1994 chevy g20 conversion finally starting

[joeyib]

picked up a 1994 chevy G20 conversion van a few weeks ago already partially  gutted and had a lot of new parts under the front end and new tires. I finally got around to working on it. Im starting from the cabin back. pulled the dash off above the dog house and found lot of "frankensteining" over the years as things were added like satellite radio wheel chair lift ect.. my plans for the dash is to custom fiberglass the existing wood to add a double din navi and usb chargers.

I have also started to complete the demolition in the rear of the van. Does anyone have any knowledge on pulling all these wires that used to control all the rear lights and and bells and whistles i will not need. i could not find a specific fuse up front that controlled the huge wiring harness that runs from the front to the back. 

 

[highdesertranger]

for the wires start cutting them out, cutting is a bad word. remove them intact. I would do it one at a time tracing them back to their origin and unhook them. you will end up with enough wire to do your conversion the way you want and will not have any loose ends to cause problems(shorts) in the future. leave the ends on if you can and if they are good crimps you might reuse them as is. oh yeah get rid of that house insulation. highdesertranger

 

[joeyib]

thanks for the advice! its a crap ton of wires just hoping I don't cut the tail lights out accidentally

 

[highdesertranger]

that's why you don't just willy nilly start cutting wires. there are either 3 or 4 wires going to your tail lights, a green, a brown, a yellow, and sometimes a white. just start at the end of the wire and work forward. highdesertranger

 

[Mobilesport]

On my 1996 chevy conversion van it was pretty easy to tell which wires went to the conversion and which ones were the vans wire harnesses because all of the vans wire harnesses were nice and neat and the conversion portion of the wiring was really sloppy kind of like a rats nest

 

[joeyib]

 a lot of work done today, Got all the wires removed and all of the carpet and insulation out. I only cut the third break light because they had it attached to the conversion wires. Other then that literally every single bolt from the original bed and captain chairs were stripped so ill have to cut them off with an angle grinder. Any advice on getting all the glued down foam insulation on the floor? i got a most of it up but whats left is very stuck down. another note no rust at all anywhere!

 

[joeyib]

not sure if any one is still following this but got some more work done on the van, I got most of the floor stripped except for two bolts im going to have to torch out, so im the meant time i started insulating the walls and covering up the back windows 



only problem i have really run into is the adhesive on this stuff is not that good and a few pieces fell off yesterday in the 98 degree heat so im going to get some spray adhesive to help it.

 

[highdesertranger]

we are still here. what type of insulation is that? I would have left the sliding part of the window usable. highdesertranger

 

[BradKW]

Good job getting the floor clean...did you find something that actually worked or end up bullying it?

Looks like what you're putting on walls probably falls more under the sound deadener category... need to piece in foam board to really gain any R-value. Assuming you plan interior wall paneling, depending on how you install it, it'll either hold the insulation in place...or pull it off the walls. Something to plan for tho

 

[joeyib]

for the first layer it is frost king vent insulation , I have not really decided on what to do as the other layer, everyone seems to have biased opinions on what not to use or to use ect...i do plan on going ver the walls is paneling but im actually going to be using wood panels sort of like fence posts to save on wait and giving it almost a cabin look.

 

[joeyib]

man pardon my typos i should not type on my phone anymore!

 

[akrvbob]

Reflectix has no R-Value. The federal governments tests and assigns R Value to insulation and does not recognize Refletix as having an R-value.
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-value_(insulation)

The limitations of R-values in evaluating radiant barriers[edit]

See also: Cool roofs
Unlike bulk insulators, radiant barriers resist conducted heat poorly. Materials such as reflective foil have a high thermal conductivity and would function poorly as a conductive insulator. Radiant barriers retard heat transfer by two means - by reflecting radiant energy away from its surface or by reducing the emission of radiation from its opposite side.
The question of how to quantify performance of other systems such as radiant barriers has resulted in controversy and confusion in the building industry with the use of R-values or 'equivalent R-values' for products which have entirely different systems of inhibiting heat transfer. (In the U.S., the federal government's R-Value Rule establishes a legal definition for the R-value of a building material; the term 'equivalent R-value' has no legal definition and is therefore meaningless.) According to current standards, R-values are most reliably stated for bulk insulation materials. All of the products quoted at the end are examples of these


 According to the US Department of Energy, radiant barriers must have an air gap or they have no value to reduce heat. But, maybe they are just biased.
Also from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_barrier

For installing a radiant barrier under a metal or tile roof, the radiant barrier may be applied directly over the roof sheathing. Then furring strips (1x4s) are applied over the radiant barrier before the metal or tile roof is applied. The furring strips ensure that the radiant barrier faces into a sufficient air space. If an air space is not present or is too small, heat may be able to conduct through the radiant barrier. Since the metal in the radiant barrier is highly conductive, the heat transfer would be by conduction and the heat would not be blocked. According to the US Department of Energy, “Reflective insulation and radiant barrier products must have an air space adjacent to the reflective material to be effective.”[8]

 

[joeyib]

Thanks for the information!, i knew a lot of that already and i dont really plan on using reflectix at this point. The layer im doing now is more of a sound barrier around everything and then i think im going to use foam board over it. It has been hard getting work done the last few days. It has been so hot it been un berrible to work and then today its cooler but the humidity is so high the adhesive is not bonding great initially. I am keeping the window behind the drivers seat open above where i plan on putting the kitchen area. But the two back side windows will be covered around the bed area.

 

[joeyib]

Any ideas on dealing with installing self adhesive in 100% humidity? Ive been at a stand still with this insulation. It just keeps falling back off because of the humidity lvls.

 

[highdesertranger]

dehumidify. an electric heater is out this time of year, got a small AC unit. if you have a small AC temporarily mount it and let it run for a few hours that would bring the humidity down. highdesertranger

 

[joeyib]

Awesome thanks, once its actually on there it seems fine but the initial application with the humidity is making it impossible.

 

[joeyib]

It has been a while since i have really done anything on the van, but i have moved to a new location and have a better place to work on it, i have got most the insulation finished on the walls and started filling all the holes in the floor. Big issue i am trying to figure out now is the driver side seat has a modified base that was for someone with a wheel chair and i need it gone but dont have another base to put there. I do have a swivel mount for the passenger side but once ive looked at the passenger side base i have notice it is actually welded to the floor of the van. so i am not what to do with switching them out.

 

[highdesertranger]

just get another swivel base for the driver seat. highdesertranger

 

[joeyib]

the kitchenet will be behind the driver side so it will be stationary, i really have no idea how to weld so im not sure how to even go about installing the swivel mount to the passenger side if i wind up cutting the base off

 

[highdesertranger]

the bases are not supposed to be welded. they are supposed to be bolted. I would leave the passenger side alone, seeing as someone welded it. just find yourself one for the driver side. highdesertranger