OzWagon goes cool & silent - Sound Deadening & Insulation

[1leglance]

So continues the saga of working on the 75 series Troopie with my 13yr old...

One of the things I love about the rig is how basic & utilitarian it is, however that also translates into noisy & a poorly insulated.
Since rattles, shakes and temps can lead to driver fatigue and overall spousal disquiet I figured Martín & I could spend some time stripping the interior and slapping on some layers.

Step #1 was clean, sand & prep the interior metal surfaces, no pics of that as it was boring and hard work.
Step #2 was using a product called Hy-Tech RC#233 , this is a much cheaper ($40gal) version of the LizardSkin coating. The same micro spheres that create a barrier to sound & temp. It goes on THICK, more like working drywall mud. And once we had a few coats on you could already tell a difference.

Step #3 was to slap on the FatMat, this is the Dynamat style asphalty type dampeners with an alum layer for temp control. Since the Hy-Tech paint has such a rough surface we used landau top adhesive to help secure it. You don't have to cover every inch, just slap on big bits to control vibration.

Step #4 was Reflectex from Home Depot, this is an alum coated bubble wrap type product. Once again the vacuum chambers help create the sound & heat barrier. This is worth putting on as a cover for as much area as possible.

Step #5 was the headliner material, Martín really enjoyed getting to use the spray gun and since it works best to cover both surfaces he got plenty of practice. This was actually a 2 person job as he would spray an area and I would smooth it in place. We had a good time.

We still have to do the side panels & floor in Reflectex, then carpet the side compartments to gain more storage space, then prime & paint the new side panels, finish the 2 rear door fold down tables and then get out to Utah in a week or so to enjoy it all!
Stay tuned for feedback on if was all worth the effort

 

[sseaman]

Nice progress

 

[spenny]

whats the headliner you used

awesome troopy btw

 

[1leglance]

There is a place here in town called Tempe Sales, they sell upholstery for home/auto/boat...and alot of it is left overs...but they do have some basic always around stuff.
This was just plain ol' grey headliner material. It is soft & has a thin foam behind it.
Of course that is laid over the 3 layers of stuff I mentioned in my post.

All in all it isn't the best work possible but for a 1 legged guy crawling around a rig while teaching his 13yr old son I am pretty happy.
And it makes a real difference in the tin can sound/feel of the rig.

 

[Schattenjager]

Looking forward to seeing the finished project. I bet, like Line-X, it does not add nearly as much weight as folks would think - or does it?

Did everything bolt back in and trim bits fit properly afterward? Inspiring idea for heat control. As summer takes on it's fevered pitch, I am also curious about how / if there is a favorable difference in how cool the interior stays.

 

[1leglance]

The paint stuff is light and fluffy so no real wgt gain at all. It works because each micro sphere is a vacuum chamber and heat/sound have trouble getting through a vacuum.

Since Toyota makes the 70 series to be the utilitarian workhorse, the vinyl flooring went in plenty easy.

 

[gretzky]

Looks like a great father/son project!

 

[spallet]

Hey great project! any feedback on the insulating product?

 

[1leglance]

I have been very very happy with the triple layer setup we did.
The paint on stuff with the ceramic beads made a difference especially for how light it is and easy to apply.
Adding the fatmat helped with the low freq vibrations off road and then the alum coated bubble wrap gave me another good insulative layer.
You can feel a real difference inside the vehicle both on road and on trail.
For the cost & labor it was worth the effort.