The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs 47-53 Plywood Floor Removal Tips?

I'm am preparing to replace the plywood floor on the 49 Suburban.

Any advice on how to best remove it before I proceed?

I am not planning to save the bolts and I am thinking about grinding the bolt heads off from the top.

Jut got back from being away on travel status and now rolling up my sleeves to do this on Saturday.


Suggestions? Advice?

Thank you. Tom

I thought you were going to ask why I am up at 1:54 AM ET thinking about a suburban plywood floor (?). Thanks for the Tech Tip and bee-lining me to it! tom

Another method to remove the floorboard AND be able to put a one-piece floorboard back in place is not mentioned in that excellent Tech Tip.

After removing all the bolts from the side-perimeter metal flanges, one of the metal flanges has to be removed. This not only allows the whole floorboard to be removed, but, more importantly, it allows a one-piece floorboard to be installed.

The side-perimeter metal flanges are each attached by more than 20 spot-welds (as I recall - I counted them once). Those spot-welds have to be drilled-out from one of the flanges, and then that metal flange can be removed.

Then, the floorboard can be angled-upward and be removed from the top (or, maybe from the bottom, but that would be interesting to accomplish). I do not know if the rear cross-sill has to be removed in order to get the sheet in or out of the rear door opening.

I have only seen one person report using this technique (no photos were provided). I have not seen any other technique that allows a single-piece floorboard to be removed/installed.

A wide piece of plywood is needed, if you want to replace the floor as a single piece. Supposedly, some boat repair facilities will have available a piece of appropriate thickness plywood in a large enough width (at least 54" wide, as I dimly recall).