[Kirstenk]

Hi l. Not sure if this is really an appearance in body question but this seems like the right place to ask. I built a sleeping platform in my XV. Going on a 2-3mo road trip. Anyway, It is constructed out of plywood and 2 by fours. I removed the styrofoam That was around the wheel well so I could sit the 2 rear legs of the platform on the body of the car. Problem is that when I go over a speedbump or something those rear legs go "cathank". I'll be doing some overlanding so that needs to stop. Someone in a non-car related forum suggested simply drilling holes in the frame of the car and using L brackets to affix the wood legs to the car itself. It seems like people on here are regularly drilling into the body of the car to do different modifications on here. Is there any problem with doing that? I guess I'm wondering about structural integrity/safety. I would be sending a total of 4 sheet metal screws thru the metal body of the car, secured with locking nuts from underneath. Arrow shows where abouts they will go.

 

[stupidchicken03]

I personally wouldnt..

Why not just put some small rubber mats or something under them to stop the noise? Or put weight on the platform while you're driving so it cant clunk around.

 

[irv_usc]

Doesn't the door of that platform also clunk around, or is it secured somehow?

Personal choice I guess, I don't think it would hurt anything as long as your screws are clear of any moving parts/wires/hoses etc. Not sure if holes in that area would elongate over time, since the sheet metal is rather thin.

 

[cedarpangolin]

disclaimer - I have not looked at my car personally in this area to see if the portion you wish to drill into is structural or could have water leak issues…

My thought, as I understand where you’re coming from and have done similar mods in the past, would be to use a spring bolt attached to another drop down chunk of 2x4 and the compressing the spring to hook it into that existing hole in the frame as circled in this picture, which would draw it down nicely and prevent movement/sound, as well as be easily removed.

 

[JoeKerr]

If you feel a need to secure your platform you could run a nylon strap, rope, bungee cord, or similar under the spare tire and attach that to pad eyes mounted to your wood framework. If you wanted something really secure, you could use ratchets from tie down straps on both ends of the strap. As long as the spare tire is secure, it should all be secure and still be easily removable. If the issue is simply that you do not like the "cathank" sound, consider just using small pieces of carpet scraps to cushion where the wood frame is in contact with metal.

 

[Kirstenk]

disclaimer - I have not looked at my car personally in this area to see if the portion you wish to drill into is structural or could have water leak issues…

My thought, as I understand where you’re coming from and have done similar mods in the past, would be to use a spring bolt attached to another drop down chunk of 2x4 and the compressing the spring to hook it into that existing hole in the frame as circled in this picture, which would draw it down nicely and prevent movement/sound, as well as be easily removed.

View attachment 312182
View attachment 312183

Oh that's interesting. So the threaded part of this slides out

disclaimer - I have not looked at my car personally in this area to see if the portion you wish to drill into is structural or could have water leak issues…

My thought, as I understand where you’re coming from and have done similar mods in the past, would be to use a spring bolt attached to another drop down chunk of 2x4 and the compressing the spring to hook it into that existing hole in the frame as circled in this picture, which would draw it down nicely and prevent movement/sound, as well as be easily removed.

View attachment 312182
View attachment 312183

Hmm ok so I would just feed the "L" shaped end into the existing hole (and yes there are 3 holes along there already that have a thin rubber cover over them), and screw the plate to the wood?

 

[Kirstenk]

disclaimer - I have not looked at my car personally in this area to see if the portion you wish to drill into is structural or could have water leak issues…

My thought, as I understand where you’re coming from and have done similar mods in the past, would be to use a spring bolt attached to another drop down chunk of 2x4 and the compressing the spring to hook it into that existing hole in the frame as circled in this picture, which would draw it down nicely and prevent movement/sound, as well as be easily removed.

View attachment 312182
View attachment 312183

Like this? (Pinkish line is the sheet metal of the car)

 

[Kirstenk]

I personally wouldnt..

Why not just put some small rubber mats or something under them to stop the noise? Or put weight on the platform while you're driving so it cant clunk around.

I tried that. Didn't help at all unfortunately.

 

[Kirstenk]

Doesn't the door of that platform also clunk around, or is it secured somehow?

Personal choice I guess, I don't think it would hurt anything as long as your screws are clear of any moving parts/wires/hoses etc. Not sure if holes in that area would elongate over time, since the sheet metal is rather thin.

The door doesn't actually.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Personally, I'd just get some strong two-sided tape like 3M VHB. It should hold it enough, with the help of gravity, to not make noise. Maybe put something heavy directly over it overnight to help "set it".

BTW, you must be a shorter guy. At 6'5" there's no way I could sleep back there!

 

[cedarpangolin]

Oh that's interesting. So the threaded part of this slides out

Hmm ok so I would just feed the "L" shaped end into the existing hole (and yes there are 3 holes along there already that have a thin rubber cover over them), and screw the plate to the wood?

Exactly!

 

[cedarpangolin]

Like this? (Pinkish line is the sheet metal of the car)
View attachment 312184

Yup!

 

[Animal]

I personally wouldnt drill no holes.Possibly rust cvould start! Use some tape like posted above.

 

[cedarpangolin]

I personally wouldnt drill no holes.Possibly rust cvould start! Use some tape like posted above.

Tape degrades, glues leave a mess, and neither is strong enough to stay functional if serious overlanding is constantly jiggling the bed frame.…

 

[Kirstenk]

Personally, I'd just get some strong two-sided tape like 3M VHB. It should hold it enough, with the help of gravity, to not make noise. Maybe put something heavy directly over it overnight to help "set it".

BTW, you must be a shorter guy. At 6'5" there's no way I could sleep back there!

Haha I'm a woman and 5'2 so it works out 😆

Tape degrades, glues leave a mess, and neither is strong enough to stay functional if serious overlanding is constantly jiggling the bed frame.…

Yeah and also I'll be I'm the desert so hot = softens adhesives and such.

Personally, I'd just get some strong two-sided tape like 3M VHB. It should hold it enough, with the help of gravity, to not make noise. Maybe put something heavy directly over it overnight to help "set it".

BTW, you must be a shorter guy. At 6'5" there's no way I could sleep back there!

Haha I'm a short woman - 5'2. It will just work 😆

Personally, I'd just get some strong two-sided tape like 3M VHB. It should hold it enough, with the help of gravity, to not make noise. Maybe put something heavy directly over it overnight to help "set it".

BTW, you must be a shorter guy. At 6'5" there's no way I could sleep back there!

Haha I'm a short woman, 5'2. It will just w

ork.

 

[Kirstenk]

Ignore the duplicate. Had some difficulty posting the reply with the pics.

 

[Cutlass]

Does this always stay in place? A construction glue would hold it in.

 

[cedarpangolin]

I’m sure she wants it to be removable….

 

[Kirstenk]

Does this always stay in place? A construction glue would hold it in.

No it will come out after my travels so can't be permanent.

 

[Cutlass]

No it will come out after my travels so can't be permanent.

So cut a board the length to wedge in between your construction and the roof so that thing has no room to bounce up.