1987 Dodge Xplorer Resto Mod

[Lifted1]

Now your windows are out and the holes prepped for re installation. But, your windows still look like crap because of all that glue residue.

Now its time to repeat the process all over again on the windows. when you are done you will find some of the black finish on the aluminum window will have rubbed off. usally on the edge someplace. Thats ok. You have some of that black appliance epoxy paint, remember?!

just use some blue tape/newpaper to tape of the window glass and give a few light coats. That paint dries fast! its awesome paint. sprays on in such a nice fine mist. best paint i've found in a loooong while.

[booster]

A couple of things that I have found on some of this stuff concerning the rust and such.


Epoxy paint in rattle cans comes in two varieties, at least the last time I looked into it a few years ago. One way is a true epoxy as the can contains two different parts that get mixed when you go to use it it some manner in the can. The other is kind of a falsehood from what I have seen and is just an enamel or lacquer that used epoxy powder as the filler and pigment. All you really get is a slightly harder surface, but no other real difference,


I have never had good luck with any of the rust converters when I have tested them. Most the instructions say to only lightly brush the loose stuff off because they need rust to convert to the coating, but when I have gone back to my test areas and scraped them to remove the surface, there always was unconverted rust underneath that would carry moisture under the coating if there was way for it to get damp. I much prefer the acid based rust removers, naval jelly is a tame example, to get to clean metal even with pits if they are cleaned out of rust. An automotive type epoxy primer with catalyst from the parts/paint store brushed on will generally stick very well and make the area truly water tight unless the pits go all the way thought to the backside. No topcoat needed unless it will be visible and/or in the sunlight. On visible stuff in the rear storage area of our Roadtrek, like the wheelwells inside the van, I used brush on truck bedliner (Herculiner) over the scuffed paint. It has had things traveling in that area bouncing off it for years and still is like new, so very tough stuff.

[Lifted1]

When the windows are complete you will realize that you still can not put them back in. The windows hold the interior wall panels in.

better hope rain is not on the horizon! You've got another days work ahead.

Its a good thing you saved those panels for patterns. or hopefully as in my case, there was 1 decent one left to use. its kind a PITA to figure out the outer shape of the panel. The window hole is the easy part as its just a hole so can be traced out later. The good news is there is about 1/4-1/2" area at top where it can slide under the van roof pillar. the rear gets kinda a slight round cut to fit the curve of the rounded corner. The front part sits up against a pillar that was added by the factory.

I found that a standard piece of 4' luan fits pretty good. Just needs the back rounded slightly. 1 piece cut in half did both sides. It will be to short to reach the floor but thats ok. you can piece that in later. the driver side has a water fill, city water, and shore power pass through to contend with. the shorty'ness of the panel made it easier to fit that part together.

I jigsaw was used to but the window holes and the cutouts. i then used 1/2" wood screws to connect the two.

In my case the platform bed will cover this up anyway. the mattress will be above the screws.

[Lifted1]

You will notice in the above pictures. I also used the patterns for cutting the 3/4" plywood window spacer rings. these were badly water damaged. might as well do it all, They are just held in by using butyl putty to stick them temporarily until they can be sandwiched.

Everything, every little piece of wood is sealed with poly urethane. like i mentioned in an earlier post, i tried a few and found that the MinWax FASTDRY had excellent penetration. in some areas where the wood really soaked it up it can require more than 1 coat. not a bad thing.

also in the above pic i had previously removed fiber glass insulation. I HATE that stuff with a passion. its always circulating in the air and i just dont like the idea of it in a confined space nor that the wind is always blowing in the windows forcing it out. I used a mask and removed it all as part of the gutting process prior. also, when you think you have it all tore out, get out your shop vac and go over it all again. it will easily remove the rest right down to the original adhesive.

Then i use 3/4" R-tech foam for insulation. if you have access to and can afford the extruded denser foam, go for it! i liked this one because it had a foil back and, wth...maybe it will have a radiant barrier effect??

I used the 3M-90 adhesive to apply the foam, and then again to apply the poly-sealed wall panels to the foam. The wood wall panel does not have to fit perfect to the rear van corner. as you will see in a future pic, there is a trim panel around the door access that buts up to the panel and will cover the rear area to some extent.

another thing is the floor. I built the floor first. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but...i find myself always trying to protect it and keep from scuffing it up. i would have prolly done that in a later stage. but hey, there is also a big hole there for storage, and i would have had to contend with that.

i did at one point wisen up and use that butcher paper i had been using for the carpet patterns. it also came in handy for the wood patterns. i used some of that taped to the rear floor and that helped a lot with the sand/dirt i kept tracking in.

[Lifted1]

and here is a shot of this phaze coming together. not bad, eh?

[drsdig]

Lifted 1. I am a female, retired teacher, who was lucky enough to meet a mechanic/teacher when I first bought my RV. He taught me a great deal about car mechanics. I did some minor work on my '76...replaced alternator and starter, but that was years ago and I was much younger. The '76 was bought new and gave me very little trouble. The '86 bought used and the previous owner took excellent care of it. When I bought it, I knew what to look for because of being a previous owner of an Xplorer. I had very little trouble with it. The 2000 I bought new and all work is done by mechanics. Again, it gave very little trouble in the 20 years I have owned it. I tend to drive long hours when traveling and have made 3 trips across country in it. The Xplorer was top of the line RV when I purchased the first one. Work quality was good. It is a shame this one you bought was so poorly used. As to batteries, my house batteries have a shut off for storage under the passenger seat, so it would be hard to trace. I have dual batteries housed under the step into the van. In the '76 and '86 there was only one house battery. My RV is in storage, in another state, so I cannot access it from where I am. I will answer whatever I can, whenever I can.

[chewyblue]

I found your blog interesting... I am doing that very same thing on a 1994 Chevy roadtrek 210. It is in BAD shape...SO much rust that I am having to take it to a welder.
The metal above the very back door is almost eaten away on one side.
I liked your idea of filling all the screw holes with the JB weld.
I'm curious how you plan on securing the new cabinets and such in place...
I'll be following your blog for ideas...
Thanks for posting your info because there just isn't much out there on makeovers on older vans, most are on the new Sprinter, Transit, Promaster.

[Lifted1]

Hello chewyblue. good idea on the welding patches. cancer on panels is a b*@^h! really complicates matters. if you do not cut it out completely it will just return again and again. i had this problem on an old vw split window i restored. i cut out the metal in several places but it kept appearing. once you put that nice paint job on it, its a real disappointment to find more rust bubbles appearing.

i would definetly try the naval jelly rust converter booster recommended on areas that cannot be easily repaired prior to painting them and after getting all you can off with a wire wheel. I also really like using the "flapper" sanding wheels attachments that go on a 4" angle grinder. they are $4 at harbor frieght. and you get quite a lot of use out of them.

If you van is also gutted i would suggest putting a lot of rust converter around the top where the hightop connects as a primer/sealer also.

for attaching the cabinets, it depends upon what part you are attaching the cabinets. i will post the pics. i just installed the cabinets over the bed area. I'll take some close up's. basically though i used self tapping metal screws to attach the original sheet metal back into the van. Did your roadtrek come with that?? its an upholstered metal trim behind the cabinet. it covers the "seam/frame" where the fiberglass hightop connects. it provides a nice finished look and also provides an area to attach the cabinets.

The cabinets have a l_ 90% angle metal you can buy at the box stores attahed to the rear of them for support. the side that attaches to the cabinet "shelf" uses #8 - 1/2" wood screws. The side that attaches to the "finished" sheet metal uses 1" self tapping screws.

I will post some pics of this part soon

[Lifted1]

after all holes have been filled, rust addressed, bare metal primed and painted/sealed, i replaced the floor underlayment.

I used 1/2" plywood to give plenty of depth for "bite" when i attach/buildout the cabinets and interior structure.

The thick, dense, yet plush, undercarpet padding was purchased from harbor frieght. It is a garage floor mat / gym mat. it was $8 for a pack of 4 squares that measure about 3' x 3'. I used 3 packs in total.

I stuck the padding down in front of where you would step off the bed, over the rear wheel wells to dampen the noise, through the center tunnel, and also right between the cab chairs. I had enough epdm padding left to go under the 25gal house water tank and the side of it prevent abrasion.

in the second pic you will notice i changed the cab entry step to a "sacrificial" piece of wood and padding. The carpet will be laid under this. originally this wood would have been screwed in place under the carpet. I plan to carpet in this area and then have the step be "wrapped" in sisal or carpet and then screwed down over the installed carpet. This will make it easy to maintain and change. I expect this to be the most worn/abused since it is the entry area. i think i will make it sisal like door mat material. perhaps i jumped the gun on padding it as a lot of door mats do have rubber padding attached to the sisal so???

The last pic is me....sorry for the offensive pic, lol. if you look in the second pic you will see there are wood edges exposed on the step. from the frequent foot traffic this will spliter eventually from the kicks/abuse it will take. i would recommend to wrap this area in at least a thin sheet metal. This is what i'm doing. i used an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut a strip about 6" wide from somethin sheet metal. then i put it in a vice and used a crescent wrench to bend it over 90ish degrees. i then painted it with the epoxy paint and drilled some holes to attach it. the epdm carpet padding was put over this and then the carpet went over that. I placed them wherever 2 ends of wood came together in an area where they would be frequently kicked. so both ends of the tunnel/channel and both sides of that entry step.

[Lifted1]

in the center of the Xplorer there is a "channel/tunnel" through the center of the van "house". This allows for more standing room height and at 5' 9" it fits me fine without worrying of having to crouch. if you are taller than 6' you may consider a different model of van with a taller hightop roof.

in this tunnel section i decided to make a "sacrificial" floor. This is the highest traffic area in the van house. its in front of the kitchen, the wet/bath and wardrobe. its also where you traffic between the driving cab and house area. I figured that i wanted this area to be easy to clean and replace in the future. I also did not want carpet here. This way if there is a spill, leak/flood, it could be easily addressed. i also wanted this area to remain easy to FREQUENTLY clean. such as vacuum or wipe down. i also wanted to be able to step out of the wet/bath after a rinse down onto a floor/bath matt to soak up dripping water.

For this reason i DID NOT PERMANENTLY ATTACH the 1/2 wood floor. As with the entire rest of the van build this piece of wood was sealed with poly-urethane. I cut the wood 1/2" shorter all the way around. This was done to provide the space needed for the carpet to wrap around the edge and drop down into the tunnel creating a nice clean upholstered look. but letting this board easily come out.

next i used the 3M-90 spray to attach the epdm padding to the underside of the sacrificial tunnel floor. this provides the padding/vibration free/road noise dampenining/etc necessary. i used an ikea leather strap as a handle to easily pick the floor board up by the end behind the cab seats.

I feel like this was a good solution to meet all my demands. This board could easily be further upholstered but i have chose to leave it exposed sealed wood as it matches the rest of my van's interior. there are unlimited options though. vinyl, waterproof contact paper, carpet, etc could all adhered to the center floor board.

[Lifted1]

many people replace carpet with pergo or vinyl, etc. I happen to like carpet. I like the way it feels in socks and the warmth it provides. It also really really helps to hide flaws and makes a great finished look where cabinets and walls come together, etc. For these reasons, i'm sticking with the classic shag carpet. there's a reason its still used so frequently by manufacturers today. What i dont like about carpet is how hard it is to keep clean, or replace, etc. In my above post i explained my solution to find the balance i need in this build. in the driver cab area, i want carpet. i like loungin in socks, lol. also, i it helps insulate the road noise. and, i like to get things done but admittedly, i'm not the greatest finish worker. some people are master craftsmen and can spend a lifetime making things look just perfect. I like to get things functionally done and make great progress for this, i need the shag.

i also bought upholstery vinyl welt/piping for inbetween where cabinets/walls meet, etc. i just dont have the proper tools to make perfect cuts etc. im not a cabinet shop. refer back to the pic of me with no shirt, no gloves, and the safety guard off the angle grinder so i could fit a 6" cutoff wheel spinning 24k rpm's .25" away from my fingers, yeah.......

carpet, welt/piping/ and t-moulding are my friends!, lol

[Lifted1]

we all have strengths and weakness. i consider one of my strengths to be knowing my weakness. im a bit adhd and i just get confused easily

for the carpet install i knew it would come out nicer if i asked my wife for help. She's just better at making things look prettier. she takes the time and has the patience. me, well, im more of a "dive right in" and "trial and error" type of persnonality.

Here is how my wife helped me to get the carpet in without to many wasteful mistakes.

PATTERNS!!

At the hardware box stores you can get just about everything in a contractor pack. well, they have a contractors roll of butcher paper in the painting section. i used this a lot so far in this build.

if you have saved the pieces of carpet you can lay that out over the paper to trace the pattern. now you dont have to get that crusty, dirty, filthy carpet on your brand new carpet

When you buy your carpet keep in mind that you really wont be getting to much of it. the roll is 15' long and you only need about 7' of it. you will have extra. if you go for cheap stuff on the roll on the wall you save a few dollars BUT.... it sucks. its not that thick. you may spend $20-30 more for a better brand which will be way plusher.

when you bend the cheap stuff over a corner you will see how thin that shag is. buy the better stuff if you can afford it. your most likely only going to do it once anyway.

tracer the paper, cut it out, and then lay it on the backside of the carpet. now trace your pattern a little wider around the outside of your pattern to leave some wiggle room. use your carpet knife to cut it out. Its really important to use a carpet knife. you wont believe how much better they cut.

now place the carpet in and start adhereing it to the floor. i used 1" self tapping screws where there was padding and 1/2" self tapping where there was none. you can use 3/8" for the carpet into the wood underlayment. and staples inbetween where needed.

[Lifted1]

for areas where you may need to pass a bolt through the carpet, such as where seat belts attach or chairs, chair swivels, etc. its easier to just melt the carpet. i found it a PITA to cut holes and X's etc when i could just use a soldering iron to melt right through it. i just put a piece of cardboard under the van and slid under their and stuck some nails up through the holes. then melted them from inside.

[chewyblue]

WOW, you are moving right along...I'm still working on rust control. Since I take care of my dad I only get about 2-3 hours a day to work on the van.
Is that a shower pan I saw in one of your pics? What kind/type of hot water heater did you get? It seems that a lot of the van builds are going with on demand-tankless but I'm just not sure about those.
The roadtrek also has the drop floor in the middle and will be doing similar with it being able to be removed if needed.
How difficult was it to get the rolled carpet to shape/mold in the drivers/passenger area? I was thinking I would need to get a pre-molded from a supplier.

[Lifted1]

hey chewy,

i had to make a cut so the carpet could lay out around the wheel well smoothly.

If you can get your old carpet out without destroying it you can make a pretty accurate pattern on butcher paper and transfer it to the new carpet. you will have a good idea of where to cut. without it you can see by where the carpet will start to bunch up from the round shape and just make a relief cut there.

to remove the carpet just take the trim pieces off from around the doors. remove your seats completely, and the engine cover. then start at a corner and start tugging. try to rip it off the hold down screws in one giant piece if you can. i started at the front and work towards the back. this will expose all the screws you will deal with later.

when i removed the carpet from cab i just cut all the way across about where the drop down channel started behind the captains chairs. I basically attacked the carpet in 3 phases. front cab, tunnel area, behind tunnel /between rear wheel wells. I used existing pattern from front piece and made new patterns for the rest.

it actually was pretty straight forward and not complicated. just took some time. My wife and i tackled it in a day. The very first piece that wrapped over the step area she made a pattern and handed it to me and said, "here, now go gut this out." so i took it and put it on the backside of the carpet and cut it out and brought it back to her while she was making the next pattern. She then said, "dude! you cut it out backwards!!". i ruined the first one. i told her well, thats her fault. i did what she said just need to take each piece start to finish and identify on the pattern which side is the correct way to cut it out. then move on. no flaws after that!

[Lifted1]

@chewyblue,

for the water heater i chose to use the isotemp spa 4.5gal water heater.

reason being efficiency of heating the water. All the other options would use an outside energy source to heat the water. This option is continually heating the water as you drive. This tech comes from cabin cruiser/boats. the coolant temp of most engines is 185* and up. this means you will splice your coolant lines right next to your heater core in the engine bay. you will use 3/4 or 5/8" T's depending on your coolant line size. I've seen people place these at the very rear of promasters and sprinters with no problems. it just adds more coolant to the system.

now you have endless hot water as you can still heat the exchanger even in neutral and parked as the van's engine has a water pump that can circulate it. The Isotemp Spa also has a 750W electric heat coil in it also. so you can just flip a switch and run it from the house batteries also. the 190 is WAY hotter than you need/want so it has a built in blender to mix cool water as the hot water exits into the line. you would then further blend the temp down at the faucet/valve. so the hot water goes farther. I've heard it stays hot in the insulated tank for more than a day.

I decided this was the best option for my build. I got the water heater here:https://www.fisheriessupply.com/isot...-water-heaters

i plan to install the exchanger behind my wet bath, within the wardrobe/storage. I will be posting the plumbing/install/etc

[Lifted1]

@chewyblue,

to answer your question of how to attach cabinets...

to attach to the floor i use pocket holes with 1 1/4" screws or i use a light sheet metal L shape angle bracket.

For overhead cabinets its good to have an attach point that is integrated into the roof of the van, such as a metal L bracket attached to the fiberglass or metal roof.

also you can use lightweight sheet metal and upholster it and attach that to the van pillars and then attach your cabinets to that. you could go straight into the pillars but it doesnt leave any nice finished upholstered look.

here is how my upper cabinets are attached using the sheet metal with some "batting?" and felt cloth wrapped over that glued to back. if the cabinet will butt up against other cabinets or partitions you can can put a 90* triangle in the corner of the cabinet face and then screw through that into the partition. see last pic

[Lifted1]

if you save the parts from the original shelves/partitions you can use them for patterns and replace them with new sealed wood. i use new screws and wire wheel down any rusted brackets and repaint/replace. you can also buy a length of some light weight angle at the local metal store and cut it with angle grinder. then drill it and paint it.

Once you have your cabinet dimensions traced out you can customize to preferrence. Here is a upper cabinet for above the kithchen i rebuilt. The original had 2 doors. i like not having the divider in the center. always having to reach around it to use the space and bang into it pulling things out, etc. Now its just one loong opening. you can see everything good too.

[Lifted1]

built up the rear cabinet and hung it. had to take it back out after it was all fitted in. I had not realized that after demo'ing out the van, the interior was actually installed in a sequence.

Kitchen unit first, as the rear divider/partition to bed area is also the support for the upper cabinets over bed. This forced me to refocus on the kitchen area.

The layout of that area is now complete and installed. pics to follow.

in the meantime, here's how i rebuilt the over bed storage. Havent decided if i even wan to put cabinet doors on. i may just go with that stretchy netting stuff. less hassle and cost. idk

[Lifted1]

here's pics of cabinets installed.

upholstered sheet metal is secured to the van using self tapping screws. then the cabinet is attached to that to give a clean finished look. the edge of the cabinets where they meet the upholstered headliner are router'd to provide a thinner edge to press into the foam a bit. i think its called a "coping" bit?? i used a 1/4" bit from harbor freight.

I also used light brown vinyl piping where the wood comes together to enhance the finished look. i do not have high dollar table saws etc in a woodshop to get really nice/butted up finishes so this welt/piping makes a big difference.

not sure if you can quite see but there is also a 1/16" slot cut in the end piece of the ply where the cabinets face down. This will be getting a light brown "T" molding inserted. also to improve the look and provide a little bit of a cushion if you bump your head the partitions ends will have the same.

im happy with the finished look