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Stopping step van noise

CarpentrySpecialist | Posted in Tools for Home Building on May 31, 2007 02:45am

Just bought a used step van, Chevy P30, that will be my new work truck. It’s a bit larger than the box truck I’ve been using. But driving it around some is like being in an aluminum echo cave. I plan to build a solid wall (No door) to separate the driver seat from the cargo for safety and tool security.  Right now its just an aluminum shell on wheels. Its so loud that if I added a radio, I’d have to pull over to hear the weather report.

To cut down the noise I’ve thought of some options. My question is, if you can think of some more ideas to quiet this tin can, please toss 2 cents here. Thanks.

Options I’m considering.

  1. Glue / screw carpet to the dividing plywood wall. Cab side.
  2. Liquid nails to hold foil face insulation board to the cargo walls. Or carpet padding because its cheep.
  3. Carpet the cab and engine shroud.
  4. Cardboard headliner in cab.
  5. Adding Canvas covered peg board to the back side to the dividing wall.
  6. Exercise mats ( the 2×2 puzzle edge kind) on the aluminum floor.

Best to you and yours, Chris.

Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.

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  1. moonmlns | May 31, 2007 04:42pm | #1

    I have a '74 GMC stepvan that I've been using for several years now. I have a wall right behind the seats. It is built on a metal frame welded to the interior. The wall itself is 3/4" plywood. I have a door between the seats. This setup has cutout the noise in my van and it is old with lots of body noise. I have wood shelves in the back with tools and materials in all kinds of containers and the only thing I really hear is when I forget to secure something and it hits the floor. I also live in the mountains of northeastern Washington state, so I drive a lot on bumpy dirt roads. In my rig the noise the engine and sliding doors may overpower the noise from the back. If your driver area is quiet this may not work for you. One more thing, I would recommend building a door between the front and back. I doesn't need to be real big. Just wide enough to easily pass through. It is very handy to be able to get into the back that way. I guess it is all in how you use it. I have a rollup rear door and a work bench with lights in the back as well. So, I find it to be nice to enter the back to get things or work on something without rolling up the rear door, especially in the cold of winter. I usually have a small heater going the the back. I also removed the passenger seat the get in and out easier. I don't have people riding in there anyway. Just some thoughts. Hope their helpful. Enjoy your rig.

  2. jackplane | May 31, 2007 05:02pm | #2

    Wall to wall shag carpeting, either electric green or bright orange.

    Long live the 70's!

    Expert since 10 am.

  3. dovetail97128 | May 31, 2007 05:45pm | #3

    CarpentrySpecialist,
    I have a 78 Chev. Box van . I put a wall in as you described ( Mine is simply wood framed with 3/4 ply on it. I left an opening between cab area and storage area for easy access.
    Back has rigid 1" insulation covered with cheap paneling , floor is 3/4 ply covered with indoor/outdoor carpet.

    If I was starting over I would get the back sprayed with "Rhino Hide" bed liner. Rigid insulation over that .

    "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca
  4. BillBrennen | May 31, 2007 10:54pm | #4

    CS,

    I second the recommendation for a sprayed liner in the back. They really help with road noise coming up from below.

    Another thing is to get some Q-pads and stick one on each open section of body panel. These are black antivibration mats designed for automotive use, available at body shop supply houses. They work great to reduce noise from sheet metal, and are self-sticking.

    If you want to insulate for cold, sprayfoam also stiffens up sheet metal so it won't oilcan. I did a van this way in the 90's and it was quiet, solid, and toasty in the winter, cool in summer. Do the masking yourself, as that foam is nasty. I used high density roof foam for the strength, 3 lbs/cu. ft.

    The carpet in the cab is also good for absorbing noise before it bounces around 50 times.

    Bill

    1. CarpentrySpecialist | May 31, 2007 11:04pm | #5

      I've never heard of Q-pads but I'll look into it. thanks.Best to you and yours, Chris.

      Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.

      1. User avater
        Luka | Jun 01, 2007 02:10am | #9

        Don't spend the extra money on q pads.Just line the inside of the van with grace ice and water sheild. I did just that to an old and VERY noisy Nova. (Full sized older car.)It even eliminated the road noise, not just the noise of the car itself.

        Fight fire with water.

        1. dovetail97128 | Jun 01, 2007 03:57am | #10

          Luka,
          been meaning to ask ...
          did you ever get that thing to start again after you lined it? ;-)
          "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca

          1. User avater
            Luka | Jun 01, 2007 04:02am | #12

            The old Nova ? You bet !I could pop a wheelie in that thing by the time I was finished with it. (That was -not- due, of course, to the grace ice and water sheild. LOL)Just remembered, I also did an old VW van with the ice and water shield. And that sucker was a REAL rattletrap when I started.

            Fight fire with water.

        2. CarpentrySpecialist | Jun 01, 2007 12:22pm | #16

          Hey, I had a 4dr Nova with a straight 6. Damn hard car to kill. There must be 8-10 Novas still being driven around my town.

          I think I'll go with the Grace.

          Thanks.Best to you and yours, Chris.

          Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.

          1. User avater
            Luka | Jun 01, 2007 12:50pm | #18

            You are welcome.=0)

            Fight fire with water.

    2. DanH | Jun 01, 2007 04:01am | #11

      Am I the only one thinking that a couple of bullets through the radiator would solve this problem nicely?
      So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin

  5. JohnT8 | Jun 01, 2007 12:51am | #6

    Do you have a salvage yard in your area?  You might be able to find a solid metal dividing wall with a sliding door ...I don't remember if they're bolted in place or welded.  If bolted, you could transfer it into yours.

     

    jt8

    "One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." -- Arnold H. Glasgow

  6. danski0224 | Jun 01, 2007 01:06am | #7

    I put a bunch of pro grade Dynamat inside my van- and that helped a whole bunch.

    I would guess that Grace I&W shield will also work because the materials are similar in nature.

    You do not need to cover the entire surface to dampen the noise. Try something like 9" and 5" square pieces randomly disbursed a few inches apart on the roof and sides of your truck. Clean the spots you want to stick the membrane to with something like 3M Adhesive Remover.

    Once you get the metal panels dampened, then you will want to insulate the van, which will keep the temperature under control. Using the factory reinforcements, I created a double wall interior with an interior galvanized sheet hidden under the factory plastic trim (this keeps inside stuff from making outside dents). I used a radiant barrier between the interior and exterior panels.

    I would consider a spray on bedliner coating for the floor- much more durable than those mats and waterproof. The spray coating is heavy, so I wouldn't do the walls with it. 

    1. CarpentrySpecialist | Jun 01, 2007 12:14pm | #15

      After doing a little research on Q- Pads as Bill suggested I thought Grace I&W shield came close. Also Q- Pads run @ $3+/sq.ft.  Same with Dynamat.  Ouch!$  (7'-0*16'-0*2 for walls)+Ceiling= Budget buster if I did the whole thing. 

      Carpet pad is $.24 /sq. ft. BTW.   Rhino bed for the floor though is something I'll most likely do after the first set of mats get chewed up.Best to you and yours, Chris.

      Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.

      1. danski0224 | Jun 01, 2007 12:53pm | #19

         

        After doing a little research on Q- Pads as Bill suggested I thought Grace I&W shield came close. Also Q- Pads run @ $3+/sq.ft.  Same with Dynamat.  Ouch!$  (7'-0*16'-0*2 for walls)+Ceiling= Budget buster if I did the whole thing. 

        Remember, you *do not* need to cover the entire surface with the noise dampening material. Maybe 50% coverage, and the job will be done. You could start at 30% coverage and go from there.

        I estimate 70% coverge on my roof and 30% to 40% coverage on the sides. I went from not being able to hear the radio at all while in motion to being able to use the stock radio. I probably could have put less Dynamat on the roof and achieved the same results.

        The carpet pad will not do anywhere near the same job. The foam will also deteriorate over time and peel off the glue on the sides and ceiling of your van. The high temperatures in there will accelerate the process.

        It is your truck. If you plan on keeping it and spending time in there, then I would do it right. 

  7. sledgehammer | Jun 01, 2007 01:43am | #8

    It's tough to cut the noise. Good luck too you, I miss mine every day I have too root around in the back of a pickup.

     

    Damn DOT.

  8. ponytl | Jun 01, 2007 06:20am | #13

    luka is dead on ...  you can also use the self stick roofing material... kinda like torch down but peel & stick...  i assume the body is rib to skin construction...  any polyurathane caulk down every skin to rib joint will help alot... (this goes for for trailers also)

    p

    1. User avater
      Luka | Jun 01, 2007 07:48am | #14

      "self-stick roofing material" EPDM.Ooooooh, I'd bet that stuff might even be worth the extra in price. And now you have me thinking about other uses for EPDM instead of Grace I&W...Also... The caulk is a great Idea. I almost mentioned that. But I used pure silicone. And I put door shims in that junction between rib and panel, while the silicone cured. Very lightly shoved in. The object is to tighten, not to stretch. Fill the gaps where the shims were, with more silicone, when you pull them back out.

      Fight fire with water.

      1. BillBrennen | Jun 01, 2007 06:21pm | #20

        Luka,Ice and Water Shield probably works a lot better than EPDM for panel damping, because it is softer, a semi-solid material.Did the characteristic Grace odor leave the Nova in a reasonable span of time? If so, then your solution sounds like it has real merit.Bill

        1. dovetail97128 | Jun 01, 2007 06:34pm | #21

          Bill, ""Did the characteristic Grace odor leave the Nova in a reasonable span of time?"" Probably not , but it is an effective masking odor for the smell of those funny cigarettes . ;-)
          "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca

          1. BillBrennen | Jun 01, 2007 06:42pm | #22

            ;-)

        2. User avater
          Luka | Jun 01, 2007 10:07pm | #24

          In a word, yes.The car was left pretty much open for a couple weeks anyway. And after that, all the carpeting, liners, vinyl, etc were put back in, so the grace was all effectively covered.

          Fight fire with water.

  9. CarpentrySpecialist | Jun 01, 2007 12:27pm | #17

    Thanks to all so far. Though I don't think orange shag carpet is my style I'll take any more ideas you have.

    Best to you and yours, Chris.

    Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.

  10. User avater
    McDesign | Jun 01, 2007 08:15pm | #23

    <Stopping step van noise>

    A 12-step program?

    Forrest

  11. MisterT | Jun 02, 2007 12:59am | #25

    spray on polyurethane foam insulation

    I wish I knew how to insert an annoying Martha Stewart Banner in my tagline....

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