Leaderboard

There's a reason to build with plywood. It's fast and very efficient. I might be done my project by now if I'd used plywood. Instead, I'm working with walnut lumber I had milled from a tree over 20 years ago. It takes a little longer when you start with rough-cut lumber and need to join boards to form a panel you could have just cut from plywood. I cut off about five inches of the big foam blocks that are under the seats. Near as I can figure the foam made up the support for the second row passenger's feet, so it must have some structural value. I sliced the foam to match the profile of the side-to-side beam and laid it on the bottom to support my floor boards. I'm going to stuff the empty spaces with foam peeled off the floor padding. With sound deadening mat, it's already getting quieter. I debated reusing the front-of-deck beam. I would have had to cut off the deck flooring and would be left with a jagged metal edge flange. The way Ford spot welded that beam, I would have needed to retain a one inch flange, because that's where the welds are. I decided to build a wood beam instead. It should look nice if I ever get around to varnishing it. I sandwiched a piece of oak lumber I had around between two pieces of walnut. That oak was very heavy, which is why the beam weighed 22 pounds! So, I am progressing, slowly. I left 3/4" lips on the beam and the rear side of my foot-well, so that I can add sheets of wood to span the opening. That way, if I want a full deck, I can have it, and I'll build in some grips for picking up the lid and getting to the under storage. I was planning to reuse a piece of the floor mat to cover the center hump (exhaust pipe tunnel), but found that the material was hard to work with. I ended up just putting a layer of 10mm insulation and carpet over the hump. Photos: 1. joining pieces of walnut to for the new floor 2. the opening with sound-deadening mat installed 3. Ford's beam and attached flooring were fabricated in a way that would have left an unwanted flange 4. Glueing up wood for a replacement beam 5. Current status Work remains to install a footstep entry and finish from the floor to the footstep. Also, make pieces to form hatches over the top.