Glassing the outside of a van

[Pengyou]

I have been researching vans for a couple of years now and finally think I will settle on an e350 - mainly for power and towing reasons. The interior is a bit on the small side - especially the width and the height - I had an idea that is kind of "off the beaten path" so I thought I would throw it out to you folks :ylsmoke: I want to well insulate the vehicle using as little interior space as possible. What about the idea of putting 1" of a kind of rigid insulation on the OUTSIDE of the van, and then glassing it over? I have seen some 1" insulation that provide more than R10. I think...if done right, it might be really cool looking and could make the vehicle more aerodynamic. I could also incorporate tabs in the rear of the vehicle while putting on the glass, and possibly some other fuel saving options. Any ideas?

 

[fike]

You can just as easily put that inch or so of insulation inside the frames of the body, attached to the inside face of the sheet metal. By putting it in there, you won't lose any space after the paneling is put in place. Otherwise, to be honest, putting that on the outside sounds a bit klugey.

 

[Scoutn79]

Putting insulation on the outside of the van is going to create a whole bunch of problems you will have to deal with, locks,lights latches, gas cap door opening etc. Plus it would cost a bunch and be fugly unless you are very good with glass. If you want the best bang for the buck look into spray foam...not the type in a can but the type sprayed in homes and businesses...you could find where they are doing a job and likely cut the costs if they only have to shoot the inside in a few minutes. You will have to have everything done in the walls first, electrical etc.
Once it swells you will have to do a lot of trimming of the excess but it will seal every nook and cranny unlike rigid or batt glass.

Darrell

 

[ckupq]

Why not pull the interior and door panels and fill the cavities with something like rockwool? It seems you're trying to make an expedition rig into a tuner car with ****ty ground effects.

 

[wagex]

spray all the cavities with expanding foam inside, then use rigid foam sheets and cut them to fit between the ribs in the walls on the flat areas.

 

[Pengyou]

Thanks for the suggestions!