Hi, new to the forum and bought a new van a year ago but have only been doing short trips of a week or so as working life and family commitments have allowed. Plan is to build up to longer trips as our experience and leisure time increases, and hope to be doing three month long trips to Tassie, the Top End etc. in a year or so, and maybe a grand loop in our retirement if we really get the bug!
I've made quite a few modifications to the van since I've had it, and the next project is to get chequer plate fitted along both sides to a height of 34cm. I understand the chequer plate is just untreated aluminium, so I'm wondering does it start to tarnish and look a bit rubbish after a few trips? If so am I better getting it powder coated in grey? How do others keep their chequer plate looking good?
Thanks, and I'm sure this will only be the first of many questions I pose as I start to use the van more and experience the lifestyle!
As well as aluminium chequer plate (normally 5 bar pattern) you could use propellor plate chemically polished finish it is lighter than chequer plate. If you keep it clean and rinse and wipe dry straight away, dont let water marks dry on it, it will stay good for a long time. I have not polished it on my van for 4 years now. For the first time this week I used Purple polish and deoxidzer on the front boot doors that get a lot of handling.
Thanks Moonraker, yours certainly looks good, can't believe that's been on there four years! The workshop that are going to do the job did mention propeller plate but I wasn't sure what the difference was except in pattern. So, it's thinner and has a better wearing finish? Mine's a light Euro van so something lighter and thinner would be suitable.
Welcome to the gang Mamil, enjoy here and out in the playground.
I have black chequer plate around the aluminium teepee and have all the teepee coated with 'Vantec' including the chequer plate and seems to be no sign of fading etc after 4 years of being in the open all the time and sun most of the year. I usually rince the van with clear water every now and then but once a year have used a Vantec wash and given a good clean.
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Mamill, Cheque plate would be stronger and possibly more durable as it was used orginally as floor plate and can be called aluminium floor plate where as Propellor plate is used mostly for cladding, I would say.
Our van is also stored outside all the time But washed after every trip.
BushTracker caravans use chequer plate it looks tougher and probably is but some others such as Spinifex and Kedron use mostly propeller plate as it looks better and is tough enough for most use.
-- Edited by Moonraker on Monday 3rd of September 2018 10:19:05 AM
I think Propeller Plate would be more that suitable & it would keep the weight down, if your going to do damage to the propeller plate your in a serious situation...
As Moonraker has said above the "purple polish" is great stuff, I have used it on my bikes for years
why would you want to add the extra weight for zero gain. I have never damaged a ali clad van and done a heap of dirt roads on road type vans, never had an off road van. slow down and drive to conditions. rather cart a full tank of water about.
cheers
blaze
Chequer plate is designed as a non slip surface for floors - why put it on a wall ? Using it on a wall is just a "styling" fad - and no tougher than the equivalent grade plain flat sheet aluminium - which is much easier to clean.
Hello Mamil,
Welcome to the forum - one of the most useful parts (excluding the members & Cindy) is the "Search" button. There is a great level of experience on this forum, some are experts in various fields, others have learnt by good & bad experiences while others are beginners.
I see there are a mixed bag of respondents - those who like chequer plate, those who don't. I've had two Jaycos now & they have make-believe chequer plate (very thin). The only incident that affected my chequer-thin ally on my Eagle was when some clown (me) backed into the van a day before leaving for the Kimberlys! Due to it's thinness, I was able to do a temporary repair that lasted until we returned home. I've suffered no other damage from air-born missiles to the van - they generally hit my windscreen!
Do you want the plate for looks or protection? If the latter, you really need something like a stone guard to prevent stones being thrown by your vehicle into the "look good" chequer plate & rebounding back to your car's rear window(s).
There is another issue that has been mentioned in magazines, forums of late & this could affect you too as you're modifying your van. It is a hot potato - weight! Everything you add after the van came out of the factory (hopefully with the correct Tare weight on your specs plate) must be taken into consideration. Your van cannot weigh more than the ATM.
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
Hi Guys, thanks for all the suggestions. I think I should explain some of the back story, as it may help to understand why I'm going down this route. I have a polyester sided van and I had a (self inflicted) accident on the last trip and a section of the wall needs to be repaired. The chequer plate is a good way of hiding the repair, and add a bit of protection if I ever decide to repeat the performance!. It's an insurance job, so they will pay for chequer plate down both sides as it's actually cheaper than the alternative which is to remove door, windows etc. and paint the whole wall.
So, with this in mind, to address some of your specific points...
Moonraker & Rodrocket, yes I think the thinner propeller plate would be plenty for my van, as its a light Euro van.
Greg, yes that was exactly what I was worried about - it oxidising and going dull - so I will ask the workshop about getting the chemically treated stuff.
Dougwe, so is yours powder coated as it's black? Workshop said they could do either 'natural silver' or powder coated at same cost, so what's the pros & cons of powder coated?
Blaze & KJB, I see where you're coming from and it makes sense, but as above I need to add something to cover the repair and although I appreciate the 'chequer' in chequer plating is of no actual use on the side of a van, I wonder if a non-patterned piece of ally would show marks more?
Warren-Pat, yes good point about weight and currently we are within the ATM unless we are heading off grid and have full water tanks, in which case I leave the aircon and microwave at home to compensate as we can't run them off battery anyway.
It's been very helpful so far, so keep the comments coming....
-- Edited by Mamil on Monday 3rd of September 2018 09:45:44 PM
I would possible go for the thinist chequer plate and have it fixed with sixaflec product so there are no screws, I think 1.6 or thinner if you can get it as it will be fitted to aq sound base. I am about to fit 3mm ali chequer plate as a splash back in a rustic type kitchen make over in a mining town so the rustic look will go with the town as well as the house.
cheers
blaze
If it helps Chequer Plate or Treadplate as its called is the same weight as Propellor Plate in the same thickness
I Have seen it as thin as 1.4mm but most common is 1.6 not sure if there is any thinner than 1.4 but I could be wrong
Propellor plate has the "Bright" finish to it
1.4mm 1200 X 2400 = 12.61 Kg / Sheet or 4.38 Kg / Square Meter
1.6mm 1200 X 2400 = 14.40 Kg / Sheet or 5.00 Kg / Square Meter
Personally I would use 1.4 if you can get it but in saying that I have just purchased 1.6 for the front of my transporter & I am expecting that to get a good blasting from road grim & debris
I have used it before without any issues & to keep it clean a little soap & water, don't use any of that truck wash stuff on your van as it strips off all the wax & polish, if you need to restore the shine "Purple Polish" is the best or Brite Shine if you cant find the Purple
Thanks Blaze and Rodrocket. I had a long chat with the head of the workshop today and he agreed that thinner and lighter was the way to go. His recommendation was also to go with black anodised as it's easier to keep looking good and would complement the design of my van. Anyone own a van with anodised plate and can comment on the pros & cons of it? Thanks.
