Removing 3rd row flooring, what to fill recesses with?

[mikez71]

Wondering what I should use to flatten the floor. Should I fill the recesses with more jute padding or is there something better?

 

[Trey Hardy]

Get you a weather tech or similar cargo area cover and forget about it it’ll be out of sight out of mind

 

[mikez71]

Already bought vinyl flooring. Gonna look saggy without more padding at a minimum. The seat ramps really bugged me, and now the little recesses bug me. (old knees, I feel the bumps crawling in there) I want the floor to look and feel flat. (I'm OCD like that)

Something for the big voids and more padding is the plan, so far. Maybe a project for the 3D printer my son wants..

I swear every 1 mod turns into 3 minimum.

 

[Geotrash]

Already bought vinyl flooring. Gonna look saggy without more padding at a minimum. The seat ramps really bugged me, and now the little recesses bug me. (old knees, I feel the bumps crawling in there) I want the floor to look and feel flat. (I'm OCD like that)

Something for the big voids and more padding is the plan, so far. Maybe a project for the 3D printer my son wants..

I swear every 1 mod turns into 3 minimum.

Anything soft and moldable that you'll fill those cavities with is going to annoy you because it will give more than the steel it's stuffed into will, and your knees will still hurt. Best thing I can think of is resin if you don't mind an irreversible solution. Or, create a plaster mold and use resin to fill the mold. Then pop the molded resin pieces in there.

 

[Mean_Green]

What's your goal? What are you looking to accomplish in the end as far as use back there?

I have a plan for mine, but I don't know if it will do you any good.

 

[mikez71]

Anything soft and moldable that you'll fill those cavities with is going to annoy you because it will give more than the steel it's stuffed into will, and your knees will still hurt.

Roger that, was thinking the same thing. Another thing I was thinking about was making some plates that bolt in. (Even then I think about a bump around the bolt head.. rounded edges)

No special plans, sometimes I crawl in a bit just to get spilled groceries. Would like to not have to worry about getting jabbed in the knee anytime I crawl in there.

I have thought about drawers so I could sleep at the height of the 2nd row seats.. Also have thought about a bed-slide so I can keep most of my height for loading stuff. If did either, the flat floor will have been for nothing. But it may never happen, so a flat floor to start.

Want to get it right so I won't have to pull interior pieces out again.. afraid of snapping plastic bits!

What's your plan Meangreen?

 

[Mean_Green]

Plywood, covered with carpet. Something softer could be under it to conform to those humps. Wood deck would be bolted down using some of the factory holes.

Then E Track Mounted above the carpet. That gives a knee friendly surface that most things won't silde aound on, plus a secure way to tie things in place. The kit I'm looking at has what they call beam sockets that accept a 2x and are fully adjustable.

I've looked at them in stores and they can be oriented to hold a beam crosswise of the cargo area between the wheel wells. That gives the option of using as many or few as needed and moving them forward or back to adjust the size of any given area to account for your load, groceries, luggage , boxes, etc.


Crude sketch, but something like this:

2x6s would be tall enough to contain most things, but one set could be 2x8s if needed.

When not needed, they could all be removed and left in the garage. Other types of eTrack hardware could be used to secure other things.

 

[Sparksalot]

When I took the powered third row out of thethirdtwin.

 

[mikez71]

Interesting.. simpler than drawers, easy to remove..
Maybe have a folding lid that can cover and sleep on..

More to think about, thanks for the info mean, sparks, geo and trey!

I'm going to still level the stock floor first, but definately be thinking about these options while I'm working on it.. Hopefully get started in a week or two..

 

[Mean_Green]

I'll be leaving the stock carpet in, so I won't really be concerned with bumps as much. But I was thinking, maybe some packing foam? Not peanuts or bubbles, but the stiffer closed cell foam cut into strips. Comes in different thicknesses and may be available at local office supply stores. Shouldn't be any issue of moisture retention.

 

[iamdub]

Wondering what I should use to flatten the floor. Should I fill the recesses with more jute padding or is there something better?

A cover made of cabinet-grade 3/8" birch would be smooth, lightweight and plenty strong. Use 3M spray adhesive to cover the top with thin automotive-grade carpet (like for speaker boxes). It'd be a stronger version of the pressboard trunk floor covers used in passenger cars used to cover the spare tire well. Also, like in the cars, you can cut the birch laterally or longitudinally and the carpet would act like a hinge so you can fold it for easier installation and removal and more compact storage if that's a factor.

 

[m1949]

Spray foam insulation should work. Get the type that hardens and has less expansion. You can cut off any excess flush to the floor.

 

[EddieC]

We took all the back seats out and built a wood platform.
Now we have a sedan delivery. And the space is big enough for a nice place to sleep in the National Forest campground. Pretty bear proof to boot.

 

[mikez71]

Spray foam insulation should work. Get the type that hardens and has less expansion. You can cut off any excess flush to the floor.

That stuff can be pretty hard.. Was thinking about making some metal plates, but probably not worth all that effort..
well it might be worth it for the big center crater...

Going to tackle it soon, after I get some wiring done..

 

[Mean_Green]

Maybe we need pictures of the area in question.

 

[mikez71]

Maybe we need pictures of the area in question.

Not as big as i thought..

need to take out the bolts. maybe some silicone in the bolt holes.. dents are about 3/4" deep, rising bumps about 1/2" high. expanding foam is sounding pretty good.. maybe cut some rubber pieces to fill it..

 

[Mean_Green]

Just get some more of that carpet padding. Cut pieces as needed to fit the holes. Maybe two or three layers. Cut one square and three rectangles to fill the deep holes, then another larger set, on top of those. Then one more larger to fill in and to level to the surface layer. I'd still go with a piece of plywood on top of the padding.

You mention rubber. Consider those anti-fatigue mats from Harbor Freight (and other places). They cut quite easily and are dense enough to prevent compaction over time.

I'd leave the bolts too. The padding will settle around them and you won't have a leak source from below.

That canned foam degrades and decays to crumbles and powder over time.

 

[iamdub]

Not as big as i thought.. View attachment 398140

need to take out the bolts. maybe some silicone in the bolt holes.. dents are about 3/4" deep, rising bumps about 1/2" high. expanding foam is sounding pretty good.. maybe cut some rubber pieces to fill it..

Expanding foam doesn't squish very well. It'll crumble if you happen to kneel or put weight on it and eventually turn into a yellow, crumbly mess that'll disperse all under the carpet.

I like the rubber idea. Cut some pieces to fit down in the lowest parts and larger pieces to cap that and cover the rest to bring it up the height of the bumps. Sandwich them with glue between each layer. For $10 at Harbor Freight, you can get plenty of material: https://www.harborfreight.com/4-pie...IFX9GyyDMnOOH_jzKjLKnuH5ZxqN-lehoCvjAQAvD_BwE

You can replace the bolts with set screws. Use a little thread sealer, maybe even a little BLUE thread locker to keep them in place.


*EDIT* Just saw that @Mean_Green wrote almost the exact same thing. Great minds...

 

[89Suburban]

Maybe try a small test area with this stuff.

https://www.euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TDS/Euco_QWIKjoint_200.pdf

Or this.

https://www.euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TDS/Dural_Fast_Set_Gel.pdf

 

[mikez71]

Heck yea, good info. Don't need no crumbly foam. Will find some rubber and get to it! Thanks for all the help collective hive mind!

As for pouring some polyurethane, it would be stronger im sure, but that stuff usually stinks for a few days and im afraid ill make a mess somehow.. would lean that way more if i didnt think rubber will do the trick adequately..

For the bolts..Not sure if they sell set screws that big or I can cut a threaded rod into pieces maybe.. but then maybe ill just grind the bolts down to shallow domes..Heck if I can find plastic or rubber plugs, I might silicone them in place..and on the bottom..usually need a few plans, for when something doesnt go as planned!

Also got this today..

I thought it was a top mat when i ordered it, guess ill have 2 layers of vinyl! Ill put the oem under the tan aftermarket..