Wood Panel Insert for 2012 FTC Cargo Walls - Suggestions

[JonBowerbank]

Hello all!

 

I'm finally able to get around to putting up some paneling in my van, after a couple of ideas and prototypes that fell flat.  All I really want to do is put of some insulated and noise cancelling panels inserted at the point of the cargo walls where windows would otherwise be.  Photo attached

 

I've already glued in some insulation, which has already deadened A LOT of the noise.  And I have a couple ideas for how to securely and  fasten the wood panels.  L-brackets into the body, then lining up holes in the panel to the brackets for threading some stainless steel bolts.  Leaving the panels still easily removable.  Or I could use some standard plastic body retainers to clip the panels into set brackets.

 

But I've yet to see any simpler way other than throwing them up and screwing retainer blocks into the body on each side of the panel to hold it in.

 

Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

 

Cheers

[Booner]

First, since it's been so long since you asked your question, I hope you'll see my suggestion.

What you want to do here is actually pretty simple.

First, get some large sheets of cardboard; you'll use these to make a template for cutting out your paneling. Determine the area that you want to cover with the panals. I would suggest 1/4 inch plywood or some cheap paneling, but think thin and lite. Determine the area you want to cover with the paneling and place the cardboard over this area, and card the cardboard out to fit the area. Place the cardboard on top of the paneling and using a jig saw, or sabersaw, cut the paneling out. Put the paneling in the area you wanted covered and check for fit. Trim as needed.

Now insulate the area that will behind the panel. You have a number of options for insulation, but I would use the spun glass kind that looks like cotton candy. You can stuff it into the areas between the outside and inside body panels, it light weight, will provide insulation and reduce road noise. You can either cut it out or pull it apart. Don't stuff it into spots where you have to jam it in. It doesn't insulate as well if it's overly compressed. Use some double back tape to help hold it in place.

Now that the insulation is in place, put the paneling back up. You may need a friend to hold the paneling in place while you drill and drive the screws in place to hold it.

Determine the leagnth of screw you need to go through the paneling and inside body of the van, but not touching the outside skin of the van. For example, the paneling is 1/4 inch and the inside metal body is 1/8 inch and the gap between the inside body panel and outside panel is a 1/2 inch. You only need screws that are long enough to go through the paneling and inside body panel and still be short enough not to contact the inside of the outer body panel. You'll want screws for use in metal, not wood, and maybe no bigger in diameter than 3/8 inch, but you want a big wide head on the screw so it won't work through the paneling.

You can buy collet-type drill stops that will help insure that you don't drill too deep and go into the outside body panel. Or, use the good-old-boy method and drill through a small block of wood and use this as a drill stop. And if you feel confident, roll some tape around the drill bit as a visual stop.

Tape the paneling in place, or have someone hold it and start drilling holes. Once you get a few holes drilled you can put a couple of screws in to hold everything in place while you drill the rest of the holes.

At this point your insulated and have the panels in place. Now, you need to put something over the panels. You need something that has a soft, uneven texture to break up the sound waves. You have a lot of hard surfaces inside the van that relect sound. You need something that is soft and has an uneven surface to trap those sound waves. I used unbacked nylon carpet. I don't know what it's called, but purchased it online from a place that supplies automotive interior supplies, like fabric, headliners, etc. The unbacked carpet is used as a trunk liner, (I've seen people use it to cover subwoofer cabinents). It's about 3/8" thick, comes in all kinds of colors, so easy to apply, and since it's woven nylon without a backing, you can press it and stretch it into corners without it wrinkling. And it is very good for muting sound. It comes in rolls that are slightly over 4 feet wide and wast very expensive.

I applied it to my panels by using contact glue, the spray on kind. I layed the carpet on a sheet of cardbord after I determined what side was going to be the back, as there was a slight difference in the Knapp on each side and I wanted that to match. I simply sprayed the glue evenly and not too heavily on the carpet, and allowed the glue to dry. I the sprayed the panels I had installed in the van. I used some scrap carboard to prevent over spray. The fumes can be pretty intense until they evaporate so open up all the doors. It may take a day or two for all the fumes to off gas, but once the glue is fully cured, there is no residual smell. Once the glue is fully dryed on both surfaces, simply press them together. The nylon has a fair amount of give so you can push it into corners or stretch it over a small gap. You'll find it's easy to work with. I used it as a headliner and a wall covering throughout the back of my van, ( I have the cargo version). On areas where there were holes in the metal, I put some duct tape over the hole and then layed the carpet over it. On the sliding doors where the Masonite panelling is attached to the sliding door, I ran a couple of layers of tape along the dge of the Masonite to help hide the hard edge.

 

Hope this helped.