Essential Van Flooring Hacks That Will Save You Thousands - Toyota Hiace Build - video Dailymotion

Life With No Anchor

Join Our Epic 4WD Campervan Transformation Adventure!  Our 2016 Toyota Hiace SLWB High Top 4x4 conversion continues with game-changing flooring strategies that could save you serious money on your build. Whether you're planning your first van conversion or looking to upgrade your mobile living setup, these tips are absolute gold for Australian vanlife enthusiasts.  Conquering Uneven Floor Surfaces Like a Pro  Van floors aren't flat - and that's where most DIY builds go wrong. We reveal our proven method for handling the notorious engine bay floor rise using marine ply and strategic planning. This creates a perfectly level living space while maximizing every inch of your tiny home on wheels. Essential knowledge for any serious van conversion project.  Future-Proof Your Build with Smart Access Planning  Long-term thinking separates amateur builds from professional results. We've integrated two brilliant inspection solutions: Strategic spare tire access without floor demolition Direct fuel filter maintenance hatch for quick servicing  These forward-thinking additions will save you countless hours and headaches during your off-grid adventures and extended touring.  Solar System Reality Check - What Actually Works  Our plug-and-play solar experiment revealed some harsh truths about real-world power needs. We break down what went wrong and explore bulletproof alternatives for genuine off-grid capability. Critical insights for anyone serious about RV renovation or 4x4 camper independence.  Bulletproofing Your Floor for Serious 4WD Adventures  A weak floor means a failed build. Our reinforcement techniques ensure your mobile home can handle the punishment of remote Australian tracks. Learn the bracing methods that prevent flex and movement - absolutely vital for Hiace 4WD conversions and similar builds.  This Hiace transformation is packed with real-world solutions tested in Australian conditions. Perfect for van build enthusiasts, vanlife dreamers, and anyone curious about creating the ultimate mobile lifestyle.  Timestamps 0:00 2 Critical Van Flooring Tips to Save You A Fortune 0:17 Hyperspeed floor fitting 1:24 Introduction 2:01 How we have planned for access to our spare tyre through the floor 3:12 How we have planed for the rise in the floor for the engine bay 4:10 How we have planned for access to our fuel filter through the floor 6:26 Bracing the floor to prevent movement 8:30 Our solar setup thoughts and experience so far  #CampervanConversion #ToyotaHiace #VanLife  Special thanks to UGOKAWA!  Previous Episodes Episode 1: https://youtu.be/_bnGqKQl29o Episode 2: https://youtu.be/JeEQsZfDxlU Episode 3: https://youtu.be/c-v8_4XAiOY Episode 3a: https://youtu.be/H4Myt9t2Zog  Follow us on 🌐 Instagram www.instagram.com/lifewithnoanchor/ 🌐 Facebook www.facebook.com/lifewithnoanchor 🌐 X (Twitter) www.x.com/LifeWifNoAnchor

Transcript

00:00Off they go, bags in tow, Matt and Chrissy hit the road

00:05Maps unfold, stories told, adventure's never getting old

00:10Matt and Chrissy roam so free, through the city, past the sea

00:15Finding joy in every night

00:30See you next time

01:00G'day, g'day

01:29Hello, we're about a week in

01:32Well, is it a week already?

01:34Well, it kind of is, yeah

01:36Far out, well we've got a fair bit done

01:39So what are we pointing out that's really important right now?

01:42Right now, inspection hatches

01:47So we did touch on the one at the front which is for the fuel filter

01:52And we found another area which we wanted to bring to your attention

01:57Down the back here is we've created a little inspection hatch for

02:02A spare tire

02:03A spare tire

02:04A spare tire

02:05In fact, I'm going to bring the camera over so you can actually see this

02:09Let me come for a walk and get you

02:12Come with me

02:14No, no, come with me

02:16Now, let's do this

02:19Right

02:20For all you disobedient YouTube children out there

02:23Let's spin this camera around so you can see what's going on

02:26Alright, Chrissy

02:28So, Matt's done a great job and created a little tongue here

02:32So that we can just flick, push in there and it pops up nice and easy

02:38That then gives us access to the bolt

02:43Look at that

02:44We really don't want to have to pull up the entire floor just to get to the spare tire

02:50In the event that we have a flat

02:53Especially out in the output, can you just imagine? My goodness

02:57That would be problematic

02:59That would be difficult

03:00Why is that not going back on?

03:02It's a bit fiddly to get back on

03:03You'll figure it out

03:04I'll figure it out

03:05So, one of the other things that we worked on yesterday

03:08Let me just sneak up here

03:11So, we were talking about laminating the floor and bringing it up

03:17So that it covers the rise that we've got here as far as the engine goes

03:22And what we've done is we've bulked up underneath in these sections across here

03:29That's all been bulked up under there

03:31And then we've used PVA glue

03:33And we've put some 2mm marine ply down over the top

03:36Now the screws that you can see here are only temporary

03:39They'll be coming out today

03:41And that glue should have adhered

03:43So that we can then sand this edge back

03:47So that it's seamless

03:48We'll probably sand back by about 5 or 7cm

03:52Just to really taper that up

03:54And then we'll backfill all of those screw holes with putty

03:58Sand that back

04:00And then we're going to get ready to lay the vinyl

04:02So, while we're at it

04:04I'm going to show you what Matt has done for our fuel filter inspection cap

04:11Alright, let me spin the camera around again for that one

04:14It's dark in here

04:15It's winter in Brisbane

04:17Bloody cold

04:18Anyone from the southern parts of Australia or New Zealand would be laughing at us right now

04:24Because we're considering 20 degrees cold

04:27But anyway, back to business

04:31This is the cap for our fuel inspection cap

04:35Which is over there

04:36And Matt has installed a nice little handle here to make it easier for us

04:42We will put a laminate on there to match the rest of our floor

04:47And that will just slide in there nice and simple

04:52And then if we need it

04:54How's it going?

04:55Easy peasy

04:56Okay, cool

04:58So what's one of the other things that we've taken into consideration as far as the build goes

05:02And the positioning of that handle?

05:04Yes, so what Matt is referring to is basically where I'm standing right now

05:10This is going to be the top end of the bed

05:13So our heads will be here essentially

05:16Which means that there's going to be a slight overhang

05:21Underneath our bed there will be drawers

05:24Which will sit probably about here

05:27So probably 10mm back from the lip of that inspection hatch

05:32Yep

05:33And then that will give us the space to get access

05:36But we're not going to be

05:37There's no foot traffic in this location

05:39So that rise is not going to impinge on us stepping on it

05:43The only thing we will need to bear in mind

05:46Which should be taken into consideration with the plywood underneath the drawer

05:52Is that little rise

05:55We'll just have to make sure that the drawer is high enough when we're opening it

06:00And that the drawer front doesn't catch on it every time we go to open that drawer

06:06Should be alright

06:08Should be alright

06:09I don't think we'll have any issues

06:10But it's just something to consider when we get to that point

06:13We have screwed down the floor through the timber into the parts of the metal that rise up

06:21Because there's a little bit of a gap underneath

06:24And we've also used a piece of metal similar to what we've got back there

06:30To brace these two pieces of wood together and make sure that they're at the same level

06:36As you can see there's still quite a bit of putty on there

06:40We'll have to sand that back

06:43It's now ready to do that

06:45It's nice and cured

06:46So what we did there was we recessed those

06:49I think they're called repair joiners

06:52So they were put in because there was a little bit of flex between the two pieces of timber

06:56That Chrissy was just talking about

06:58And they've been screwed down

07:02And then we've completely putted over the top

07:05So when we sand them

07:06It's going to be a pretty much invisible seal

07:10We've done quite a bit in a week

07:12We've almost finished all the insulation

07:14We're just waiting for another roll

07:16So that we can do the roof

07:19Some of the door

07:20And the back panel

07:22And we've got this

07:24And also inside there

07:25And inside that space

07:27And that's pretty much all of the insulation finished

07:32We were talking about picking up the vinyl

07:37Or lino

07:38Depending on

07:39What make, model, brand

07:42Wherever you come from

07:44Either today or tomorrow

07:47There's still more research to do on the

07:51Solar

07:53The solar

07:55Is

07:57Probably a little bit more challenging than

08:00I expected

08:01I thought it would be a lot more straightforward than it has been

08:04So

08:05What are we up to?

08:06We are at the stage where we're ready to

08:09Sand that bit of fly back

08:11Get the floor prepped for

08:13The vinyl or the lino to go down

08:15Yes

08:16You were explaining about the recessed

08:19Metal pieces

08:22Yeah

08:23They'll be sanded back down

08:24So they're virtually an invisible seam

08:26Yep

08:27Yes

08:28Yep

08:29Flooring that goes straight over the top of that

08:31And then the solar

08:32The solar's probably been the biggest

08:34I don't know if I'd say challenge

08:37But we've looked at quite a few different

08:40Setups and different companies

08:42We've had a look at King's

08:44And

08:45Their systems seem to be pretty straightforward

08:50As plug and play

08:51And pretty easy to install

08:52But the only challenge I think that we'll have with it is that

08:55Based on the conversations we've had

08:58The salespeople who are the super centre that we went to

09:03Said that we wouldn't really be able to run the setup the way that we've discussed it

09:07And plan to

09:09With how their system works

09:11However

09:12The solar installers that we've spoken to at two or three other places have said

09:17Yep, that won't be a problem

09:18Keeping in mind too that they're electricians

09:20They're not just people who've transferred into a sales position

09:24And they're product experts

09:26They're actually trade experts

09:28So

09:29King's products predominantly are DIY

09:34So if you're happy with a low cost solution

09:39For a plug and play

09:41Then that is a great option

09:43However

09:44You run the risk of getting a subpar quality

09:48And

09:49It only has a 12 month warranty

09:52So you'll potentially

09:54Got a three grand outlay

09:56Which

09:57Compared to other solar

09:58Is

09:59Relatively cheap

10:00But if you're having to replace it every

10:03Let's say

10:04Two years

10:05It's going to end up being

10:07Significantly more expensive

10:08So

10:09We're

10:10Thinking more about the longevity

10:12As well as

10:13The cost

10:14Yeah

10:15And look their solar panels at the moment

10:19Their current stock

10:20It

10:21Maxes out with the fixed panels at 160

10:23Where

10:24Where

10:25We were looking at other setups

10:27Where it was 200

10:28They were looking at putting up their per panel

10:31That is something that they are bringing out soon

10:34Once they've sold all of their 160 stock out

10:36And then there'll be new solar setups coming

10:39The new solar setups we've been told very little about

10:43But

10:44Again

10:45I'm not really confident that they'll be able to do what we need to

10:47With what we're planning on doing

10:49The staff at the four wheel drive super centre had said look

10:54The amount of power you're looking at pushing back from the panels through the inverter

10:58Through the DC to DC

11:01Into the batteries

11:03You'll probably find that the inverter's going to get really hot

11:07It'll be working at its maximum

11:09I may be getting this completely wrong as far as like which way things go

11:14Because

11:15First time solar installed

11:17First time looking at this

11:18But

11:19What they've said basically is that

11:22Parts of it are going to get really hot

11:24And we may end up cooking different components

11:27With

11:28What we're planning on installing and doing

11:30The recommendation

11:32Or the conversation was then down the lines of having two inverters

11:37And two DC to DCs

11:39And then running one panel to one battery

11:43And another two panels to another battery as an example

11:46And just splitting the system completely

11:48But

11:49By the time you do that

11:50You've doubled your costs anyway

11:52So you're already at six grand minimum

11:54You're close

11:55You're really close

11:56You're probably not quite there

11:58But you're really close

11:59You might as well just spend an extra couple of grand

12:02Get a professional who's going to install a good quality system

12:06And who can make sure that you've got the plugs to be able to plug in

12:10In a caravan park if that's what you want to do

12:12And that's what we're after

12:14Yeah

12:15So

12:16That's sort of where we're at with that

12:18We

12:19We have found

12:21That

12:22Trying to find someone who specialises in this

12:26Has been a little bit more challenging than I expected

12:31We went to about half a dozen places

12:34And only two offered that

12:38RV caravans, stolen stalls

12:40Most of them are really focused on domestics

12:42There's a bigger market for it

12:43There is, yes

12:44And I mean there's probably a lot more opportunities around the country

12:48We're just looking in Brisbane at the moment

12:50I know that there is a place down in Sunny Coast that does it

12:54Sorry, in Gold Coast that does it

12:56There's likely to be one in Sunny Coast

12:59It's another large regional area for Queensland

13:04So, yes, more research to be done

13:08We have a much better plan now as well

13:10So when we did go to meet with people last weekend

13:15They said to us we really need a schematic

13:19A plan of how you're planning to lay out your caravan or camper

13:26And so now that we have a better picture as to what that looks like

13:31We'll be able to send that information off to them

13:33And they'll be able to give us a good idea on what it's going to cost

13:38Cool, alright, well

13:41We are going to start pulling the screws out

13:44And I'm going to start sanding that board back

13:46Stay tuned

14:08See you guys now

14:11Let's see if we are going to talk about another page

14:15Yay!

14:16Do things 8 are tidak

Essential Van Flooring Hacks That Will Save You Thousands - Toyota Hiace Build

Category

Transcript

Recommended