Cutaway Van Body Lining

[P51bombay]

I'm going to be removing these slats and install plywood/e-track. I see at the front corner there isn't vertical rib and the slats extend out past the first rib. So when I go to install the plywood and e-track should the e-track also exend forward of the first rib and then add an aluminum L brace to tie the front and side walls to each other? The front wall is FRP, presumably screws will hold in it and is 3/4" thick? I don't want to penetrate it.

 

[chefdennis]

A couple of things. 1st Id find a way to move that wall back to give yourself 3-4 ft of room behind the seat back for a "sleeper" area. If you have "cab access through that wall, I'd open it up as much as possible also. Done right, you won't lose any rigidity and you will have a lot more "comfort' room. Then use 3/8ths wood on the sidewalls, you need to save as much weight as you can for GVW for freight and 3/4 in plywood or osb is heavy...(i wouldn't use any type of osb, not for cargo containment) Then install your E track over the wood and to the side upright braces. Remember, those side walls aren't overly strong, so they shouldn't be your main freight containment method, you still need e track on the floor.

Now if you don't want to move that wall back, just simply don't run the e track past the very 1st upright brace, it is not a big deal.

 

[P51bombay]

No sleeper going in, its a local truck and ideally I want the e-track to run all the way into the corner if at all possible, I'll have to go see what the 5 ton looks like - I never really paid much attention till just now.

 

[BillChaffey]

Why remove the slats at all. It gives you something more to secure the plywood to & then the E track also.

 

[Dakota]

I'd recommend leaving the slats also. Makes the side walls more rigid, less of a chance of denting the aluminum on your box. If you want to use plywood just put it over the slats.
Just my opinion

 

[P51bombay]

I did consider leaving them but for two reasons, I want to recess the e-track but that would leave it recessed too far plus with the box being only 91" wide adding 3/8" plywood to each side and I lose 3/4" whereas by removing the 3/4" slats and replacing with 3/8" plywood I gain and additional 3/4" in usuable width. I know this doesn't sound like much but on some days there could be a need to stuff 7 skids in the 14' box (4 sideways and 3 straight) so any additional room for turning the jack is a bonus. Just went to Lowes, 8 sheets of 3/8" CDX @ less than $80 plus e-track at about $170 so about $250 for the whole thing.

 

[guido4475]

i'd would leave the slats on the walls, and install the e-track to the aluminum cross members, then put the plywood on the exposed areas.very seldom do i use the first 12 inches of e-track in the front of the side walls in the box.what kind of mpg you get with the cutaway? gas or diesel? and does it fall under the dot rules as far as logbooks, scales, etc.just curious.

 

[P51bombay]

i'd would leave the slats on the walls, and install the e-track to the aluminum cross members, then put the plywood on the exposed areas.very seldom do i use the first 12 inches of e-track in the front of the side walls in the box.what kind of mpg you get with the cutaway? gas or diesel? and does it fall under the dot rules as far as logbooks, scales, etc.just curious.

I don't drive the van but based on my use of the 5 ton, I use that first part of the track every day so based on that I would assume the driver will also if he had the option. The truck he is in now (which is virtually identical) has what looks like 1/4" door skin lining with a single opening about 12" tall front to back. In that opening is a strip of 1" aluminum attached with pop rivets. Needless to say both sides of that strip have partially pulled away.

My plan was to remove the slats and install two rows of recessed e-track, one about 30" high and another about 60" high, 3/'8 plywood above, below and between them fastening the plywood every 6-8" and a 12" band of sheet metal (smooth) along the bottom. I had a look in the 5 ton (which has F or A track) and what they did there is run the track and plywood out into the radiused corner and then riveted about a 2" aluminum angle between the front and side plywood - it has proven to be quite strong even with heavy loads attached to it so it even though I'm using 3/8" rather than 1/2" it seems like it should hold up pretty well.

Not sure what the mileage is just yet, I only picked it up Saturday. Its a 3500 with a 14' box, 12300GVW and a 6.0 gas.

 

[BillChaffey]

I fail to see how the 3/8" on each side can make a difference. The door openings are narrower then the interior dimensions.

 

[P51bombay]

I fail to see how the 3/8" on each side can make a difference. The door openings are narrower then the interior dimensions.

I know it doesn't sound like much but when you multiply X 2 it is actually it would be 3/4" making it 91-3/4"and the reason is that if a skid is in there sideways - meaning the 48" dimension runs across the frame rails then getting a jack into or out of that skid will be very tight

 

[BillChaffey]

Whether it's 3\4" or ten feet how are you going to get an object wider then the door opening into the truck to begin with. Are you going to take each object off the skid and load it by hand into the interior?

 

[Dakota]

I have driven cutaway vans, you can put some skids sideways so that extra wood would make a difference. As far as the door opening being smaller alot of times you can work the skid in past the door and then down on the floor(been there done that many times)

Bearcat are you thinking of a cargo van? The door opening on a cutaway is usually a roll up type and isn't that much smaller than the box maybe an inch at the most

 

[BillChaffey]

Unless a "Cutaway" van is smlilar to a "Step Van" where the doors open as wide as the interior and the are no wheel wells I fail to see how it can impact the load. I drive a E 350 the rear door opening is 54 1\2" the interior is 67 1\2". In my truck a 67 1\2 skid will not fit through an opening that is 13" smaller then the skid.

 

[BillChaffey]

Dakota,
thanks for the explanation. For myself I would more then ever want the plywood to protect the exterior walls of my rig.

 

[P51bombay]

Cuaway is like a mini straight truck, I attached a photo. It's pretty easy to get it all in, I've been known to stuff 15 skids in 12 skids of floor space. You lay the first 4 skids with the 48" dimension across the frame then put the other three straight in - this will leave enough room for the jack to sit under the last skid and still shut the door.