On rails


There are four tie down points in the load area of the van at the middle and aft corners. This is insufficient to safely strap down two motorcycles, its barely sufficient for one, so I was in need of more tie down points.
Taking a leaf out of my previous Transporter build I decided to stick in some Unwin rails. These have the benefit of offering multi position tie down points only limited in number, location and load by the position and length of the rail.
I opted for surface rails this time as they are easier to fit and would not get in the way where I wanted to stick them as much as they would in other areas of the van.  I already have a number of 500kg and 125kg tie down rings to drop in them so that was one less thing to think about.
I had an ide where I wanted them but I was sure to check underneath the van to ensure this wouldn't fowl anything.
Two short rails were purchased, offered up to where I wanted them mounted and cut to length.
These could then have their mounting bolt holes marked then stage drilled. The flooring is thick with rubber, ply, insulation and finally steel so I took my time here. Once all the holes were drilled I deburred and cleaned the holes before rust-proofing and painting them from the underside.
The countersunk bolts could then be dropped in and held with an allen key whilst nuts and large penny washers were stuck on the underside of the van (a two man job or let the allen key rest against the bulkhead with a scrap of wood in between). I did this in stages so as not to twist the rails or over stress parts of the floor.
With the rails being surface mount and short; this was a pretty quick job. It now gives me a place to secure the handlebars and wheel chocks at the forward bulkhead of the load area.
Nice
I may consider another rail down the middle of the load area but for now, this is sufficient to load two motorcycles and an abundance of crap around them.
The VFR only just fits mind

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