Doin' the buildout

MrNoodly · Jul 5, 2013

Spent the day stuffing cellulose into the ribs, upper rails, rear corners and the sliding door. Now when the door closes it goes thunk instead of thonk. I need to get some plastic sheeting and double stick tape to enclose the cavities in the back doors. And another brick of cellulose to fill them. I've been packing things rather densely, so settling will be less of a problem.

MrNoodly · Jul 6, 2013

I filled one of the back doors then ran out of cellulose. The black plastic is just to keep things in place. I'll put panelling over it (though it would be nice to find some factory door panels in a junk yard).

MrNoodly · Jul 9, 2013

Lots of rain lately. Hard to work on the van without a big garage. And with the humidity, adhesives and paint are taking forever to dry.  Nonetheless, I've started on the furring strips. I'll stretch vapor barrier on them and add more cellulose or Reflectix before covering with paneling.

Compound curves are a pain.

yesican · Jul 10, 2013

I'm impressed...keep the pictures coming...they give me ideas.

MrNoodly · Jul 10, 2013

Doing templates for the paneling. Bits of poster board taped to follow the curves and such.

Because the side of the van is a compound curve (curving top to bottom and front to back) it would be hard to get a single panel to conform to the shape. So I'm going to use at least four pieces on this part. Oh, and I sprayed some paint on the scratched up wheel humps and other spots to keep them from rusting.

MrNoodly · Jul 10, 2013

I've been trying to figure out out to panel the interior with. The immediate no-brainer is luan/plywood. But even the thin stuff is a little too rigid. And the cut edges always splinter a little.  I wandered all over Home Depot. Hmmmm, masonite? It tends to crack when flexed to fit curves. Acrylic is too brittle and always cracks around the screw holes. The corrugated plastic stuff? Bends one direction but resists bending the other. Wall paneling? Same problems as luan or masonite. I wanted something more like PVC or ABS -- kind of rubbery but not floppy when it's a thin sheet. I think I've found it. Big panels used in tub and shower walls. Not the masonite-like stuff with the fake tile pattern on one side. This is pebbly on one side and smooth on the other and seems to be made of something similar to PVC. Same white plastic all the way through. It flexes easily, doesn't crack, and looks like it will do the job. I didn't get any at the time because I need to clear room in the van in order to transport it. I will report more tomorrow.

MrNoodly · Jul 11, 2013

Okay, the stuff is called FRP -- fiber reinforced plastic (or polymer). Nice and bendy, and really tough. I cut it with a multi-tool. Oddly, it smells a little like baby powder when I cut it.

I went with the smooth, matte, side out rather than the "bathroom" texture side. It will be easier to paint. Here are the first couple of panels in place. You might be able to see how I also stuffed more cellulose between the furring strips and the FRP.

I'll do some caulking around the edges.

dfunkt · Jul 11, 2013

FYI, when drilling acrylic you have to grind the edge of your drill bit to prevent cracking.  A 90 degree edge works best.  I've drilled thousands of holes in all types and thicknesses of acrylic.

Ken in Anaheim · Jul 11, 2013

Mr. Noodly, I've been wanting to ask you since the beginning of this thread : what type of camera are you using ? GREAT PIX !! KinA

MrNoodly · Jul 11, 2013

Photos are from my iPhone.

MrNoodly · Jul 13, 2013

I didn't do any work on the van today, but I did have someone else do a little work. The guys who installed my audio system did me a favor. They ran the wiring for my rear view camera. A job that would have taken me all day (if I even did it right) took them about 15 minutes. And they did it for me right then. So thumbs up for Freeman Car Audio in Charlotte. Nice guys. What I did later was turn my 2003 Kawasaki ZRX1200 into a pile of parts to sell on eBay.

Gotta make some dinero, amigos.

Curtis · Jul 14, 2013

"Isn't baling wire made of duct tape?" Lol. I think all the good stuff has a little duck tape in it.<img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

MrNoodly · Jul 15, 2013

Wall insulation all done. Three layers of R3 foam. Four layers in spots where there was room. Guess I should think about insulating the wheel humps too.

I'll finish insulating the roof when I can cut the hole for the vent. But it has rained here every day. I don't want to be making holes in the roof until I know I have enough clear weather to finish the job.

MrNoodly · Jul 15, 2013

Well, this is going to slow down progress a little.

Be careful with the sharp power tools, boys and girls. Oh, and have some money set aside for unexpected trips to the ER. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

MrNoodly · Jul 17, 2013

They say the first 90% of a project requires 90% of the effort, and the last 10% of the project requires another 90% of the effort. That has sure been the case with the insulation. Various things conspired to slow the last bit down to a crawl. But if nothing else, the van is now as quiet as a limo.

MrNoodly · Jul 18, 2013

There can be too much white.

Guest · Jul 18, 2013

thank you for posting these pics, although I cringed a little bit at your poor finger - OUCH!

CarCampire · Jul 18, 2013

Looking really great!  I would insulate those wheel wells with a boxy frame Ã¢Â€Â“ simplest way to do it.  As for the FRP Ã¢Â€Â“ if itÃ¢Â€Â™s made of PVC type material; how light weight is it and do you think it would it break if you applied enough pressure or stapled material onto it?  Looks a little more durable than coroplast. Very cool alternative to microboard. Oh! What type of Chevy is this? 2500 non-extended? Just curious.

MrNoodly · Jul 18, 2013

As for the FRP Ã¢Â€Â“ if itÃ¢Â€Â™s made of PVC type material; how light weight is it and do you think it would it break if you applied enough pressure or stapled material onto it? A 4x8 sheet is hefty but probably lighter than luan/plywood. It's flexible but will crack and snap if bent far enough. I don't know about staples, but it takes screws without complaint. I used a fine-toothed multitool to cut it. I don't know how it would react to something like a jigsaw. Oh! What type of Chevy is this? 2500 non-extended? Just curious.  Yes, '07 2500 regular length.

MrNoodly · Jul 19, 2013

My sliding door doesn't have windows. So I cut two layers of pink foam to fit the window shapes that are in the inside frame and glued them in place. Then, since I was cutting Reflectix for the back and front windows, I cut a big piece for the side door, too. I'll have shininess to bounce interior light around.

I also rolled up some strips of Reflectix and stuffed them into the frame channel over the door. The small city I'm temporarily staying in has a Home Depot with a very limited supply of stuff. Evidently no one around here believes much in insulating. No Reflectix, no plain styrofoam, no foil-backed foam board... So I had to go to a large city 40 miles away to get some of the things they don't have here.

Doin' the buildout

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