Fitting Pro-plates to Fiat Ducato 2015 model

[Mikeco]

Exactly what I thought, think I'd add some whilst door all apart, also they never removed original panel so what about the others?

It makes you wonder how they insulated the rest of the van if they did not bother with the doors, when I did my conversion it took me a month working 8 hours a day just to do the insulation. A bit difficult to do the sliding door now but try pushing some sheeps wool insulation in the doors, this won’t interfere with the locking mechanism. Can you tell us who the converter was?

 

[Riverbankannie]

It makes you wonder how they insulated the rest of the van if they did not bother with the doors, when I did my conversion it took me a month working 8 hours a day just to do the insulation. A bit difficult to do the sliding door now but try pushing some sheeps wool insulation in the doors, this won’t interfere with the locking mechanism. Can you tell us who the converter was?

It’s an IH 630RL.

 

[skylinersi]

back to the side doors issue.....
my good lady pointed out that if the lock or something needed changing, there must be a way of getting the panel off without having to remove the whole cooker / sink / cupboards carcass surely?

will do the front and barn doors first and then tackle side door and let you know what i find....

and see what insulation is or isnt there !!!!

 

[Riverbankannie]

back to the side doors issue.....
my good lady pointed out that if the lock or something needed changing, there must be a way of getting the panel off without having to remove the whole cooker / sink / cupboards carcass surely?
!

You think? We are talking about MH converters here

will do the front and barn doors first and then tackle side door and let you know what i find....

and see what insulation is or isnt there !!!!

Would be interested to know.

 

[skylinersi]

You think? We are talking about MH converters here


Would be interested to know.

very true, fingers x'd it doesnt rain and i get the easy bits done first, and i will fit the heo safe locks at the same time

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[Mikeco]

It is unbelievable that at the prices they charge IH do not insulate the doors, I have said many times that IH vans are overpriced and overdesigned with all the fancy stuff inside.

 

[Mikeco]

back to the side doors issue.....
my good lady pointed out that if the lock or something needed changing, there must be a way of getting the panel off without having to remove the whole cooker / sink / cupboards carcass surely?

will do the front and barn doors first and then tackle side door and let you know what i find....

and see what insulation is or isnt there !!!!

Don’t forget they are based on a normal panel van so access would not normally be a problem. You can take it off by unbolting it from the hinges but you would have to be careful that you put it back in exactly the same place.

 

[gerry mcg]

The globecar doors are not insulated either I recall reading somewhere that insulation in the doors traps water and leads to rusting from the inside and insulating the doors was not recommended

 

[Deneb]

back to the side doors issue.....
my good lady pointed out that if the lock or something needed changing, there must be a way of getting the panel off without having to remove the whole cooker / sink / cupboards carcass surely?

will do the front and barn doors first and then tackle side door and let you know what i find....

and see what insulation is or isnt there !!!!

How is the panel fastened? If you can locate screws, those to the front half of the door can be removed with it shut, those to the rear half should be accessible with a screwdriver bit in a small ratchet drive if you can wedge or get an assistant to hold the door in its just open position (where it first moves outwards rather than back along the rails). That's how I did mine.

 

[Deneb]

The globecar doors are not insulated either I recall reading somewhere that insulation in the doors traps water and leads to rusting from the inside and insulating the doors was not recommended

I have thinsulate adhesive backed insulation lining the outer panels on my doors (Vantage). I had to trim it around the locks to fit the proplate inner shields. As long as you don't use any type of insulator that can soak up or hold water, and the drainage holes at the bottom of the doors are not obstructed, there shouldn't be any problem. Lambs wool and similar seem to me to be asking for trouble, as no vehicle door can be completely waterproof inside. Apart from condensation, you have entry points through the lock mechanisms and sometimes also handles as a minimum, hence the drain holes.

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[Deneb]

@Riverbankannie I have the same Remis blinds as you and was able to remove the lower plastic door panel without disturbing them at all. Did you take out the capping panel at the top rear corner of the door panel to remove the screw - your photos suggest it might just have been rotated around that point?

You can also completely remove the panel by releasing the locking rod from the lever on the internal door release after rotating the panel, and disconnecting the wiring connector from behind it.

 

[Riverbankannie]

@Riverbankannie I have the same Remis blinds as you and was able to remove the lower plastic door panel without disturbing them at all. Did you take out the capping panel at the top rear corner of the door panel to remove the screw - your photos suggest it might just have been rotated around that point?

You can also completely remove the panel by releasing the locking rod from the lever on the internal door release after rotating the panel, and disconnecting the wiring connector from behind it.

The Remis surround gets in the way of removing the arm rest cap and moving that Fiat arm rest out of the way.
Easy to remove the blind and so keep it safe from any damage

 

[gerry mcg]

I man to gain enough access to the corner armrest screw by undoing the top remis screw and lifting up the blind without completely removing it.
I fitted both the passenger door and offside sliding door today in a couple of hours. They were both straightforward, with the passenger door the simplest. There are no linkages to get in the road
There are 3 bolts on the passenger door and 4 on the sliding door. Access to the top bolts is gained by taking the black internal release lever off.
The sliding door is insulated on the globecar

 

[Riverbankannie]

I man to gain enough access to the corner armrest screw by undoing the top remis screw and lifting up the blind without completely removing it.

The sliding door is insulated on the globecar
View attachment 227792 View attachment 227793 View attachment 227794 View attachment 227795 View attachment 227797 View attachment 227798 View attachment 227799

Once the one screw undone, the blind just lifted off so easy to put to one side for safekeeping. Just found it easier.

I think Globecar known for good winterisation. Now we know how to get the trim off, we could do ours but we don’t have a problem as we do not knowingly camp in very cold weather. My husband feels the cold very badly and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the days. We did have some cold nights in Spain but heater works well in evening and morning and overnight we snuggle under feather duvet and wool blanket. The main problem was the draught through the centre edges of the barn door, our heads are against it because we have to move the back cushions to get the whole bed length, both of us being very tall.
We solved that on the couple of windy nights, by hanging up a picnic blanket, trapping it between the upper cupboards and the doors so it just stayed up.

 

[skylinersi]

How is the panel fastened? If you can locate screws, those to the front half of the door can be removed with it shut, those to the rear half should be accessible with a screwdriver bit in a small ratchet drive if you can wedge or get an assistant to hold the door in its just open position (where it first moves outwards rather than back along the rails). That's how I did mine.

Well. Now. I will add my findings soon....

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[skylinersi]

Ok so........
Today has been a f@cking ballache.....

Sorry for language.... not as blue as earlier I can tell you.

So proplates orders from protectavan arrived Thursday, started the fitting today...

Really.....Oh Please!....

Rear door first... took all the converters stuff off, lower door trim, upper plastic bits etc etc.

Lock out

Shock and surprise.... All the plates I was sent are for cab doors. Not load or barn doors.....ages wasted.

Checked my order I ordered correct parts and sent wrong parts.....gets better tho...

Moved onto passenger door. No lock in this handle mind.....

Plates don't fit as they made for handles with 4 not 3 bolts in.... more time wasted..

Conclusion so far is all handles with locks in are 4 bolt not 3 TBC tomoro when I do drivers side.

Plates are a p$ss fit on 3 bolt handles

The cab door plates and profile ARE NOT THE SAME AS SIDE OR REAR DOORS

So i have learned much....achieved zero....and will be having words with protectavan on monday

Conclusion so far?
All handles with locks in seem to be 4 bolt not 3
The cab door plates are different to side / hab door and barn door

There is no insulation in the doors either front or rear / barn doors. So much for being a 'fully winterised van'.. .

So not impressed with. Protectavan or adria tbh....

Rant over for now...

 

[skylinersi]

I man to gain enough access to the corner armrest screw by undoing the top remis screw and lifting up the blind without completely removing it.
I fitted both the passenger door and offside sliding door today in a couple of hours. They were both straightforward, with the passenger door the simplest. There are no linkages to get in the road
There are 3 bolts on the passenger door and 4 on the sliding door. Access to the top bolts is gained by taking the black internal release lever off.
The sliding door is insulated on the globecar
View attachment 227792 View attachment 227793 View attachment 227794 View attachment 227795 View attachment 227797 View attachment 227798 View attachment 227799

Did the plate you fitted to passenger sort with 3 bolts as per your pic have 4 bolt holes in?

 

[gerry mcg]

The plates for all doors are pretty much identical. When held up against each other there is almost no difference and any plate would fit any door AFAIK. The only difference i could see was perhaps a slightly different (larger) curve on the one I used for the sliding door.
The plates would fit either a 3 or 4 bolt handle. If I held them up they were an exact duplicate, but the bend on one was very slightly different.

I could have used any plate a 3 or 4 bolt handle.
Have you put the handle into the plate the right way round? The bolts at the top are in a different position to the bolt posit on the bottom. It is easy to put the handle into the plate upside down by mistake and it won't fit

 

[Riverbankannie]

Sorry to read you are having so much trouble, we emphasise.
Much swearing was involved here too.!
We bought pro plates from Garrison locks and both plates were nominally identical.
The rear door of our Ducato (2015) has 4 bolts but the drivers door only 3 bolts but this didn’t affect the fit of the plates. Both these doors have locks as we haven’t decided yet about the two handles without locks.
It sounds like the plates you ordered are different to the ones we fitted if they have pre drilled holes to fit the existing door handle bolts.

 

[skylinersi]

The plates for all doors are pretty much identical. When held up against each other there is almost no difference and any plate would fit any door AFAIK. The only difference i could see was perhaps a slightly different (larger) curve on the one I used for the sliding door.
The plates would fit either a 3 or 4 bolt handle. If I held them up they were an exact duplicate, but the bend on one was very slightly different.

I could have used any plate a 3 or 4 bolt handle.
Have you put the handle into the plate the right way round? The bolts at the top are in a different position to the bolt posit on the bottom. It is easy to put the handle into the plate upside down by mistake and it won't fit

The plates for all doors are pretty much identical. When held up against each other there is almost no difference and any plate would fit any door AFAIK. The only difference i could see was perhaps a slightly different (larger) curve on the one I used for the sliding door.
The plates would fit either a 3 or 4 bolt handle. If I held them up they were an exact duplicate, but the bend on one was very slightly different.

I could have used any plate a 3 or 4 bolt handle.
Have you put the handle into the plate the right way round? The bolts at the top are in a different position to the bolt posit on the bottom. It is easy to put the handle into the plate upside down by mistake and it won't fit

Ok.
I am an engineer by trade so not daft enough to put the plates on wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!

The instructions state the cargo doors are different to cab doors

And they clearly are as the folds in the panels in the van doors are different depending whether cab or side / barn rear door

I don't know what year your van is?
But what I have said is 100% fact
Cargo door profile is different to cab door both in terms of what I have found and in the 'instructions' .........

As for 3 or 4 bolt issue I imagine the top part of plate on your 3 bolt handle had considerable sideways 'play' .....????

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[Riverbankannie]

To get a good fit on the drivers door where the bolts are splayed out, he had to file away the plate in the areas shown in red below

 

[skylinersi]

Sorry to read you are having so much trouble, we emphasise.
Much swearing was involved here too.!
We bought pro plates from Garrison locks and both plates were nominally identical.
The rear door of our Ducato (2015) has 4 bolts but the drivers door only 3 bolts but this didn’t affect the fit of the plates. Both these doors have locks as we haven’t decided yet about the two handles without locks.
It sounds like the plates you ordered are different to the ones we fitted if they have pre drilled holes to fit the existing door handle bolts.

Do you have pics of the plates pre fit?
Also the rear door and drivers door on ours are the only ones with key locks, hab door and passenger door are blank and have no attackable barrel or linkages.

All 4 plates I received are identical and will not fit all doors as the panel fold lines are slightly different

The plates would fit passenger side cab door bit were loose sideways at top due to the handle having 3 bolts, 2 bottom, one top
Yes I could have centred it and used the sealant to hold it but that's a poor option I think
I will see if drivers side has 4 bolts lol tomorrow

 

[gerry mcg]

My van is a 2016 RHD X290 LH3 chassis 2.3 euro6 150hp globecar PVC, so nothing special. My plates were from Garrison Locks.
I can't help any further, sorry.
My plates fit well and secure on all 3 and 4 bolt locks. I can't see any significant differences between any of the plates

 

[skylinersi]

To get a good fit on the drivers door where the bolts are splayed out, he had to file away the plate in the areas shown in red below
View attachment 227994

Ours would benefit similarly from a shave tbh
Your plates are the posher ones with extra bolts at the bottom which would allow a tighter close fit
On the rear door ours was way off and would leave a large gap which I coulsld fill with sealant v
But ultimately it didn't match with fold lines in panel as I said earlier
Goes back to tv's statement about cargo and cab door plates being different

 

[Riverbankannie]

Do you have pics of the plates pre fit?
Also the rear door and drivers door on ours are the only ones with key locks, hab door and passenger door are blank and have no attackable barrel or linkages.

All 4 plates I received are identical and will not fit all doors as the panel fold lines are slightly different

The plates would fit passenger side cab door bit were loose sideways at top due to the handle having 3 bolts, 2 bottom, one top
Yes I could have centred it and used the sealant to hold it but that's a poor option I think
I will see if drivers side has 4 bolts lol tomorrow

Our van same as @gerry mcg by sound of it. The profile of the drivers door and the barn door the same. We didn’t try to fit the plates against the passenger door or sliding door but I would be surprised if different and Gerry has fitted to them successfully.

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[skylinersi]

My van is a 2016 RHD X290 LH3 chassis 2.3 euro6 150hp globecar PVC, so nothing special. My plates were from Garrison Locks.
I can't help any further, sorry.
My plates fit well and secure on all 3 and 4 bolt locks. I can't see any significant differences between any of the plates

Same chassis as me I think
Adria twin 600 sp on 17 plate

Maybe I'm fussy on fit lol......

 

[Riverbankannie]

@skylinersi what do your plates look like?

 

[skylinersi]

@skylinersi what do your plates look like?

Will do pics tomoro as I have left the in the van in disgust.......
But look same as yours bar your extra bolts lower down

 

[Riverbankannie]

Same chassis as me I think
Adria twin 600 sp on 17 plate

Maybe I'm fussy on fit lol......

We are very fussy on the fit too, the plates themselves had the correct profile for the doors. We didn’t order seperately for each door, just bought 2 Ducato door plates and they are identical.

 

[skylinersi]

Fitting instructions header note comment te plates

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