Here is the generally agreed R value for radiant foil insulation:

R 1.1 per layer is the value for applications like yours:

http://www.reflectixinc.com/images/u...nts%200609.pdf

 

That is a tall order. Most camping I've done in the last 10 years has been Boy Scouts and that was in tents, down to 18 degrees and up to hot mid-summer.

I always joke that I like keeping my van so if the economy really tanks and we lose everything, we could probably still live in it. A few years ago, I did some Googling on the van dweller lifestyle. I don't have it in me to go there, but it's a fun fantasy anyway. When I was a kid in the 1950's I remember being fascinated by the VW factory camper vans (dunno if they were called Westphalia back then or not).

The Turtle Tops were both really cheezy conversions, both materials and workmanship. After 8 years or so, the fiberglass tops would sag, water would puddle in them, and the sun would cause them to crack, turning the headliner into a gigantic mold culture. And I didn't want to think about what might happen if I rolled one down the side of a rocky mountain--with one side of the box (the top) cut out of the van. My favorite interior in some ways was the '86 GMC. We left the heater, icebox, and stovetop in, but had the rest of the interior gutted down to a captain's chair in right center and a folding conversion bench in the back. And tough **** carpeting on all the surfaces just like the old days. That stuff was indestructible and worked great.

More than 2 people in a van is really tight with stuff inside. My wife and I slept in our '96 Savana (passenger conversion) for a week at a time. We always carry bicycles--I just packed a couple in our van for my wife and me to use in recon at a collegiate bike race in Columbus tomorrow (my son is racing)--the parking lot is a mile from the start/finish line.

Like I said, I'll keep an eye on this only because I've been a van guy for many years.

George

 

If it isn't a tall order and I can buy what I want off the shelf... why bother?

I actually took a good hard look at Roadtrek used vehicles and concluded that they are just as you described.

Havens for mold, poorly made tops, etc.

The key with vans is to not try to do too much --- it is not a conventional house, but more like a small boat.

That means, regular cooking may be out --- a portable stove does the job.

Toilet? Pota potty.

Bath/Shower --- I am working on that one.


What I got so far is a very comfortable bed / office (that you cannot stand up in).


I got to solve the moisture / humidity problem first, before I move further.

 

The Pillar Panel.
A few posts back I mentioned the "beam" to the right of the side cargo door. I'm not sure what the correct name is but I'll call it the Side Cargo Pillar. To correctly cover this pillar requires extra work because besides the different structural elements it doesn't mate up evenly with the First Panel I installed which is on it's right. The mating problem is due to the first panel's being bowed into the van wall.


When I lined up the first panel for trimming I positioned it so there was an extra inch to the left of the left edge of the pillar.


This is so I can shift the cut panel to the right so it will overlap the first panel.


Remember this overlap when you create the template.


Cut and insulate this panel like the others.




Now to start modifying the panel. First up the Rectangular Bump.
The panel won't sit flush because of that. Need to remove some insulation to compensate.
Cover the rectangle with a piece of newspaper cut to be the same size. Roll some tape to make it sticky on each side and put on the paper. Then when you dry fit the panel push it against the paper and it will stick to where you need to remove the insulation.


Remove insulation.


Panel will fit flush now. Attach the panel with screws. Notice the gap on the bottom caused by the recess.


Want to fill the gap for two reasons. A chance to add some extra insulation but more importantly is the need to add some edge trimming. The trim will hide everything behind the panel. The fabric covering will be glued to this trim. The added insulation will provide backing to support the trim pieces.
Cut and dry fit the insulation piece. The marks are so when it comes time to glue I'll know where to position it.



You can see the gap along the right side of the pillar panel where the first panel bows into the van wall.
Into this gap, cut and dry fit foam insulation so it's flush with the panel edge.


Next step. Place posterboard in the location where you need to create a trim piece. Just run a pencil along the edge where the posterboard meets the panel.


Tape the marked posterboard to some fiberboard and cut along the line. You now have a trim piece.


Here I'm using tape to hold the cut trim pieces in place. This covers the gap seen in the above picture. The extra foam pieces previous added are behind this edging providing support.


Now to put it all together. Move all the pieces inside where it's warm enough to glue.
Use the contact cement along with clamps to glue on the foam pieces. Use the marks from before to reposition the foam pieces. I'm using a couple pieces of plywood to evenly apply pressure to the foam piece while the cement sets.


Here are the foam pieces that go along the right side of the panel


Once all the foam pieces are attached use them as backing to hold the edge pieces in place.
Use contact cement and clamps.


That's it. I won't be posting information with this much excruciating detail about the rest of the panels I build. It's just that this single panel had most all of the problems I've run into so far so it made a good example.

 

WVVan

You are going to far more trouble than I did....

I am using a lot of outdoor carpeting as trim.

The idea is the trim can be readily removed (velcroed on) so I can add wiring.. .mods.. etc.. after it is done.

 

A posting about Contact Cement.
This info refers to the DAP brand of Weldwood Contact Cement.
I went to buy another quart of contact cement at the local Ace Hardware store and they only had the "Original" formula not the "Nonflammable" formula which I had been using.

Nonflammable on the left in the following three pictures.


The first quart of contact cement I had been using came from someone who no longer needed it so I hadn't paid any real attention before to the formulations. It just worked. Once I got to looking at the new quart it's obvious from just the lids that there's some important differences.


Color, consistency and amount of fumes is also different.


The Nonflammable formula is as thin as water while the original is thicker. Original formula puts off a lot more vapors.

On both cans it reads that they work on foam so I went ahead and used the new original formula can.
I'm gluing fabric to the foam backed fiberboard (will have a separate post on this).
You can see what happened below.


The original formula is causing the foam to dissolve.
Have you seen how Alien blood goes through the floor of the spaceship Nostromo? Something like that.
The previous picture is from last night while still wet.
This is what it looks like today after drying.


So Lesson Learned is to keep the Original formula away from extruded foam. Only use the Nonflammable formula when gluing to foam. Went to Lowe's this morning for a new can of the Nonflammable formula.
I will be using the can of Original formula when it comes time to laminate van furniture so it won't go to waste.

Supplies:
Ace Hardware: Weldwood Original Formula Contact Cement - Qt - 12.99
Lowes: Weldwood Nonflammable Formula Contact Cement - Qt - 13.98

In case you're wondering how I used up the first quart so fast I have some advice. Don't rest your can of contact cement on the piece you're working on. If you shift the piece the can might spill. Or worse yet, take a dive onto the floor. Yep, I knocked the whole can onto the floor where it landed, upside down of course.
On the bright side it was half empty. On the non-bright side it was half full. Take your pick

 

VWVan:

Would you recommend contact cement or carpet glue for what I am doing:

Gluing carpet (outdoor, not padded) onto the doors, etc.

 

If it was me I'd attach the carpet to plywood then screw the plywood to the doors. That way you can always remove them if you have to. Considering the moisture problems you've talked about I'd advise against glueing anything that might get wet in case you end up having to remove it to dry it out.

My plan is to use cover my doors with a rigid foam/plywood/laminate sandwich. Laminate facing into the van of course. Then secure it to the door using either sheet metal screws or riv-nuts and screws

 

First today's Ford van weather report:


Yep, still cold.
Because of the weather I'm not able to do as much on the van as I'd like so instead I've been looking ahead. The first piece of furniture I'm planning on making will be the sofa-bed. There are several design considerations with such limited space so I'll need some dimension information.

Here are some diagrams I've drawn up. The measurements are not extremely accurate. They are for general planning purposes not actual cutting of materials. None are to scale.
The floor measurements are of the wood layer I've installed, not the metal base layer.


The sofa-bed will sit behind the drivers seat so I'll need to know how close I can get to it.


Another consideration is height. Part of the Penthouse Top installation was the addition of a Metal Edge that runs along the top edge of the van wall. This edge sits lower than the original ceiling. Need info on it's height and placement. In this photo you can see the Metal Edge along with what I call the Box which is a structural component of the Penthouse top. All these measurements are with the top down. The Bucket is also of note.


Window behind drivers seat.
The sofa-bed will sit in front of this window so it's height is important.


Cross section look at the wall.


The heights to the ceiling farther away from the wall. 16 1/2" measurements is at the floor.


Now for a self portrait.
I want the sofa seat to be as high as possible, for storage underneath, without hitting my head on the Metal Edge. I did "test sits" with different sized boxes and such and found that the Tidy Cat Bucket I'd been using as a work stool seems to be just about right.
So I'll plan on the sofa seat having the same height of around 14 1/2 inches from the floor. I'm 6' and that's what feels right for me. You should do your own "test sits" to see what you find to be comfortable.

 

The problem with doing it your way is that the exposed metal areas are still exposed.

I have insulation inside the doors --- so I am quite covered on that and have rigid insulation (foam) on the side where the windows would have been.

The insides of the frame are not filled with foam --- concern with my lack of a serious foam spraying equipment and inability to completely fill with foam and block out moisture.

 

I agree. So I figure for those times of year when that will be a big problem I'll just carry extra foam panels or foil/bubble wrap or some combination of the two and use that to cover the exposed metal on the doors.
Since it is big metal box I know I'll never get it perfect. As long as I'm taking reasonable precautions I'll be happy.

 

Covering wall panels.

By now I have insulated and test fitted some panels. Time for the next step.


When I was at Sportsmobile in Indiana for the Penthouse Top installation they sold me a roll of fabric that was the same as they used on the inside trim work. The receipt has it at $10 a yard and it's called Encompass blue velour.


Installation is easy enough. Cut the fabric so you have enough to wrap around the edges.


This material has something similar to a "grain" where the velour is in lines. I took great care to position the cloth on the panel so these lines would be vertical when the panels were installed in the van. After I got it just like I wanted it I used a socket set to weigh down one side so the material wouldn't shift.


Then carefully roll back the half that's not weighted.


Apply contact cement to the half of the board that's exposed. The fiberboard will soak up part of the first coat you put down so usually I had to do two coats but be careful and don't overdo it or the contact cement will soak through the front of the cloth. Before I got to this step I used a scrap piece of fiberboard and cloth and tested it so I'd have a good idea of what was the right amount of cement to put down. I suggest you do the same.


Carefully roll the fabric back over the now contact cement coated fiberboard. Use your hands to smooth it out. I then moved the socket set to the glued side.


Roll back the fabric on the unglued side. Glue this second half like the first half.


Roll the cloth back over the second glued half and carefully smooth everything out. Cover with some scrap plywood and let sit overnight.

 

For my walls, I went for paneling --- to cut the need to finish and have a more cleanable surface.

 

Hey Gearloose,
For as much as you're posting about your van I'm surprised you don't have your own build thread. The more the merrier.

 

LOL... I am a doer, not a stop and take pictures type.

Hard to take good pictures when you are using a pressure washer wand on the innards..

Or mucking out the rocker panel with handfuls of mud... and old soda bottles, garbage...