[Mwood]

I forgot to add this picture of my rear heat delete hose. once you remove the rear lines you can just loop the two outlets for the rear heater core right above the passenger front wheel. they are right next to each other. The regular heat system still works great btw.

IMG_0881

Im sure there is an even simpler way to block or remove these outputs but the loop Im using has worked well so far.

Mitch

 

[sixsix]

Geez... do you put your captions under the pics as they have for hundreds of years... or what!!!
Kinda' lost.
But thanks for the big post n' pics.

 

[sixsix]

I did the same thing when I first got here... 1 post - 35,000 pics so we don't clog things up w/ too many posts

Some places have an issue w/ too many posts... right?

 

[Mwood]

I did the same thing when I first got here... 1 post - 35,000 pics so we don't clog things up w/ too many posts

Some places have an issue w/ too many posts... right?

haha ok Ill put the captions under the photos from now on got it.

 

[sixsix]

Actually, no, it's OK... as long as we are "all knowing...".

Nice big, closeups... can't hardly complain. Good pics beat a straight flush every day.
I always posted lots of pics - seemed to make more sense than the blathering on that I always do...

 

[Mwood]

merry christmas yall

the trasharoo fits perfectly

 

[Mwood]

No updates for now but I am working on insulating the interior.
I have also been fixing some electrical issues and working on the power steering.
I replaced the pressure hoses and the box input seal and it seems to no longer leak.

I will post an update once I have time to move my photos to my computer from my phone and get them on Flickr

 

[GMC-Safastrical]

wow cool build!! definitely went to town on it!

 

[Mwood]

well Im sick with something so I figured Id take some time and post an update today

the first thing I did after returning from the 3 week suspension and engine debacle was set my welder up in the loaner garage and fix a problem I myself created

when I first stripped the van interior there were some seatbelt brackets that were spot welded to the inner wheel tubs. I stupidly figured I would just buy a spot weld cutter and drill them out and the brackets would come free. It would have been far easier to just cut the majority of the bracket off with a grinder and then shave the rest off with a flap disc.

as it was, I ended up blowing clear through the tubs with the spot weld cutter and pretzeling the sheet metal on them because the brackets were also glued to the chassis.

IMG_0441
IMG_0444
^ thats the good side. I never photographed the bad side.

so I used this as an opportunity to TIG sheet metal for the first time.



after beating most of the large deformations out with a rubber mallet I started out by cutting rectangular sections out of the tub that mostly eliminated the larger dents



After that I used the cut sections to trace new material on good sheet metal



after some slow and careful trimming you get pieces that fit very closely





then all thats left is to weld them in and shave down the beads











thin material like this loves to burn through so quickly. Im no pro welder but Im happy with how it turned out.
Normally after this stage you would use body filler to smooth the panel out but Im already going to be covering it with insulation foam so it doesnt matter to me.

I also had to patch the hole for the rear AC unit.














now I have a nice clean blank canvas to work with for the interior








used some rubber grommets from Mcmaster to seal the holes for the AC hoses and some larger ones up front for the coolant hoses to the rear heater.



Painted everything white and used some spray can Raptorliner on the inside of the tubs.

I forgot to take pictures but I also cut and shaved the floor jack bracket and some other odds and ends on the passenger's side rear.

sorry I dont have better photos, Ive been in a mad rush to get all this stuff done and havent had a ton of time to pull the phone out.

 

[Mwood]

Next up was some insulating and an interior fan.
I bought this funky low-profile fan from the UK. the company is called Bowers. I bought it because it uses a small enough hole to fit between the two rear roof beams at the back of the van.





















in this area there is a flat pad that is perfect for mounting a fan. the more popular maxxair fans use a much larger hole and have a larger and taller footprint which doesnt fit
very well in this space. I was also concerned I would have to mount my solar panels above the fan, this fan's 2.5" height would have allowed me to do that.





























it will be interesting to see if this thing lets a ton of cold air in. I like the design otherwise, and it is reversible via a switch.

Next was to insulate the roof with 3M Thinsulate sm600L













I stuffed it in the pillars and rear jambs
this stuff goes on with spray adhesive and should be pretty easy to rip off later if neccessary.

















I also cut some pieces of thinsulate and taped them into recesses in the walls.





This van has so much glass in it Im not sure how much insulating it is really going to do. Ive also never insulated anything before so we'll see the results.
Next post Ill share what I did for the walls and the carpet.

 

[Mwood]

somewhere along the line I covered the wheel tubs with this Dynamat product called Dynaliner. Its a 1/2" thick closed cell foam with adhesive backing, it insulates a lot of noise and some heat.








for the wall insulation I wanted to try using sheets of PIR foam pinned to the walls instead of glued.
I started with some foamcore templates that roughly matched the wall sections I wanted to insulate beneath the windows








I picked up some 1" PIR foam at home depot and cut out shapes to match the templates











this stuff is easy to cut, I just used a razor knife





Im going to retain the original pillar cover panels and headliner, which all fits over the thinsulate


Next, I cut some cover panels from 1/4" acx plywood














Im going to leave this thread here for today as I need to get more pictures off my phone

 

[WoodButcher]

Beautiful.

 

[Mwood]

Beautiful.

thanks man.
more updates soon

 

[sixsix]

Really nice work... it is so hushed quiet looking at it.

 

[Mwood]

I am holding the insulation panels to the sides of the van using threaded riv-nut inserts. They are awesome and I highly reccomend buying the tool I use to install them.

Astro Pneumatic Tool 1442 13" Hand Rivet Nut Setter Kit - Metric & SAE W/ 60pc Rivnuts

Patented structure increases power and reduces shock Shorter handle with double compound hinges that maximize leverage Includes Hand Nut/Thread Setting Riveter 6 interchangeable mandrel/nosepiece sets in Metric M5. M6. & M8 and in SAE 10-24. 1/4-20. & 5/16-18 Includes 10 pieces of each of the...

mprtools.com

I bought that tool years ago for a different project and have been in love with it ever since.







you can see two riv-nuts below the window in that photo




I cut Delrin spacers that extend through the foam to relieve clamping pressure on the foam and direct it from the wood panels into the walls.




the panels are not done. you can see they are only held in with two bolts under the sills, that is because the lower bolts will also have the job of holding some other exciting things to the walls once I finish them, and I wont know where to locate those bolts until those things are fabricated.
eventually I will finish the wood with a single stage stain and varnish and figure out something for the windowsills.

now onto the carpet

for the carpet I would probably not recommend going the route I went.

I ended up buying a Vanrug carpet (VRG96) for an express in order to cut it to size for the astro.
I did this because I stupidly cut up the original carpet from the van before my insulation plans changed and I wanted something that would cover the entire floor.

The Vanrug is a great product and is really easy to clean but, and I probably should have seen this coming, it isnt a very good noise or temperature insulator.
Its much louder in the van now than it was with the stock carpet, the vanrug is really intended for use in a work environment, not as much for camping etc.











I really like the Vanrug in terms of its material construction so I may look into a thin layer of sound deadening fabric or foam to go under it at some point in the future.

as far as trimming the express carpet, it is actually smaller than the astros in a couple of key areas, notably there is a curve at the rear of the carpet that leaves a gap in front of the rear double doors, and the section along the sliding door is actually thinner in an express than in an astro, which you can see in the second photo.

 

[Mwood]

here are some photos of the captains seat mount I made up using a swivel base from Northern Tool

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200487875_200487875

started with some stock passenger's mounts and cut the curved rails off of them




cut some new tops out of bar stock and tacked them on



then burned them in


I found these express rails at the JY, they are flat and look nice and sturdy

you'll notice the modified rails still have a slight curvature at the top.. very frustrating mistake.



got it all mocked up




the whole setup actually fits over the stock drawer which is pretty surprising





there were some holes in the swivel that I had to fill to drill the holes I needed for the rails and the seat base (they may have been holes I measured wrong the first time..)
Note: I have the swivel base attached closer to the rear of the seat. do not do this, mount it as far forward as possible or else you'll have the rails slid way back to get good legroom out of it.





I also had to narrow the lever for the sliders as it was too wide



I tacked some nuts to the inside of the rails for the bolts to the swivel. these rails had studs already pressed in for the seat mounts.




I also used some riv nuts for the forward seat mount bolts. not super safe, I know, but the rear bolts use the stock welded threaded inserts in the seat.




painted the mounts before install. the driver's side mounts dont quite match so I will paint them the same color when I remove the front carpet again.











here are some photos of the finished product. I forgot to take a photo of the lever location for the swivel I will later if anyone wants one.
you have to tilt the seatback forward to swivel it around.
I also removed the armrest as it wouldn't swivel around with the door closed with it installed. a good move would have been to space the seat farther towards the center of the van, but I'm happy with it as is.

 

[Mwood]

finishing off the captains seat photos:
here is the location of the lever, it fits great

as for the passenger's seatbelt buckle

it is prevented from rotating to the floor by a detent in the metal bracket that holds it to the floor

so i cut it off with a dremel. its ugly but you cant see it when installed

to rotate the seat you just tilt the buckle to the floor. works great.

Mitch

 

[irrelevantivinf]

Lots of awesome stuff! I am also in the middle of my interior camper renovation. I insulated with the stuff they sent to keep my ready-made meal delivery service foods cold, and it’s wonderful. From driving an Astro with no insulation in the past, I knew to take extra precaution on the floor to deaden sound.

instead of using plywood for the walls, I’m using some scrap wood with slits in it to bend it to the contour of the van interior as studs, then mounting some v-groove cedar planks over them.

I opted to keep the rear ac and heater, but I will be requiring the sound back there to work with my tv that’s going in.

I just got the studs up today and finally mounted the subfloor down so I’m close to getting my walls up. Good luck with your build!

 

[WoodButcher]

Nice job Mitch, I like your metalwork.
What have you done under the rug in back? What I did in my '93 was 1/4" strips of PVC "azek" in between the ribs of the floor to smooth the carpet and put the jute and original carpet back down, much more comfortable on my knees. You could use the same moving blankets I see in your pics or get underlayment from a rug store. Use spray adhesive to stick it to the carpet you have already cut.
You can see what I did somewhere in the first few pages of my build thread below.

 

[Mwood]

Nice job Mitch, I like your metalwork.
What have you done under the rug in back? What I did in my '93 was 1/4" strips of PVC "azek" in between the ribs of the floor to smooth the carpet and put the jute and original carpet back down, much more comfortable on my knees. You could use the same moving blankets I see in your pics or get underlayment from a rug store. Use spray adhesive to stick it to the carpet you have already cut.
You can see what I did somewhere in the first few pages of my build thread below.

thanks man. unsure what ill do under the rug yet, been working hard getting the rest of the interior together. vertical space is a top priority for me so whatever it is will be very thin. need to do some research

more updates soon
Mitch