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Old 06-26-2010, 11:33 AM   #91
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

Hi Bill,

Yes eventually, I will do upper windows. THey will help a lot when inside the van standing up. My priority was to get the lower windows in so I could insulate and panel the walls before the sofa bed shows up.

Speaking of the sofa bed- When I ordered the bed from Discountvantruck.com they told me it would take 3-4 weeks to produce the bed, then ship it. When i checked on the status of the order the other day, they gave me a ship date that was 6 weeks from the date I ordered it. I know this is common practice but it really fries my nose when people do business this way. Is the van sofa bed business really humping along in this wonderful economy? I sort of expected they would have been sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for the phone to ring like every other sector of the economy, but no, apparently they are really backed up. Deep down I'm happy for them, but tonight I will have to sleep standing up in the corner of my van on our camping trip.




Oh yeah, and yes I do hope to put some bushwackers on the van eventually. It will look nice, but for now, the tires are not wide enough to really call for them, and the funds will be prioritized more toward camperizing the interior.

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Old 06-26-2010, 11:44 AM   #92
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I wanted to post up again regarding soundproofing the doghouse.


The 1" sound deading material posted previously made an enormous difference in interior sound levels. the high frequencies, particularly the clatter are essentially gone. At idle it is very pleasant, and at full boost on throttle there is low volume induction sound that I never heard before due to the clattering of the 7.3.

I put in the material which is self adhesive, then put the original fire retardant material back in and voila. I took the van for a ride, and dont smell anything funny. I will remove the doghouse and check things over after the weekend to see if everything looks good after resting on the hot turbo and up pipes for a few hours.


This is a MUST DO upgrade for the 7.3 PSD vans (assuming it doesn't catch on fire and emit noxious fumes into the cabin causing me to fall asleep and veer off a cliff just before the interior bursts into flames)


The job took about 20-30 minutes and the material was about 80 bucks.---Worth every Penny---
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Old 06-26-2010, 11:57 AM   #93
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

cool

question:

you gonna "dynamat" before insulation??

everything i have read confirms that it is really worthwhile

also, BEFORE you panel, you gonna run plenty of wire/plumbing ??

meaning, extra wires to add or move stuff??

12volt, tv coaxl, 110 volt, speakers

maybe the plan is minimalist now, but a bit xtra wire and plumbing is cheap
and to try to install later a real PITA

also, my interior light switch is at the end of my galley
I wish i had a three way wire to turn on from cab, galley and back doors
there is even a wireless handheld that would be pretty handy once ya were tucked in....
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Old 06-26-2010, 12:19 PM   #94
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

All plumbing will be run within the cabinetry in order to keep it from freezing. All lower wiring (below countertop height will be run through the kickspace of the cabinetry and under the bed to cross between sides. I plan to be able to utilize the horseshoe of the "50" style layout to have a permanent wire chase around the lower portion of the van. The upper wiring will be installed pre paneling. Still not dead set on an insulation and paneling plan. That is coming in the next couple weeks hopefully. I was thinking about running the reflectex all over the sides, then horizontal wood strapping at three elevations (just above floor, counter height/ under window, and top of original van wall/ roof) Then I might run my upper wiring through those sections and follow with foil faced foam panels between strapping, then thin (1/4"?) upholstered wall panels for the remaining exposed walls after cabinets.

At least thats what I am thinking about doing. SOmetimes once I start, reality has a way of altering my path.

Not sure about dynamat. I was really impressed with the amount of sound deading that the floor insulation provided. That was 2 layers of 1/2" Foam. I could be talked into dynamat again. I was previously planning on dynamat, but after the floor project decided that I didn't need it. I will have more insulation than most vans I think, which will probably help with the sound. The dynamat would help control the resonating of the metal van walls, but then the insulation provides isolation from any resonance (at least in my mind it does).

I have partially subscribed to the dynamat concept. I have been sticking on some ice and water shield which is a thinner layer of butyl rubber and asphalt similar to dynamat but without the metallic layer. This stuff is laying around my garage so it is sort of "free" while dynamat is sort of expensive.

Maybe some others could chime in on this?
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Old 06-26-2010, 12:42 PM   #95
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

somewhere here someone posted about a dynamat wannabe that was alot cheaper

i think that if you used it on the large exposed sheet metal
but not go crazy trying to get all the nooks and crannys

then your other insulation, you would be pretty cool
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Old 06-26-2010, 03:02 PM   #96
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

Teeots

In my opinion most folks are going a little overboard with insulation in these vans. I only have 1/2" carpet pad glued to the backs of the wall paneling, inside the rear and side doors and under the carpet, and there is no resonating metal sounds whatsoever in side . In fact I would go as far as to say its quite as a tomb in my van.

Also, when we camped in colorado and utah in february with overnight temps in the single digits, we were very comfortable running a catalytic heater rated at 4200 btu's. In fact it got so warm I used the fantastic fan to regulate the temp in the van.

I do think however, that refletex cut to fit all the windows in the van is a must. Your windows are going to be your biggest loss of heat in cold weather and your biggest solar radiation gain in the summer.

Remeber you can make up for lack of insulation with a larger heater.

Just my opinion....Luke
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Old 06-27-2010, 01:45 AM   #97
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I've read A LOT of stuff on sound attenuation (had to build a soundproof generator room a few yrs back). But I dabble in car audio aswell and my Brother is really into it and we've swapped links and info. A side benefit to some of the products is thermal insulation.
The short conclusion is that people are overdoing it with the heavy matting designed to reduce panel vibration. Cover about 20-25% of the panel and you're done with the 'heavy' stuff. Next step.
I could type it all out...but I actually agree with this guy almost 100% and he has done a great job spelling it out IMO. So I always have this link handy
http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi
Once you understand the concept and applicable use of each type of material...you can use any brand that is convenient to obtain and get the same or similar enough results IMO (although I'm sure there are major quality differences out there in CCF (Closed Cell Foam) if you decide to use it.

A quick note: If you read within the link, you'll see why he keeps separate the CCF from the MLV...but many products are available with them bonded and many will have CCF on just one side of the MLV. That MLV you used on the doghouse was double sided with CCF. Think of single sided as a one-way noise barrier and double sided as a two way barrier. So now your engine can't hear you either ...so if you use it on the rest of the van, a single sided CCF/MLV combo works fine in vehicles and might save you a few bucks over the double sided...unless you REALLY don't want the sound from the inside getting outside
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Old 06-27-2010, 08:36 PM   #98
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

No I don't mind if the engine hears me. i DO wonder why the double ccf mlv combo is the only version readily available at the nearby boating stores. This is the stuff they use in boat engine rooms. If the ccf on one side is unnecessary in my van engine compartment, then it would also be unnecessary in the boat engine room. half the thickness would be desirable in the engine cover as it is a tight fit to add any amount of insulation in there. Curious because what you say makes sense and is consistent with all I have read on this.

Back to insulation in general, I am mostly interested in adding some r value, and feel like I will get some added sound deadening in the process. maybe not "tomb-like" but better than as is. The squeaks and rattles of the bare van walls do drive me nuts on bumpy roads though, and I would be bummed out to go through this process and still have unwanted sounds behind me as I go down the road...

PS- We loved having the extra light inside from the 2 new windows, and left them open all night for fresh crisp air without mosquitos.

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Old 06-27-2010, 10:07 PM   #99
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

First off, great thread. So many of these changes your doing, I want to put into our new van. Keep it up so I know what I need to do next and how to do it! Where did you order your windows from? I need to get similar windows for our extended van as well.


Quote:
Originally Posted by campervanbeethoven
In my opinion most folks are going a little overboard with insulation in these vans. I only have 1/2" carpet pad glued to the backs of the wall paneling, inside the rear and side doors and under the carpet, and there is no resonating metal sounds whatsoever in side . In fact I would go as far as to say its quite as a tomb in my van.
I am looking at starting my build and have been reading about what insulation to use and what paneling to use. From what you noted above, you used 1/2" carpet pad between the paneling and the van wall? I am in Colorado as well and will be using the van a lot in the winter, so insulation is a big issue. What paneling width did you use on the inside?
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Old 06-28-2010, 03:16 AM   #100
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

Quote:
Originally Posted by supermoo
Where did you order your windows from? I need to get similar windows for our extended van as well.


I ordered my windows from a local glass company. The manufacturer is CR Laurence. you can pick out windows online from them, but they do not retail.
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