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Plumbing / Daily Driver Build

23K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  teck13 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
See new updated post below by Pete!
 
#2 ·
That is a beautiful build out. Very impressive. I have a similar situation with my home-made commercial rack system in that I got part way through the job to make it usable and had to take a break. I hope to get to the rest soon. Yours looks about 90%+, mine is only at about 60% complete. I did not even start the passenger side rack yet. This inspires me to get back into it. Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Pete you should check your postimg settings. Some images are showing up sideways plus there is a lot of junk images on the bottom of the photo page they link to that aren't yours. Have you actually registered with them? Guy and I don't seem to have this problem. Are you selecting the image url from postimg and then inserting it in between
brackets? This is a far better and cleaner way to post images.

KOV
 
#8 ·
That is really bizarre, because when I went to look at my previous attempts to fix it, they just showed up as just the link text, or little question mark boxes. Do they look OK on your computer now?
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have been wanting to start a thread for some time on my PM build out. It seems I haven't done a very good job of documenting the build step by step though. What can I say, I'm a plumber not a shop teacher. I can answer any questions you have at this point though. I am attaching a selection of interior pics. So the project got to a certain point that I would call "useable" in fall, and the build stopped due to winter weather conditions. Now that spring is showing signs of appearing, I am getting ready to finish a few loose ends that were left hanging. The LED cargo light strips that I installed on the ceiling still have to be wired. I want to mount a set of speakers in boxes in the rear for camping etc. once all of the wiring is hooked up to the up-fitters harness, the cargo partition will get completed and attached to the passenger B pillar. I have to make and install brackets for hanging cords, tools, etc. My PM is also going in to get all of the gray trim smoothed and painted body color later this week. I'll post more pics when it comes back from the body shop.
I also added some close up pics of the partition as I've had some inquiries from members about it.



























 
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#9 · (Edited)
I cut small pieces of aluminum angle and pre-drilled them. Installed them with the birch plywood uprights sandwiched between two angle brackets. This can be seen in some of the pics. Then I marked the position of the brackets on the wall and installed riv-nuts into the van walls to bolt into with 1/4"-20 bolts. The only thing that gets tricky is that you have to note where you will be able to drill before installing any wall paneling. Also, the riv-nuts I used were meant to crimp into sheet metal thickness only, so the holes through the wall panel material had to be enlarged to get them to take a good bite. Each upright only has two pairs of brackets, one at the top and one about halfway down. The bottom of each upright is dadoed into a varnished maple cleat to prevent water damage / de-lamination of the birch plywood. These cleats just sit on the factory wood floor in the van.
 
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#11 ·
Project Not For The Faint Of Heart!

I took the PM out by my buddy Tim last night, and we took off all the Tupperware for smoothing and painting. I have to say it might have been better if I wasn't there to watch. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and I don't think there is a perfect way to accomplish this task. The plastic side trim is held on by two sided tape and about 150 clips that self destruct when pried on. The broken clips then remain stuck in all the holes. Removing the broken clips without causing major paint damage under the trim should be real fun. Tim will be doing that and removing the two sided tape residue tomorrow. I will find something to occupy my time. I can't watch. I know he'll have it looking great in no time, but the process is killing me. I also found that there are actually 4 air pressure vents behind the rear quarter trim panel (check out the pics). They flap wide open when slamming doors. It's hard to believe this still isn't enough.












free image host
 
#16 · (Edited)
My PM is my only personal vehicle and I also use it for some extra curricular work when friends and relatives call and need a hand with projects etc. It is not for business purposes, although if my employment status were to change, it could be on a moments notice. At this point, running my own business does not seem all that appealing. I have worked for the same contractor for 16 years. My company issued truck is a 2010 Sprinter 3500 Long wheelbase. It is set up very similar to my PM with indoor pipe racks to haul 10' lengths of PVC and copper on top of the shelves. I only carry a 5' step ladder in my trucks. If I need something longer I have to load it in the middle aisle. I am 6'3" and I really like being able to walk down the aisle without ducking. I also really like being able to hit the drive thru for lunch, banking, etc. Most drive thrus around here are 9' max height. So for my use I have learned to live without a rooftop pipe rack. I find that service work rarely requires 20' lengths of pipe. If I did a lot of new construction or remodeling, I might have different thoughts.
 
#17 ·
Now I understand.

Good move to work for someone else. I've been working for myself for close to 30 years and my boss is a real idiot ;-)
When you work for someone else you get to have your nights and weekends and that's important.

At first I didn't put a rack on my van. I built a channel up high on the inside for 10 footers. It worked fine. For any job requiring 20' material, I'd just have it delivered. But then I decided to add the rack just for the occasional time I might need it. So far so good.

Attached is what my front end looks like ever since I collided with a small car. I was surprised to find out the cost of the replacement plastic fender. I expected big bucks, but it was only $96.
 

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#20 ·
#22 ·
Sorry about the delay in posting finished pics. I've been really busy lately and the PM hasn't been washed in weeks. I would be embarrassed to post pics of it that way. Hopefully I'll have time to give it a bath this weekend.
 
#27 · (Edited)
jostalli said:
How have your painted panels held up? I am going to paint mine myself since I have a paint booth at my workshop. Any tips you could give or things you would do differently? I consulted three body shops and all three said don't do it because the paint won't stick and will come off. They all would do the work but would not warranty it. I wasn't asking them to do the work. I just wanted to see how they would do it. Two of them said they would just use 320 or the equivalent of a scotch Brite pad to prep before primer. The only other thing they add is a flex additive because it's plastic. Thanks for any help you can provide.
The painted plastic panels have held up very well after about 7 months now. I don't have any cracks, chips, or peeling. I wasn't involved in the finishing, I only helped with panel removal and re-installation. So I had to inquire with my buddy Tim as to the details of the process he used. His paint salesman had sold him a U.S. Chemical product called bumper and cladding coat for my project. Only after spraying all the panels on a Saturday afternoon, did he notice that this product was not compatible with the three step urethane paint process that they use at his shop. After calling the salesman to give him a piece of his mind, the gentleman agreed to come down to the shop immediately to help him use reducer to clean the stuff off of all the panels before they cured. Once this chaos was over, it was time to re-group and come up with a new plan.

He said the first step of the prep was to spray an adhesion promoter on the panels. He then sprayed the panels with Dupont 4004 primer with a flexibility additive. Then it was time for sanding. Due to the contours of the panels, almost everything had to be hand sanded with 600 grit. The next step is a Dupont 3 stage urethane paint process involving seal coat, base coat, and clear coat all with flexibility additive. I was super impressed with how the texture of the plastic panels absolutely disappeared after sanding out the primer coat. The only place I can see a little bit of the texture is in the grills inside the bumper steps and around the fog light holes. They were difficult to sand due to their shape. He also left the grille insert the original grey finish due to it being a glossy plastic that he wasn't sure paint would stick to. Tim was also concerned because the fender flares are permanently attached to the front bumper corners with melted plastic rivets. The concern was that the edge where these two parts meet could potentially chip or peel. I have had no such problem. They look as good as when we re-installed them.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Pete,

That really looks good! I have the same color, same size. The only thing that I think would ADD to the look, is to REMOVE the red Promaster badge below the RAM 2500. Took about an hour on mine, and (to me) it really looks better without the red "highlights". If you go to my website, look under "projects" and "add side windows" to see what it looks like.... just a suggestion.

Beautiful work inside and out!

Ed
 
#29 ·
Beautiful job and work on the van. Same color as the one I just brought home. Quick question: Do you know, or maybe one of the other forum members know, whether the passenger side bumper end cap can be removed WITHOUT first taking off the plastic trim [tupperware :)]on the rear 3/4 panel? Much appreciate you input.
 
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