VANdiana Jones sequel: The Legacy Continues

[mk216v]

For your roof.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...t-Autonomous-quot-F-350?p=1899272#post1899272

Dicor RP-IRC-1 CoolCoat Roof Coating - 1 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2ATAWQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_d-vawbC9HF5W0

Thanks Brad. You mean for MG's poptop roof for my roof.

This Dicor looks like a good option. The only other product I had been suggested by another ExPo member so far was http://www.tempcoat.com/temp-coat-products/temp-coat-101/prod_2.html
If using a brush or roller, then this variation; http://www.tempcoat.com/temp-coat-products/insulall/prod_4.html
From the ExPo member; "I found Temp Coat while researching coatings for an "RV Box" that I am building with a friend. I spoke with the owner's son, Jason, who is very nice and very knowledgeable about the product. He suggested an interior or an exterior coating depending on aesthetics, as the product does finish a bit on the matte side. You could easily spray the interior sheet metal, then cover it up and spray the roof sheet metal inside and out or even a double layer on the exterior. A single layer is about 30 mils, which is about the thickness of a credit card and that layer will give the equivalent of an R-20 in heat reflectivity and insulation against conductive heat transfer into your van. We are looking at it for a composite box type structure and it will be an exterior coating for us.
The product is 60% elastomeric, but is not designed to be a bridging product, so that would be another advantage of spraying it on a relatively flat exterior metal, versus the inside where you have all the support ribs and such. It may simply just take more product if you spray the inside for that reason.
We also considered a Lizard Skin heat control product, but I feel the Temp Coat is better for our application. With composite panels for the walls and ceilings, we should be about an R-30, due to the components of the composite structure. You may wish to consider a spray foam as a vapour barrier and to help seal off all of the small spaces that batting or foam board can't cover."

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm glad the temp coat and coolcoat came up. I've been looking for a similar solution for my van.

 

[mk216v]

I'm glad the temp coat and coolcoat came up. I've been looking for a similar solution for my van.

ExPo is so full of fantastic resources!!

 

[mk216v]

ExPo is so full of fantastic resources!!

....and ExPo comes thru again! Huge thanks to Tucker(tookstar154), another E350 6.0L member on here, for sending up some much-needed OEM interior panels so I can get VANdiana's interior back to factory spec (custom MG interior buildout will be built around them for the most part). :jumping::beer:

 

[tookstar154]

All 4 '15 Sienna's are in, as is black powdercoated L-track. LOTS and LOTS of work installing 10' strips of L-track, but the flexibility is fantastic. Had 4 seats installed going into NW Overland Rally(ExPo), unfastened the nuts for the LR seat, in less than 8min had moved the seat forward about 12". Removed the RR seat in 8min to allow more access for our trip. If the seats had been bolted thru the floor like OEM, would have taken much longer to remove the shield under RR of truck, then 2 people to unfasten the bolts/nuts. With the L-track I can do it all myself in much less time, plus I can fully customize the interior(seats/cargo) for whatever trip I'm taking.

A few pics;
View attachment 292736
View attachment 292737
View attachment 292738
View attachment 292739

Trip mode;
View attachment 292740
View attachment 292741

What you can't see in these pics is that i n the far rear, forward of the fridge and such, I re-installed the factory seat bracket bolts with the McMaster-Carr d-rings, so that I have even more possible tie-down points.

For a trip with 2, having only 3 seats in makes the most sense to me, as tested this past weekend. RF seat can be swiveled and reclined for relaxing. LR seat can be reclined for relaxing, and both are facing towards each other which is good for any conversations.

Compared to my G, the extra room the van offers for lounging and moving around in it is very very welcome. With the G, if the weather was horrible, we'd be sitting in the front seats like we were driving; not very comfortable as with the rear seats stuffed with gear, the front seats couldn't be reclined much--certainly no feet-up position like the Sienna's in the van affords. Now with the van, if the weather is horrible(or incredibly hot like this past weekend--thank goodness for an inverter and household fan!), we can relax and stretch out in comfort in the van, all without needing to get out of the van at all. I cannot tell you how this single change has transformed the traveling experience.

Thinking of doing the same thing for my two seats in my van. However, I was thinking of using riv-nuts through the floor for the L-track. Do you think that would be strong enough in a crash, or accident scenario? I don't want something to happen while driving, have people back there, and have the L-track pull out of the floor. To clarify, I would riv-nut through the actual floor of the van, not the wood floor I am laying down. Good or bad idea do you think? I tried to look underneath my van, but couldn't tell if there was too much reinforcement or a gusset plate over where the old seats were mounted, so can't really tell. If not, I'll probably through-bolt my seats in the van, and use the L-track somewhere else.

 

[mgmetalworks]

Thinking of doing the same thing for my two seats in my van. However, I was thinking of using riv-nuts through the floor for the L-track. Do you think that would be strong enough in a crash, or accident scenario? I don't want something to happen while driving, have people back there, and have the L-track pull out of the floor. To clarify, I would riv-nut through the actual floor of the van, not the wood floor I am laying down. Good or bad idea do you think? I tried to look underneath my van, but couldn't tell if there was too much reinforcement or a gusset plate over where the old seats were mounted, so can't really tell. If not, I'll probably through-bolt my seats in the van, and use the L-track somewhere else.

I feel pretty good about the strength of rivet nuts in general but the floor in the van is just a smidge stronger than a pop can in my experience. I'd be concerned about tear-out. There are some locations where you simply can't get to the underside of the van and we used a rivet nut in these locations but on either side we have through bolts with large washers. Through bolts with some backing material is the best solution when attaching to the floor. You'll notice how much reinforcement is used in the factory seat mount locations if you look under the van...that should tell you something about the floor sheetmetal itself.

 

[tookstar154]

I feel pretty good about the strength of rivet nuts in general but the floor in the van is just a smidge stronger than a pop can in my experience. I'd be concerned about tear-out. There are some locations where you simply can't get to the underside of the van and we used a rivet nut in these locations but on either side we have through bolts with large washers. Through bolts with some backing material is the best solution when attaching to the floor. You'll notice how much reinforcement is used in the factory seat mount locations if you look under the van...that should tell you something about the floor sheetmetal itself.

That's what I was thinking. Had a long conversation yesterday with my uncle about it, and that's what we were most worried about. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely be through-bolting most of it then. Seats are going to be facing each-other, behind the drivers seat. Kind of like a Vanagon set-up, without the full pull-out bench-to bed. Thanks for the input MG. Extremely impressed with the SEMA build, props to you. That's some impressive fab work.

 

[mk216v]

The L-track is a huge undertaking. Unfortunately, I may have had MG do that a bit prematurely(although the L-track in the meantime has been key in securely lashing down cargo). Depending on what I do for flooring for the final interior layout, we may need to unfasten the bolts/washers/nuts, remove the Bedrug, add new flooring, then re-install the L-track and bolts/washers/nuts. At least there won't be all that drilling needed again, but the fastening is still a PITA. Lesson learned(have an ultimate plan and do it once). At least it's done right currently, and will always continue to be done right.

 

[tookstar154]

The L-track is a huge undertaking. Unfortunately, I may have had MG do that a bit prematurely(although the L-track in the meantime has been key in securely lashing down cargo). Depending on what I do for flooring for the final interior layout, we may need to unfasten the bolts/washers/nuts, remove the Bedrug, add new flooring, then re-install the L-track and bolts/washers/nuts. At least there won't be all that drilling needed again, but the fastening is still a PITA. Lesson learned(have an ultimate plan and do it once). At least it's done right currently, and will always continue to be done right.

Yeah, I'm really trying to think it all out the way I want to have it done so I don't have to do it twice. Any pro's/cons to having the seats bolt into the L-track? Now I'm thinking of putting the floor down, and then putting the L-track on top of the floor in a different area, and not worrying about the seats, just through-bolting them through the floor, with a nut welded on some plate for the back-side of it. More of a fixed position, but I don't really see myself taking my seats in and out too much.

 

[mk216v]

Yeah, I'm really trying to think it all out the way I want to have it done so I don't have to do it twice. Any pro's/cons to having the seats bolt into the L-track? Now I'm thinking of putting the floor down, and then putting the L-track on top of the floor in a different area, and not worrying about the seats, just through-bolting them through the floor, with a nut welded on some plate for the back-side of it. More of a fixed position, but I don't really see myself taking my seats in and out too much.

Having the seats bolt to the L-track is a HUGE flexibility/modularity bonus. So my 2 rear Sienna's on the UJOR/MG Sienna mounts bolt to the L-track. Within 10min I can both seats out, or 1 seat out(usually the RR seat is out for easy egress/ingress). Now if I was bolting them thru the floor, I'd have to have a 2nd person under the van(after removing the heat shield on the pass side) to help me unfasten the bolts/nuts--this would take probably 20-30min or so. Much much easier to bolt stuff to the L-track on the top side.

NOTE; and this isn't even including the myriad of options you have for lash points with the L-track.
If you want/need the modularity, the L-track is it. If you can get by, like I did previously, using old factory seat mount holes, upper seatbelt holes w/ McMasterCarr d-rings, even side body holes w/ d-rings, and have enough lash points for stuff, then you'll save a LOT of $ over the L-track parts/labor.

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

Having the seats bolt to the L-track is a HUGE flexibility/modularity bonus. So my 2 rear Sienna's on the UJOR/MG Sienna mounts bolt to the L-track. Within 10min I can both seats out, or 1 seat out(usually the RR seat is out for easy egress/ingress). Now if I was bolting them thru the floor, I'd have to have a 2nd person under the van(after removing the heat shield on the pass side) to help me unfasten the bolts/nuts--this would take probably 20-30min or so. Much much easier to bolt stuff to the L-track on the top side.

You could have fixed nuts underneath though. Like nuts welded to flat bar and tacked to the underside of the floor. Using bolts and/or nuts and studs from above would simplify option #2. Of course you wouldn't have the location options....

 

[mk216v]

You could have fixed nuts underneath though. Like nuts welded to flat bar and tacked to the underside of the floor. Using bolts and/or nuts and studs from above would simplify option #2. Of course you wouldn't have the location options....

True, you could do that.

 

[tookstar154]

Think I'm going to go with the L-track. Going to have to wait a little bit to lay my floor now, but hopefully not too long, I'd like the L-track to sit semi-flush with the floor, so I need to know where the seats are going to go before I put the L-track in, and I need to modify one of the seat frames to fit. Thanks for all the info guys.-Tucker

 

[mk216v]

Think I'm going to go with the L-track. Going to have to wait a little bit to lay my floor now, but hopefully not too long, I'd like the L-track to sit semi-flush with the floor, so I need to know where the seats are going to go before I put the L-track in, and I need to modify one of the seat frames to fit. Thanks for all the info guys.-Tucker

Awesome Tucker, I think you'll really love it.
Which websites have you been looking at L-track at? The reason I ask is that as you probably know there are about 4 different styles of track, so you can decide how flush or not you want to make it. Mac's Tiedowns has good pictures. US Cargo Control had the best pricing I could easily find.

 

[tookstar154]

Awesome Tucker, I think you'll really love it.
Which websites have you been looking at L-track at? The reason I ask is that as you probably know there are about 4 different styles of track, so you can decide how flush or not you want to make it. Mac's Tiedowns has good pictures. US Cargo Control had the best pricing I could easily find.

I impulse bought one stick on Amazon to see how I liked it. Seems nice, I believe it is from Steadymate. However, it is advertised as "Surface Mount" track, so I think I'll be keeping this for other Tie-down locations, and getting some different flush-mount stuff for my floor. I saw US Cargo Control, but thanks for the tip about Mac's Tiedowns. Didn't know about them, I'll check them out.