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Need to waterproof the back on my new van.

C

Christian Eley

Hi guys,

Just got a new van, well for me it's new.. 

62 plate Vauxhall Vivaro, really tidy and got it for a bargain, it has been plyed out inside the back and is basically new as it was only used for laundry delivery, now my question is, how do I go about painting it with some kind of waterproof hard wearing paint?

Also what is a good brand etc..?

And I have another question for after it has been waterproofed, but I may as well get an answer now as well. 

I use a 600L IBC water tank, and I'm wondering what is the safest way to 'bolt' or 'tie' the IBC down?

Oh and one more thing, how do I get a hose hole in the side of the van allowing two of my hoses to come out of the side allowing me to lock the doors? But it must look tidy, not just a gapping hole in the side haha.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you guys can help :) 

Cheers, Chris 

 
I might be able to help you with a couple of points. With my van I've used b&q liquid rubber paint 2 years ago and it has been very hard wearing and it's pretty thick so quick to apply. I've also got a 600l ibc in the back. I've removed the plastic pallet from the base to lower the centre of gravity. Then cut out a piece of 1" polystyrene for the tank to sit on to distribute the weight evenly. The cage sits over that flush to the floor and I've bolted it through the floor with large washers to prevent them getting ripped through the floor. I've also got 'L' Cross section angle steel in front and behind also bolted through the floor. You could put ratchet straps under the angle iron and over the tank to the angle iron on the other side to be extra safe but I've a full bulkhead on mine. In the event of a crash, the tank will try and tip forwards and rip out the bolts holding the back edge so they need to be especially strong. I have mine up against the bulkhead so it won't have chance to gain any momentum in case it tries to tip.

p.s. When drilling, make sure you measure it accurately so you can see exactly where it will be underneath the van to avoid hitting anything vital.

 
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Alright, let's start with just the floor first.

Do I just slap to paint on then, all the cracks, fill up the edges etc..? Over all the plywood that's currently in there? 

 
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up to you, you could do if your after a quick job or you could do a better job if you have time.

what I did was take up the plywood, put some polystyrene down to insulate the floor then replace the plywood over it and screw it back down by using longer screws into the same holes.

then fiberglass over all the edges and gaps and up the sides to tank it out. (dead easy and quite fun!)

Then you paint over it with whatever your going to use to waterproof it.

 
600l ibc!! Must be like a boat

Interesting to see insurance companies take on how safe it is

 
I just fiberglassed mine and would highly recommend it. It's not too hard on the wallet and there's plenty of YouTube tutorials. Took two days (drying time) but now I don't have to worry about the stray bit of water splashing about, plus it's absolutely bulletproof

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600l ibc!! Must be like a boat

Interesting to see insurance companies take on how safe it is
I used to have a 1000l in my old van...

And yeah I may try fiberglass the cracks and arround the edges... then paint ontop of that and the wood and fiberglass,  making a nice sealed bath in the back? 

 
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