If you are going to attach paneling to the van you will need to have a way to attach it to the van. You can go directly in to the metal work – but in some places there are holes and it is not really possible to screw it in anywhere.
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I also planned on using cladding clips – these mean you can avoid having screws all over your nice panel work, these are nailed in, so cannot go into the metal work. To enable this I decided to set-up a set of wooden blocks at each rib in the van.
The ribs however are not square and have tapered sides. To manage this I drilled holes in each side of the rib, then bolted the stud work to that.
This made the stud-work square to the outside of the van and very well attached.
Side pieces of stud work – annoying to make as they are all different sizes. Note, I put stud work at each end of the van, and one each of the three ductings/ribs.
To keep to the curve of the van’s roof I cut some slots along the wood to allow it to flex a little.
Now this is complete, when it comes to attaching the cladding, we are prepared!