then what is your suggest, to cut the 80/20 extgrusions? thanks

@@jonathanz2543 get a miter saw designed for cutting metal (low RPM + Oil cooled). If that's not an option, then be very careful and keep the blade cool, don't use a lot of pressure when cutting and let the blade cool down after each cut. I haven't tried it yet but you might have luck with spraying some oil onto your cut, however this might also become messy. Be very careful though! Good luck!

@@ThePhiliposophy thanks

The Aluminum Carpenter has great cutting method and tools.

Was there a difference in price between Amazon, Grainger and eBay?

@@user-bi3nx6nu9m Minor differences. Got some great bargains on eBay when purchasing lots of “end cuts” (left-overs from others’ major projects). You have to keep your eyes open.

@@bitman05 ah makes sense. I'll stick to Amazon then since it's so convenient. Thanks for replying

The idea of those 80/20 good but you have to coat with special paint otherwise it will attract moisture and mold in the winter. Humble and this dude have no idea of full time van life.

@Chris maybe but then you get it right when you actually use it later

@@897aa33 Aluminum doesnt mold, smh

@@girlpowered1696 i think he means that water will condense on a cold surface and then drip , whereas wood framing wouldn't have water condense on it as easily

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ertpdaeGvNayeZs.html

Rivnuts are easier.

@@VanGoWanderlust Rivnuts don't have the same grip strength.

@@smarreel6071 the vast majority of the force in this application is shear stress in the vertical direction, not really pulling the rivnuts out. Most professional van builders have been using rivnuts with a lot of success, I can share some videos if you’re curious. Plus, rivnuts will hold up to 600 pounds pullout each. That’s more than enough. www.rivet-nut.com/assets/rivnut_mechanical_properties.pdf

^^^^He's totally right. As terrible as this may sound, you need to break it thermally and that may require demounting it. I'd vote for mass loaded vinyl cut into strips 1.5" wide to line all 8020>Van runs of aluminum extrusion. Grounding will be way more straightforward assuming that most of this is interconnected throughout your van. I love the build and the ingenuity of the mild fabrication with bar stock and tapped holes. You have some awesome skills and attn to detail!

Everything is already Grounded to the Chassis / Body due to the fact he’s used Nuts / Bolts and Rivnuts - nothing else is required. Aluminium is a poor conductor of heat so there will be minimal issues with Heat Transfer.

@@jamesosborne4132 re: "Aluminium is a poor conductor of heat" Incorrect.

Why the need to ground the aluminum to the chassis and avoid transferring heat to the frame?

@@gabefabian3400 Aluminum is a great thermal conductor (more thermally conductive than steel!) and needs to be grounded if you break the thermal bridge between the van structure/skin and the extrusion... and to be clear, you really should break it thermally. If you have exposed aluminum exposed to hot/vapor rich air (See cooking, breathing, showering, etc) you are going to get condensation which leads to moisture build up which leads to mold which leads to a van rebuild.

Ooo I’m gonna check them out!

I'm also curious about the smaller 8020 (mostly to ensure the largest possible drawers, shelves and generally make the most of the space) - how does it compare in strength? Do you reckon it can be build sufficiently strong as a basis of all the cabinets or even for a bed-construction?

@@thefuture986 cabinetry, yes, bed construction? maybe, but you'd have to be quite diligent with your triangles and reinforcement, and even then I'm not sure. but cabinets? absolutely

@@Evanrodge Seems about right intuitively. So I guess 1010 for cabinetry and 1515 for the bed (with a support beam in the middle?) might work? I'm an absolute noob at this stuff tbh.

@@thefuture986 If I'm right (maybe not) you have this info in the datasheet (obviously not on amazon, but if you ask the manufacturer...) So with a lenght and a load value, for each given size you can know the max stress and also the max deflexion... Don't forget you can mix sizes... Use 1 inch square for a pair of small vertical "legs" for example, and for a long beam between these legs, you can use a rectangle profile of 1 x 2 inches... This is the beauty of alu extrusions...

​@@thefuture986 yep, 1515 is MORE than enough for a bed as long as you have at least one support beam and use the triangle reinforcers in the corners for stiffness. You'd need to have slats to support the mattress of course but yeah structurally that seems fine. And I say that because that's what I made my roof rack out of for my Element and put nearly 250lbs of stuff up there lol.

plus it would provide a thermo break

I agree!

Considering the steel itself is on the inside of the van (and will be covered by wall panels) and the 80/20 is on the inside of the van (and will be covered by wall panels), does this make a difference?

Mike is right. Also, consider aluminum is highly thermally conductive. Using wood or high density plastic spacers between the 80/20 brackets and the van steel would eliminate alot of that thermal transfer.

@@BrendaTharp I use cut pieces (1 1/2 or 2" ) from: Fiberglass Angle, Gray, 2" Height, 2" Width, 60" Length, 1/4" Wall Thickness bought from Amazon, sually about $45. Careful when cutting....FR4 dust real bad....may want to do outside, with mask....I don't, but I'm careful :)

@@seven_o_savage Hey Seven. My experience is that the 8020 subassemblies sure act like a big finned alum heat sinks. Working in the van all summer in FL with the AC on inside: the 8020 was all sitting about 75deg and the van steel/OEM rail at the FR4 bracket was usually >20deg hotter. The outside metal was even hotter. Very hard to get 20deg delta on steel to alum direct contact.

@@mikecol99 I learned a lot about thermal bridging when I was looking into container homes. Glad you brought this up, just hope Savage can make some adjustments.

😂😂😂

I cant speak for US, but in Czech, these Extrusions are not that bad. For this kind of build, probably in 1500 USD area.

I just watched a 30 minute video and didn't get a cost estimate😢

Interesting, do you have a link?

Hello, i'd be grateful if you can PM me on this or explain it better here, i'm a bit confused, i'll even paypal you some money for your advice, but i need to know better what you're talking about. i'm building a hanging bed that only comes across half my van with the other half housing my motorcycle and i'm think that i will have the horizontals that hold the frame on top of the verticals as the horizontals can't slide down then, but it seems like you say this is exactly how not to do it? Thanks in advance for your help!

Why join 3 pieces at the same place (junction)?

@@seven_o_savage Hi, sorry for the long time reply. For the extrusions thing, no link, this is just my personnal +20 years of experience as mechanical engineer... If you are interressed in the washers, check this link : www.nord-lock.com/nord-lock/technology/ It explains the idea behind the "wedge" system, and it's really effective. These washers are a bit pricy but it worth every $. If you need a (little) cheaper alternative, Heico make almost the same : www.heico-group.com/en/heico-lock/products/wedge-lock-washers/ Hope it will help

@@jackinkc767 If I'm not that crazy, in each corner you'll have 3 parts, right ?

No matter what you build it will loosen over time, a van flexes continually, only way to offset is to mount everything flexibly ie rubber mounts, one mistake most builders make is mounting cabinets to floor and side wall, both are flexing in different plains, mount cabinets to the floor only even if full height with a small gap to sidewall.

@@andywt8460 Yeah, I was wondering how fixing a rigid aluminum frame to a steel van body that is flexing in all sorts of different ways would wear over time. The bolts of the frame are constantly tensioning and detensioning as the van body flexes. I think a floating system made out of a more flexible material that anchors fast only to the floor would allow for the natural flex of the body and avoid putting so much stress on the system.

Can you send me photos of how you hinge your fold down table

Did you loctite those bolts?

Good suggestions, thanks 240z2nv!

@@seven_o_savage you’ve given me Tons of Inspiration, so ..... 🤷🏻‍♂️

Yes the tools get pricey. On my first van I got away with minimal tools though so it’s doable to get started for cheap!

That's awesome!

🤙

I've seen this advice often enough. Can you explain why? I don't quite get it.

@@peterdods425 it's just to complete an electrical circuit if there was ever a situation where something were to short out. With vans taking a bit of a beating something could shake loose over time. If that something is a wire that's supposed to be supplying power, say to an induction cooktop, and it ends up supplying all that power to your galley frame, you're gonna have a bad time if it isn't grounded to the chasis. Everything has to return to the negative terminal on the car battery, the chasis of that van is connected to it. So connecting all that aluminium to the chasis of the van (make sure you use a big enough cable to handle the potential in the batteries) in effect connects it to the car battery.

@@MrMJBall if it’s bolted to the van it’s grounded.

It's aluminium!

@@lucboisseau5586 Iron filings from the van body

cleaning, priming, painting will all take time as well. when you make a design mistake it's harder to correct as well. 8020 is very productive to build with. if you have more time than money there are cheaper ways to do it, for sure

About $2500

This is one of those questions that if you ask it you cant afford it. I spent 15 years off shore on a research vessel and we used 80/20 for the installation of most of our instruments and lab fixture installation. Of course this was government funded is the only way anyone could afford this stuff. Now that I am retired there is no way I can think of using this method. Wood is expensive enough. Other than what he offers as layout ideas, using this method is out of reach for the average person.Expense is the least of your worries. One of the things you need to consider is those screws holding this together will not hold in the event of an accident. Basically this is a friction hold with typically M5 or less screws. The screws will shear in a major accident leaving the extrusions to fly around. I look at this method of building with great fear when envisoning the forces which would be imparted with an impact either from the rear or the front any speeds above 30 mph.

@@crawford323 for 1.5” 80/20, it’s a 5/16” carriage bolt , closer to M8 metric. I agree this stuff is expensive. In a serious accident, its not going to be pretty either way. Death by splintering wood , or death by extruded aluminum impalement. It’s like trying to decide if you want to chop off your left leg or your right leg.

@@leodhasw-s3739 well if one were to justify expenditures by percentages, our nation budget for our military seems reasonable.

@@seven_o_savage Very good idea, but for less money you can use aluminium tube and bolt ! 😉

Given that the builder anticipates completely barrel rolling his van, your hypothetical rear end collision is fair comment! Its nice to see that someone else respects that during a vehicular collision or accident anything not securely fastened down instantly becomes airborne, and invariably heads towards the space occupied by the crew! When considering an interior fit out, great care should be taken to ensure that in the event of an accident, no supports, fittings, furniture or equipment will become forcibly propelled into the space occupied by the driver and passenger. A length or sheet of wood or metal propelled into the crew survival space can have horrific consequences, as can a microwave oven! Likewise, having heavy cast iron pans and kitchen knives hanging or magnetically held to the kitchen wall doesn't seem such a great idea if they strike the back of one's skull or shatter the windscreen sending glass fragments airborne at face height due to a collision forcefully dislodging and propelling them! Unfortunately, such instances are not at all uncommon and social media even has some videos of the aftermath of even slow speed collisions!

I got some push back from this and the person called me “ clueless.” I suppose my most concern would be rear end collisions where object such as horizontal long and stiff structures would be pushed forward and less from the front end sudden stop accidents which heavier objects break loose and come forward. I believe both of those situations deserve some attention when considering an interior build out. You may or may not be able to do all which needs to be done but all that you can, you should. I believe the least one can do is place a barricade of sorts which can protect the driver from objects which might travel forward. Heavier objects such as batteries should be well secured and perhaps caged and heavily bolted to the frame of the vehicle.

@@crawford323 I'm in complete agreement with you. I see many build outs which present real hazards to the front seat crew in the event of a front or rear impact! Unfortunately, people simply don't think of these things! I'd much rather people learn of these hazards by hearing about them rather than experiencing them as victims!

I hear what you are saying. This and fire would be my primary safety concerns, followed by theft. Anyways, I think putting a partition behind the driver cabin and back would possible alleviate and reduce the danger here. Most Chevy cargo vans come stock with a partition. One could even build a custom one with a little doorway. This adds a few things: privacy, safety, insulation, and security. I'm strongly considering this on my Chevy extended build. Additionally, I dont think I'll want ALL 80/20. But it should be utilized when desired

What is the brand name...I can't find this...

@@preluded try ACF50 or corrosion x you can get it from aircraft spruce’s website. Use in a well ventilated area & follow ppe requirements! www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cs/corrosion.html

I have the same question!

Typically 15 series is the better way to go unless you REALLY need the extra space in a few select areas where not much weight will be placed, mostly because the connections on 10 series are not as strong as the 15 series. OurKaravan has an article on 10 vs 15 and why he uses 15, but that's a major factor

Thanks Andrea!