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@@mtlh05 I got 30 linear feet, from diyvan.com. I still have to add a bit around the windows and fan but what I got seems like it’ll be just enough I used it over foam boards because I figured it would be easier to install, especially with the curvature of the van walls. Just easier to work with imo, you can cut it with scissors to any shape easily

I don’t feel that sound deadening mat is needed when this insulation is glued to the metal body. I went back and forth on it but decided it wasn’t necessary for me. No regrets so far, it’s plenty quiet imo The bed is not a kit, I designed it myself and then ordered the materials I needed to build it from tnutz.com Kind of like buying 2x4s and screws from Home Depot..except for a small fee tnutz cut all my pieces to the lengths I needed so I didn’t have to do any cutting. It’s all 15 series extrusions and hardware Good luck with your express build!

@@shevy5000 thanks for the info! I like your attention to detail…very nice work!

@@Big_Lou_thank you! Glad you liked it

@@maldm004 wow thx, glad you enjoyed it. I just posted a second vid about the insulation/bed, and I’ll keep posting vids as I continue the build process

@@EnclaveDesigns thx! Ah dang yes the cleaning/prep is not fun but it’s worth it

No squeaks. It's holding up great so far - no issues at all yet other than the black paint on the edging chipping off in spots

I used advantech instead of marine ply because it should be less prone to warping over time. Keep in mind the advantech is different from traditional osb, which I would NOT recommend using

Advantech is better

Thanks, there were threaded holes already built into the metal floor (for the factory tie-down hooks) Those holes are what the bolts went into, after removing the tie-down hooks

@@shevy5000 ahh ok, interesting. I have an Express passenger van and currently dealing with the dreaded seat rails and don't have the tie downs like yours. Trying to decide what direction to go with the floor. Love having the windows but these seat rails are brutal to deal with in a passenger model!🤦‍♂️ But thanks for the response and awesome video! 👍

@@MikeTython369 thanks man! Ah gotcha..I imagine if you wanted you could just drill a hole and put a bolt through and thread a nut on from under the van? Or could just skip the bolts and rely on construction adhesive, and as far as front/back movement the floor should be held in place by the wheel wells etc. Just won't be held downwards in the event of a rollover or something Good luck with the build! I've seen plenty of passenger Express conversions so there must be different ways people go about it

Ty! Unfortunately I don’t know the dimensions and I don’t have the van anymore to measure..

@@shevy5000 understood. what is the width of the bed when fully extended?

@@maxchau8558 It was the size of a standard twin bed when pulled out, so 38” wide. It was one of those twin tri-fold mattresses that I used and designed the bed frame around. I cut the mattress length wise as you can see, and had someone make the blue covers for the pieces so it would be like two long pieces

@@shevy5000 thank you very much. this is the info I need to exactly!

I got the vinyl from a local flooring store, and the adhesive for it from Lowe’s

I sold the van a while ago but that's a good idea having them upright in that spot so they don't hang over into the living space

for somone without a clue as you - yes

I was concerned about that too initially, but it should be fine because the load is spread out quite a bit with the 3/4" wood on top. The foam can hold a lot of weight when the weight is distributed a bit - it's just not good with point loading which it doesn't experience in this setup

I'll probably just pull the ceiling lights off and leave the wiring harness in place and just build around it. I think the wires are responsible for the ceiling lights and tail lights/3rd brake light I considered re-routing the wiring harness to inside the upper pillar (instead of outside of it where it currently sits), but I think I'd have to cut wires to do so and it would just be a pain and not worth it for me. Good luck with your build!

@@shevy5000Thank you or responding. I was able to figure it out and put it thru the metal channel like I wanted. I was even able to keep the pre-existing light.

@@1DrkVixenoh nice! How did you put it inside the channel? Did you have to cut any wires?

@@shevy5000The wiring harness is connected in 4 locations, the center light, the right and left tail lights and the top rear reverse light. The hardest part was learning how to disconnect things. It's not easy to figure out. I kept texting my brother photos and asking what part do I push to disconnect things. Once I figured that out, I labeled things so i would know how to reconnect everything. Oh and one more thing to disconnect is a bolt on each side. I think these are grounding wires. I connected my wires back before connecting these and it caused my backup alarm to sound constantly. Once I put these bolts in, alarm stopped and lights have been working fine. I used electrical tape to loosely wrap wires in a way that ensured the ones that needed to each the furthest distance, to the passenger light, kept its length, if that makes sense. I left the center light in its light brown housing. I did not wrap the chord and the lights housing to tightly to the main harness as when i was pulling it back thru, i pulled it out by itself one of the holes hat is sort of at the center of the van, as I think I'll keep it as a lighting source. I hope this helps. Since this is my first time, I'm probably not that great at explaining it.

@@shevy5000no i did not have to cut any wires. For a second I thought I would have to cut the center light because I didn't think it would fit thru the hole, but it did. I think using the electrical tape is key as it holds enough but not too strong that when you need to unwrap things at the end that you can't tell. I also did not take off ALL the old tape, which i'm grateful I did not. It was easy for me to tell the difference between old tape and the new tape. The old tape helped me not get confused by so many wires. When things got a little what seemed jammed, I found pushing from the origination hole, then going hole by hole and pulling worked best. Also i used a bungee cord at the far end to pull a little.

Thanks - it was maybe like $3k in materials? If you actually want me to build something for you send me an email: shevy5000@yahoo.com

Thanks - it took about 2-3 wks of working on it most days to finish the majority of it. A lot of that time was spent planning. It maybe cost around $2k

@shevy5000 wow, that is not too bad. Thank you for your reply.

No need to strip the van, but it was kinda fun to do. But it did lead to more work and not reversible like you said I did like attaching the floor directly to the metal but again not necessary. Doesn’t even need a floor, the factory carpet works fine too Good luck w your build :)

Yes, I’ve already started. I’ll post vids of the build soon. It’s a 2016 Chevy express :)

I think this particular van sold for more because of the build (not always the case though). It sold for $3,800. Without the build I could have sold it for maybe 2.5-3k? I’m not sure the removal of panels provided me much more space, but I liked being able to build my floor onto the metal floor, and it was fun stripping it down Not sure if I’d remove the panels again if I built another one. May not be worth the time. But it would depend on what I’m trying to do with the build and whether I want the last bit of extra space or customization

I recently started building a Chevy Express, and I’m documenting the build this time. Should have a vid tutorial of the floor posted in a few weeks I actually don’t like watching ppl’s stories either. I only posted my own so I could have it documented for myself to watch in the future

Thx, what kind of specs are you looking for? I don’t have anything written/drawn out, but if you wanted to know how something was done I can try to describe it

@@shevy5000 ok wow you did this kind of free hand. Amazing work. I may fire you a question when I start my build.

⁠​Sounds good. Yes I built the bed to the size I wanted first, and then designed the rest of it around that based on how much space I had