Insulation? What are you using?

dfresh285

Observer
I'm working with an '86 4Runner. Right now, its my daily driver and I'm working on quieting the truck down and keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I've replaced worn window and door seals to make sure everything is tight. I'm now looking at insulation. the rear of panels of these trucks are just truck beds with no sound deadening or insulation. I'm thinking of installing the peel and stick rolls for sound deadening and then install actual home insulation in the side panels to keep help control the interior climate.

What's everyone else using? Is there anything you've found to work better than other products? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 

rusty904

New member
I used peal n' seal stuff (lowes) on the floor of my truck and put the factory insulation on top of that. It was cheap and seems pretty effective, just hope I don't have to remove it because that might suck.

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I'm still thinking about my options for the rear panels but I think I will go with some butyl stuff off of amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Noico-Self-ad...965152&sr=8-11&keywords=automotive+insulation

Let us know what you end up using and how it works out for ya!
 

dfresh285

Observer
thanks for the help! after doing some more research, I think I may have developed a plan. I'm definitely going to be using the peel and seal from homedepot or lowes for the floors, doors, and side panels. after that, I think I'll stuff denim insulation in every side panel i can. Denim insulation provides more sound proofing that fiberglass and still has a r value of 6.7. I'll keep you updated and provide pictures as well.
 

rusty904

New member
I've read that peel n seal is a no-go on vertical surfaces. Apparently if it gets too hot it starts to get soft and fall off. This is based off one hot rod forum post I read way back when but there ya go.
 

CherryBomb

New member
I found this recycled cotton insulation by 'duck'. They make their water heater blankets out of it. $20 for 4' x 6'3" ,R6.7. I hear you on the stink factor when/if wet, but I'm hoping that doesn't become a problem, good ventilation and mostly desert camping.

What have you guys used for siding inside your van, if you have a van, masonite, 1/4" ply?
 

forty2

Adventurer
I've read that peel n seal is a no-go on vertical surfaces. Apparently if it gets too hot it starts to get soft and fall off. This is based off one hot rod forum post I read way back when but there ya go.

I've heard of people having the same sad results using roofing material, specifically ice and water shield, in hot climates. You've got to use a dedicated automotive product for that. I did every cabin panel including the roof of a black vehicle with RAAMmat and it held up just fine through 3 Phoenix summers, when I sold that car another 3 years later it was still just fine.
 

knox

Observer
I essentially did the same thing as rusty. I used roofing gutter repair type of tape and then threw a jc Whitney plastic flooring over it on my 89 runner. Seemed decent but definitely was super quiet. I think the noise is a part of owning an older vehicle. I never got the chance but figured if you did the same thing to the rear panels that would help a lot as well.
 

dfresh285

Observer
Thanks again for the advice. I didn't think about the fact that moisture can damage the insulation. my next thought would be to make a vapor barrier that could protect the insulation from moisture. One possibility is to lay a bead of butyl down on the metal side panels and then stick a sheet of plastic over the butyl. Kind of like the plastic sheets behind the panels of some doors.
 

robert

Expedition Leader
If you ever sleep or cook in your vehicle you want to avoid any material that may hold moisture i.e. fiberglass insulation, the denim you mentioned, etc. We give off a significant amount of moisture just through breathing but also when sweating and cooking releases even more. Cooking in your vehicle is less than ideal but if you travel a lot you will eventually end up doing it, usually due to bad weather. In the summer this is not as much of an issue as the outside heat will dry things but in the winter it can be a real problem. Most interior panels come from the factory with little protection against moisture and rust can be a problem.

With my VW camper I stripped out the interior, treated any rust and addressed any sealing that attention. A light coating of paint to protect the metal then use an audio dampening material applied as per whatever the instructions say. While you can use some of the other materials out there, they may not hold as well to vertical surfaces during summer heat and when bouncing down a road. The various audio forums can give better reviews of various materials that people use and how well they work. You don't have to cover every square inch to get good noise reduction; from everything I've read there is a diminishing return after about 25% coverage. You want to make sure you get any flat surfaces that may vibrate or resonate a metallic sound, but it's not as important to cram it in every nook and cranny supposedly. You can spray a sound deadener or rubberized undercoating over that but beware, most of that stuff stinks and even after some time has passed you may smell it when it's really hot.

Most of the VW people use Reflectix or something smilar, the Mylar covered bubble wrap stuff. It's waterproof and works decent. Thin sheets of closed cell foam works as well. Make sure you get under your headliner. A vapor barrier isn't needed since the material doesn't hold water and it may actually end up trapping moisture which you don't want. Your largest heat losses are going to be through your glass; covering them with insulated curtains or heat shields made of something like Reflectix helps.
 

SSF556

SE Expedition Society
This looks real promising.

http://www.dynamat.com/automotive-and-transportation/car-audio/dynapad/

DynaPad-Layer-Illustration2.jpg

I used dynamat.....

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jeverich

Luddite
I have used Dynomat in some of my competition builds in the past. The link is for one of their other products that combines the Dynomat with an insulating pad for Heat/ Cool called DynoPAD. I'm interested to see how it would fare. @ 3/8" thickness, its not a skinny product by any means

Just curious MIke; you seem to have adequate time to post on here - yet, there are some pretty unhappy people on Tacoma World. How do you plan on rectifying this situation?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...own-waiting-list.376424/page-32#post-11041759
 

Schattenjager

Expedition Leader
I have to vote for DynaMat too - used it in the Tacoma with very good results. I would have to switch tires for a drastic reduction to NVH, but it made a noticeable difference to road noise and heat transmission. It was easy to use too - overall it was a lot of bang for the bucks vs other options. Water proof too!
 

dfresh285

Observer
made a little progress on the truck this past weekend. Below is a before interior removal and the second is after. Before laying down any sound deadening, I'll be going through and touching up a couple rust spots and protecting the body as much as possible. Once I'm satisfied with the rust protection, I'll lay the sound deadening. After research, I will not be going with an organic insulation. I still haven't decided what I'll be using, but I'll keep everyone updated.



 

dfresh285

Observer
just laid the peel and seal on the floor pan area. went in smooth. I haven't installed the factor floor covering(vinyl) or side panels yet. I want to listen for the difference. I'll update with pics and reviews soon!
 

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