Subfloor replacement Question

[dartagnan]

We own a 65 26' Overlander, and have been crawling though the impressive variety of assistance provided therein, but have not seen a post that explains how to remove the subfloor from under the outside skin. The preponderance of posts address a "C" channel that apparently the plywood subfloor slides into. And, we assume the outside wall then sits on the channel...but this is a bit unclear. Judging from the posts we assume that it is located under the wall and the "C" opening faces the inside of the trailer where the plywood can be fitted into it. That being said, we do not find this channel in our trailer as we have the lower front outside panels (banana?) removed and the plywood is clearly visible under the wall from the outside. Is it possible that our trailer was constructed with the plywood floor "sandwiched" between the frame and the wall without the channel? We do not think that the floor has ever been replaced as our parents purchased the trailer from the original owner in the early seventies and no major work had been done.

If any member has experience with this, and/or has a diagram or pictures we would be forever grateful. We may have missed this thread, if so if someone knows the link please advise.

Thank you!

[Cochese]

You'll have to remove the lower inside panels to gain access to the "c" channel and to remove/ replace bolts that hold the floor& channel to the frame.Its a fun job!!

[goshawks00]

Actually the 'C' channel is a misnomer it's really a 'U' channel with the inside panel and the outside panel riveted to the vertical "legs' of the 'U' then the bottom of the 'U" is bolted to the frame rails after the plywood is in place.

[dartagnan]

Yes, "C" channel is not descriptive of what it actually is. I have not yet removed the inside panel, but I can see the "U" channel with the outside panel removed. Can I assume that after I remove the bolts I will be able to remove the plywood? Or, is the subfloor attached separately to the frame? Any tips on how to keep the walls from dropping down when the plywood is removed?

Thanks again

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by dartagnan

Yes, "C" channel is not descriptive of what it actually is. I have not yet removed the inside panel, but I can see the "U" channel with the outside panel removed. Can I assume that after I remove the bolts I will be able to remove the plywood? Or, is the subfloor attached separately to the frame? Any tips on how to keep the walls from dropping down when the plywood is removed?

Thanks again

Go to FORUMS heading and find Repairing Flooring &/or Frame.... There are hundreds of frame off and frame ON threads to peruse. Basically when doing a frame on you work on one 4 ft section at a time. And it would be next to impossible to get a single piece of plywood into both sides of the C - Channel... so it's a splicing job. Glance through a few threads. You'll get lots of ideas.

Paula

(Egad... I miss 2AIRISHUMAN... that man could find the perfect one thread from six years ago... Buddy I hope you're still lurking quietly under some other ID.)

[RickDavis]

This link will take you to some pix of my partial floor replacement. It may give you some ideas. This was two seperate projects a year or so apart.
Figure on doing this every 50 years or so.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...as%20floor.pdf

[rippie]

So glad to see this topic being discussed as I have a question about the sequence of steps in securing my subfloor/frame/ c-channel/ outer skin. I have already placed all floor bolts to frame and c-channel. I am at the point where I need to rivet everything together (hoping to do this tomorrow)
My question is: Should I rivet the skin to the c-channel/ backing plate and then bolt down the c channel (or continue as I am going with the channel bolted (tightly) to the frame/ plywood and then riveting the skin to a secured channel)?

And by the way, for those who may have thought it impossible...
I did get the entire rear plywood section in one piece. I am having difficulty attaching pictures but I will try another time once I have a more stable connection because I keep getting kicked off(phone hotspot).

Here's what we did: I used 2 ratcheting tie down straps (and some olive oil) through the water heater space and connected the hooks to the frame to pull it in from street to curb side. When I got it as far as it would go that way, I attached the straps run through the battery box opening on the other side to my car and pulled it the rest of the way. The process wasn't without issues (the street side skin below the channel bent out and had small tears in spots). If I did it again, I would have had attached a support under the c-channel to prevent this.
Oh, and after the floor was pulled in sideways, I still needed to close the gap on the street side in front. So I pulled my car to the street side, parallel to the AS. Then, I pulled forward the small amount needed again with the straps through the water heater hole. The gap was already closed on the other side due to the battery box. All in all, I would say it was a success. And I did have someone with me to watch the gaps and direct me as I pulled. It also helped that I had pre cut out holes in the plywood for plumbing,etc. to attach hooks to. This is the short version of the story, but I will post more later (and pictures).

[Silverflames]

Rippe,


Sounds good, just take your time to make sure the back shell is correctly in Place before bolting it back down it's easy for it to get out of alignment when pushing and shoving a piece of plywood around. Also we like pics around here.

[rippie]

Silverflames: Believe me, I was nervous because of things I have heard about skin buckling. I would definitely caution anyone trying to use a car to do the entire job, as I repeatedly had to unbind things along the way and the ratchets would indicate if there was too much tension at times. I liked this tactile ability to monitor the process.
I could tell the difference to the unit during this by how my front door was shutting with different stages (at one point I could not even latch it). And I had to shave off some of the floor around the battery compartment to make its door close properly (but it was a little off before, anyway). I also found during this process that there was a screw that was used at the subfloor level that was sticking straight into the last bit of pull (curb side front of plywood by battery box) that had maybe been used for more support, previously. There is a slight buckling of the frame fore of this area that I suspect may have been caused by this. And it seems that it could easily pop out if I were able to get behind it and apply slight pressure.
But my door is closing well (same as before) and the battery door while not perfect is at least able to be positioned symmetrically in place. Not sure how this will change when everything is riveted together.
And sorry about the pictures. I am currently connected by phone hotspot. I regularly get booted off, but especially when trying to upload pics. I tried 3 times, but no go. Weak signal.

[Silverflames]

No problem about the pics. Sounds like you are doing a good job. The ratchet straps are a good idea. I ended up using a lot of brute force and hammering to get my back 4 feet into place. Not an easy job.

[rippie]

I cannot imagine getting that last foot or so in without mechanical means. And to be honest, the ratchets were not my idea. There's a retired welder that lives by me (who also helped repair my frame). I was beginning to have serious doubts at about 1/4 of the way in. He saw me struggling and suggested that I use a "come-along" and some oil.
I was giddy watching the floor slide in like a greased pig. Every once in a while I had to jump up and down inside to clear skin hang-ups. When we reached the end mechanical pull limitations of the frame, I pulled my car up to use just as an external anchor.
Then, because all the hang-ups had already been cleared, I realized it seemed potentially safe (albeit slightly crazy) to just pull it with my car. Definitely the way to go on the last part-- for me at least. Oh, and I also used the "come along" to pull the backing plate into the correct position because it got pulled almost all the way to one side in all the slippery hoopla. Like a charm...
Oh and back to my question: should I rivet the skin to the c-channel, then bolt the c-channel securely to the subfloor (or reverse the order)? And I am assuming I should start riveting with the back end plate area first and move forward on both sides?

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

(Egad... I miss 2AIRISHUMAN... that man could find the perfect one thread from six years ago... Buddy I hope you're still lurking quietly under some other ID.)

Paula, the bunny is alive and well, and helpful as ever. He just limits his helping to in-person performances, now.
As for threads...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ent-24386.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...elp-47996.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f46/...ge-110590.html

[goshawks00]

Originally Posted by rippie

Oh and back to my question: should I rivet the skin to the c-channel, then bolt the c-channel securely to the subfloor (or reverse the order)? And I am assuming I should start riveting with the back end plate area first and move forward on both sides?

I bolted the C channel first, then attached body. Make sure you are correctly aligned , do the ends, then the sides. I would also suggest you attach the sides with a few screws through a few rivet holes to help keep alignment straight. As you then get to a screw remove and rivet.

[Minno]

We replaced our floor in full sheets with shell-on. It is possible to do without splitting the sheets in half. The floor fits into the bottom part of the C channel. Like Rippie, we used a come-along but it was something Chris cobbled together to pull the sides of the trailer/channel into place. Don't let the walls come off the outriggers as you work. It's hard to get them back into place. Take my word for it!

Kay