Lower tailgate carpet replacement

[cmcmill01]

Yep picture would be good, so 10mm all together, did you stick the stainless steel to the ply???

I did this before Xmas on my J10 Project vehicle.
It came with 1,5mm alloy.
Alloy is NOT ideal if You intend to cook on it.
I opted for a 9mm plywood. I removed the original plugs & inserted pop-nuts instead. Then transpered the bolt pattern to the 9mm marine grade ply & laid down the 1mm stainless steel food grade (316) ontop.
EVERSO slight snag between the SS top & the smal flap between the body & the lower tail gate. Nothing that bothers me tbh.

Tell me if You need pics

 

[StarCruiser]

I like this plan as some of the metal replacements I have seen seem to have dented and curved so that they aren't too appealing. There are different grades of ally of course but stainless is best but had doubled in price over the past year.

 

[SafariTecPeter]

Pictures to follow tomorrow in daylight.
I was contemplating to bolt the SS plate down with the wood. Time was prssing so I glued it down.
Not ideal BUT it made it all very "clean" looking .
When considering the surface is meant to be used for food, having things poking through is not ideal.

Another reason I used wood underneight is resonans & stiffness.
If I was to use solid stainless, it would have had to be in the >3mm strenght. Thereby adding more weight & cost than needed. Besides, I got a fair price on the 1mm & my 3,5mm plate was too short

Initially I was (also) wanting to include the countersunk hatches that are available in ZAR. HOWEVER, they are hatches only & unfortunately NOT with a double bottom. So throwng stuff "loose"2 into the lower hatch, was not my preferred choice
For those of You who have seen the fabolouse work from Swiss mr Thomas @ BLACKSHEEP & his VW AMAROK, You will know what sort of High End solution I was aiming at.
It is certainly something I will look further into down the line as I now have gotten hold of a company tht can manufacture something similar.

EDIT; Added info in storage space in lower tailgate.

 

[Gary820]

Have to say I've had no issues using the stoves on the ally, even the times I've put hot pans on it.
I don't prepare food directly on the surface either, I use a board but still make sure it's cleaned with disinfectant wipes.

 

[Towpack]

Have to say I've had no issues using the stoves on the ally, even the times I've put hot pans on it.
I don't prepare food directly on the surface either, I use a board but still make sure it's cleaned with disinfectant wipes.

This is all I need also. A durable heat proof surface. Ali should be more than adequate for that. If you intend to chop/prepare food directly on the surface then obviously SS is way better as it won't scratch anything like as easily as aluminium. I made some brackets and fittings for the boat years ago from a sheet of high grade SS (think it was an old food prep/surgical table top) and it was an absolute b***h to cut. Only thing that would touch it was a cutting wheel on the angle grinder. JMO

 

[SafariTecPeter]

So how do You guys determine how much heat travels down & what is potentially does underneight?
& do You stick the alloy straight onto the lower tailgate?

SS is being chosen mainly for hygenic reasons. The optical bit is a pure bonus.
You will not find many (commercial) kitchen tops in alloy.... The surface is by a distance not dense enough.

I cut absolutely ALL my steel, SS & alloy with a 1mm SS cutting discs. Have stopped buying other sizes.
The 1mm "countertop" mentioned above we shaped with a nibbler by hand.

 

[StarCruiser]

Stainless Steel is soft by comparison (I know, trust me it is), but it work hardens very easily and once it has done so it's a barsteward to get through while it blunts the tool. Lowish speed and highish pressure often wins the day. As soon as the tool is blunt, a new one is needed so good quality ones are best. A nibbler is the ideal tool really though the little half moons they produce are needle sharp and get everywhere. The resulting edge needs care as it is like a serrated knife so needs dressing with a file or similar after.

Ally is used in cooking with many an ally pan used. The marine grade ally I'm using for the Gullwing doors is amazingly springy like you would never believe. There are many different grades from cheese soft to really quite hard. I've found the best tools to cut ally are course blades in a jigsaw, or even better, a carbide tipped wood blade in a circular saw.

The best for all is a guilotine or laser cutter for more complex shapes. As mentioned if the size is ordered correctly then the corners rounded at home, that is most probably the best way. Beware of stainless when cut as it can turn instantly razor sharp, especially if the guilotine has left a burr. Can be nasty!

 

[Towpack]

Stainless Steel is soft by comparison

By comparison to what? Not Ali surely? Even the very hardest Ali is way softer than top grade stainless. There's been a move away from Aluminium for cooking utensils in recent years due to a tenuous link with Alzheimers disease

 

[StarCruiser]

Stainless is known in engineering circles as relatively soft. In other words there are harder materials to machine. compared to ally its harder of course.

I sometimes work in restaurant kitchens. I'll check next time I'm in one but I do know what you mean about the link. I was going to say they still use them but you've got me wondering now.

 

[Gary820]

Heat transfer is whatever comes out of the bottom of the Coleman, doesn't get that hot tbh, the odd pan or kettle now and again that needs putting down.
Mine is bolted down but not metal to metal, thin layer of insulation/sound deadening (the type you get stuck inside car door panels etc) I've had the panel off when needed to add wiring etc in there, no ill effects under it.

 

[Towpack]

Ali is a pretty good conductor of heat and used extensively for heat sinks. A large sheet such as the tailgate cover will act as one and dissipate most of the heat.

 

[SafariTecPeter]

Anyways, here is the picture of mine.
Still got the protective foil on it.
I lifted abot in one corner just to proove to You guys I aint BS`ing You on the material.
The result did not come out 100% but it is what I had to work with at the time.

If I had the choice again, (I I know I will)
I would go Stainless 200%
Food grade off course
& I will roll the edges over the corner so that the wood is not exposed.

 

[cmcmill01]

Thanks Guys, for the good discussion.
Gives me plenty of options. Think the first thing is to get the existing carpet off and measure so I can order the metal to replace it.

 

[cmcmill01]

Thanks for the pictures, very useful.

Anyways, here is the picture of mine.
Still got the protective foil on it.
I lifted abot in one corner just to proove to You guys I aint BS`ing You on the material.
The result did not come out 100% but it is what I had to work with at the time.

If I had the choice again, (I I know I will)
I would go Stainless 200%
Food grade off course
& I will roll the edges over the corner so that the wood is not exposed.

View attachment 113663
View attachment 113664

 

[SafariTecPeter]

My steel measures 420 x 1360mm

 

[StarCruiser]

The carpet pops off in seconds if you use something thin like a table knife against each trim clip and twist. It fits on like a door card.

 

[SafariTecPeter]

Better yet get one of those interior panel prye bars as You don`t want to pull them fasteners through the soggy cardboard.....

 

[chapel gate]

made a template..

 

[cmcmill01]

You might as well make 2

made a template..
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