Yet another home brewed van...
- Thread starter plutonic
- Start date
plutonic
Outsider
Thanks for the kind words guys.
Unfortunately I don't have access to a shop or a lift and Chris' shop is not too far from where I live, so I asked him to do the work and he was nice enough to agree. Which is great, 'cause no one can do the work better than him. I can't wait to meet him in person, see his shop and finally get the 4X4 conversion done...I'm very excited.
Today I installed the airline tracks in my van:
...and the last parts (t-case, wheels) for the 4X4 conversion...
...were neatly tucked away:
I'm getting close!:wings:
Unfortunately I don't have access to a shop or a lift and Chris' shop is not too far from where I live, so I asked him to do the work and he was nice enough to agree. Which is great, 'cause no one can do the work better than him. I can't wait to meet him in person, see his shop and finally get the 4X4 conversion done...I'm very excited.
Today I installed the airline tracks in my van:
...and the last parts (t-case, wheels) for the 4X4 conversion...
...were neatly tucked away:
I'm getting close!:wings:
robert
Expedition Leader
Looks good but I'm going to suggest pulling the panels back out and either replacing the fiberglass insulation or putting a vapor barrier over it. It works fine for normal usage, but if you sleep in it a lot it'll collect moisture from the condensation. I used it in my VW and so far I haven't had any issues but I put plastic sheeting over it and secured it with adhesive around the edges; I also crack my windows but I've still woken up plenty of mornings with it wet inside or frost on the inside of the windows. Some of the folks who've used it without the vapor barrier have reported rust issues (you can find pictures on thesamba.com in the baywindow section). If I had to do it over I'd go with closed cell foam I think.
plutonic, interior looks great!
robert, the only thing the closed cell foam would do better than the fiberglass is not absorb the moisture. However, condensation will still form on the foam and at some point get onto the body of the van. Your suggestion of using the vapor barrier is bang on and use acoustic sealant around the edges/screw holes. closed cell foam can be an effective vapor barrier but you'll have to spray foam the joints. any air gaps where warm meets cold air will lead to condensation forming where you don't want it.
robert, the only thing the closed cell foam would do better than the fiberglass is not absorb the moisture. However, condensation will still form on the foam and at some point get onto the body of the van. Your suggestion of using the vapor barrier is bang on and use acoustic sealant around the edges/screw holes. closed cell foam can be an effective vapor barrier but you'll have to spray foam the joints. any air gaps where warm meets cold air will lead to condensation forming where you don't want it.
SWbySWesty
Fauxverland Extraodinaire
Very cool. I'm watching for ideas. I already like the two storage full length cabinets. I might steal that.
robert
Expedition Leader
I guess I should have explained further. Certainty condensation will still form- breathing produces a ton of moisture, much more than most folks realize. Cooking produces even more. Obviously you want to reduce the number of gaps in the insulation as much as possible but it's practically impossible to get them all. With that in mind, you really need to seal any and every bit of metal that you can. For example, when I pulled the panels in my VW I had some rust issues (as most VWs and campers in general do). I cleaned the rust where I could then painted the area with POR15. I made sure all panel seams were in tact. I then sprayed a light coating of rubberized truck bed liner over all the surfaces that weren't gong to be visible. In theory, this should help seal out moisture and prevent rust as well as reduce road noise. Anything you can do to help prevent holding moisture can only help. 
plutonic
Outsider
The big day has come, at last. Yesterday I dropped off my van @ Ujointoffroad.
What can I say that wasn't said before me? Everything is true about Chris and Ujoint. He's a great, fun guy, makes some awesome stuff,
he's genuinely passionate about his work and he knows the best BBQ places in town where all the beautiful people go...
Chris, Justin, thanks for everything! I think you guys converted Robert. He's looking for a used ambulance van...
Next time I'll bring my MTB and we can hit the local trails you were talkin' about!
I snapped some photos while I was there:
My van, before the transformation:
What can I say that wasn't said before me? Everything is true about Chris and Ujoint. He's a great, fun guy, makes some awesome stuff,
he's genuinely passionate about his work and he knows the best BBQ places in town where all the beautiful people go...
Chris, Justin, thanks for everything! I think you guys converted Robert. He's looking for a used ambulance van...
Next time I'll bring my MTB and we can hit the local trails you were talkin' about!
I snapped some photos while I was there:
My van, before the transformation:
Betarocker
Adventurer
I want to add to the insulation topic. Whenever you have an loose-fill (batt, blown-in, etc.) insulated cavity, you need a vapor barrier on the side that you have climate control over. The other side needs to be somewhat air permeable, so that any moisture that makes it's way in can eventually escape. The body makes a tight air impermeable barrier. If loosefill insulation is to be used, then there can't be an interior barrier, with high permeability being desired.
The best solution is to use a 2pound spray foam against the outer metal skin. It would be important to have a very dry surface to spray the foam to, as 2pound has an air permeablity rating to classify it as a vapor barrier. The thicker the insulation, the higher the impermeability. Foam has an insulation rating of R5/inch.
The best solution is to use a 2pound spray foam against the outer metal skin. It would be important to have a very dry surface to spray the foam to, as 2pound has an air permeablity rating to classify it as a vapor barrier. The thicker the insulation, the higher the impermeability. Foam has an insulation rating of R5/inch.
Re: spray foam insulation.
Is what you are suggesting, the type that is sprayed on the inside of reefer trailers and the like? If so, that stuff makes an awful lot of heat as it is mixed and it cures so much that it will warp body panels. There are also many threads on the www that report severe rust issues using it.
Is what you are suggesting, the type that is sprayed on the inside of reefer trailers and the like? If so, that stuff makes an awful lot of heat as it is mixed and it cures so much that it will warp body panels. There are also many threads on the www that report severe rust issues using it.
