it doesn't dry on ya'.

an old lipstick works very well for this too

 

[Burbanlife]

Might leave a couple as places to tie down batteries or gear.

Yes leave a couple for tie down points as frater secessus said. You will need them, I cut off mine , and wished I had saved 1 more. I also salvaged the seat belts and used them for strapping.

 

[Sleep]

The only problem with leaving them up is that they are in the entrance areas, won't be tying anythng down right there! But I appreciate the opinions.

Back to the drawing board!