Marcilla Smith
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Some of the windows in my Prius aren't very useful to me, but could be very useful to someone peeking in on me at night! Therefore, I decided to block them out.
DISCLAIMER: Before modifying any vehicle, consult the laws of the jurisdictions where it will be operated, and always be sure you have adequate visibility in any vehicle you operate in order to ensure the safety of yourself and others.
Below is an interior shot where you can see where the lefthand side of the dash meets up with what used to be a small side window in the middle of the A pillar. Where the window would otherwise be, there is now a panel of black vegan leather:
To accomplish this, I have added four layers to the original window. To better illustrate these layers and how they work together, here is the same image as above, but uncropped to show more of the area around it:
NOTE: As you can see, in addition to the small window in the A pillar (right side of the photo), I am also in the process of blocking the side window. When the side window is complete, I will still be able to see out of the side by rolling down my window. I have a secondary outer window I've added to the outside of the window frame using a piece of polycarbonate. I may cover this in a separate post later.
For the first layer I added to block the window, I painted the inside of the window silver. I decided to go with silver because 1) it is more reflective and therefore blocks more radiant heat transfer, and 2) it matches the exterior color of the vehicle, therefore blends in better for a low profile look. You can see the paint layer still visible from the interior in this part of the photo:
The inner-facing side of the paint doesn't need to be particularly smooth as it will be covered. For the type of paint, I started with an acrylic brush-on craft paint, but decided later that it was just easier to go ahead and mask off the areas I need to cover and rattle-can the rest of it.
For the next layer, I added peel-and-stick roofing aluminum:
I got this idea from car audio buffs who use this as a cheaper alternative to similar products advertised as "sound-deadening" material. As I understand it, the more effective part is not the aluminum itself, but the butyl adhesive. In addition to whatever sound-deadening effects it has, in this application it protects the paint from chipping, and prevents any light penetration. As the name implies, this product can be cut to size and sticks in place once the protective backing is peeled off.
For the third layer, I have 1/2" open cell foam:
The foam insulates against conductive heat, as well as sound transfer. Because it is open cell, this made it easier (not necessarily "easy," though!) to compress the foam in between the window pane and the plastic body panels that originally pressed up against the glass. I attached the foam on both the aluminum side and the fabric side using headliner adhesive spray.
The final layer is a black "vegan leather" made of vinyl:
Due to its less porous nature, this fabric should be easier to wipe clean while also preventing transfer of moisture. Although I use a different shade of the vegan leather in other parts of the vehicle, I opted for black here because I prefer black at the A pillar or anywhere else that separates one window from the next. My reasoning here is that it reflects less light into my eyes, and therefore it is easier for me to scan from one window to the next without my eyes distracting themselves by whatever light is being reflected by the objects in between.
The lower plastic body panel was originally gray. When I removed it to work on the window, I sprayed it with a matte black. Additionally, I blocked the air register that originally provided defrosting to the side window, before reinstalling the panel over the four layers I added.
The upper plastic body panel is still removed while I continue to work on the anchor for my hammock. When that is completed, I will follow up with a photo of how it looks from the inside when finished.
In conclusion, let's see how it looks from the outside:
DISCLAIMER: Before modifying any vehicle, consult the laws of the jurisdictions where it will be operated, and always be sure you have adequate visibility in any vehicle you operate in order to ensure the safety of yourself and others.
Below is an interior shot where you can see where the lefthand side of the dash meets up with what used to be a small side window in the middle of the A pillar. Where the window would otherwise be, there is now a panel of black vegan leather:
To accomplish this, I have added four layers to the original window. To better illustrate these layers and how they work together, here is the same image as above, but uncropped to show more of the area around it:
NOTE: As you can see, in addition to the small window in the A pillar (right side of the photo), I am also in the process of blocking the side window. When the side window is complete, I will still be able to see out of the side by rolling down my window. I have a secondary outer window I've added to the outside of the window frame using a piece of polycarbonate. I may cover this in a separate post later.
For the first layer I added to block the window, I painted the inside of the window silver. I decided to go with silver because 1) it is more reflective and therefore blocks more radiant heat transfer, and 2) it matches the exterior color of the vehicle, therefore blends in better for a low profile look. You can see the paint layer still visible from the interior in this part of the photo:
The inner-facing side of the paint doesn't need to be particularly smooth as it will be covered. For the type of paint, I started with an acrylic brush-on craft paint, but decided later that it was just easier to go ahead and mask off the areas I need to cover and rattle-can the rest of it.
For the next layer, I added peel-and-stick roofing aluminum:
I got this idea from car audio buffs who use this as a cheaper alternative to similar products advertised as "sound-deadening" material. As I understand it, the more effective part is not the aluminum itself, but the butyl adhesive. In addition to whatever sound-deadening effects it has, in this application it protects the paint from chipping, and prevents any light penetration. As the name implies, this product can be cut to size and sticks in place once the protective backing is peeled off.
For the third layer, I have 1/2" open cell foam:
The foam insulates against conductive heat, as well as sound transfer. Because it is open cell, this made it easier (not necessarily "easy," though!) to compress the foam in between the window pane and the plastic body panels that originally pressed up against the glass. I attached the foam on both the aluminum side and the fabric side using headliner adhesive spray.
The final layer is a black "vegan leather" made of vinyl:
Due to its less porous nature, this fabric should be easier to wipe clean while also preventing transfer of moisture. Although I use a different shade of the vegan leather in other parts of the vehicle, I opted for black here because I prefer black at the A pillar or anywhere else that separates one window from the next. My reasoning here is that it reflects less light into my eyes, and therefore it is easier for me to scan from one window to the next without my eyes distracting themselves by whatever light is being reflected by the objects in between.
The lower plastic body panel was originally gray. When I removed it to work on the window, I sprayed it with a matte black. Additionally, I blocked the air register that originally provided defrosting to the side window, before reinstalling the panel over the four layers I added.
The upper plastic body panel is still removed while I continue to work on the anchor for my hammock. When that is completed, I will follow up with a photo of how it looks from the inside when finished.
In conclusion, let's see how it looks from the outside:
