Hi everyone!
I am about to purchase a Ford e350 passenger van. I’ll remove the two back benches leaving one for the kiddos carseats/as a fold down bed. I’ve been reading here it’s best to leave the factory interior for insultation. I’m not a fan of the look though. Is there a way to install something on top of the van carpeting/walls? Also, for the back bed, kitchen, storage etc. What’s the best way to secure these permanently? Can I drill through the factory flooring?
Thanks
Hey there good luck with the build!
I’m kind of in the same situation I have a GMC Savana that has the full down bed in the back. Now my bed has an electrical motor that drops and lowers which is super Austin Powers shagadelic honestly call Mom but the motor’s require extra support beams underneath
A motor that sometimes gets disconnected
And the folding apparatus has steel or some type of uncomfortable metal beans around the edges and parts of the interior of said panel
I left my installation on because I got my van in the winter and I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel when any kind of warmth right now would be viable
I am about to take that bed out finally it just hurts too much to sleep on now after 6 months of daily use all of the springs and bars poke out.
I would love to see what you come up with oh, that is just my experience with my van. I really do want to keep the walls with the carpet on the floor has got to go LOL good luck and happy travels
Congrats on the new purchase! I build camper vans professionally and have removed hundreds of factory interiors from eco online vans.
Personally I would remove the original plastic wall kit.
The factory insulation does not provide you with very much protection from the elements. When Ford was designing your van, they were not planning on you sitting in the car with the A/C or Heater turned off, I.E. the factory insulation is typically just enough to maintain comfortable cabin temperature while the engine is running, but once you turn the engine off, the vehicle will get hot/cold very quickly!
You could insulate the van 10x better with some spray foam or fiberglass insulation. I am recommending those two insulations specifically because they are highly mold resistant, which is always a concern if you ever plan to camp in colder environments. (I live at 10,000 feet and am constantly struggling to keep the inside of the van dry, I have a dog in the car too which creates extra humidity).
Another great benefit to removing the factory wall kit is reduced road noise, the plastic wall kit will expand slightly if exposed to sunlight over the years, which causes the plastic to creak and make all kinds of annoying sounds whenever you hit a bump or you’re on a rough road.
Alternatively, if you just want to cover up the look of the plastic walls, I typically recommend using automotive interior carpet, you can apply it directly to the plastic walls using a web spray glue (3M sells it at Home Depot). Silver Automotive Trunk Lining | OnlineFabricStore
Greetings & Welcome!
I’m not a huge fan of removing anything but the seats. Your new furniture will probably hide most of the existing interior anyway.
I anchor things by using the original seat & seat belt mounting brackets. I try to always avoid drilling any new holes.
Cheers!
I recently removed the interior on my e350. The plastic side pieces are big and bulky, removing them will give you more space side to side to work with when building out your interior. I’m 5’10" and with my side panels out I can lay stretched out side to side. Also removing the original carpet and insulation will let you put in a subfloor (I used foamular insulation and 1/2" plywood) that you can screw into for whatever else you may want to build in there. This will limit the amount of holes you’ll have to put in your floor from screws.
