Date:         Sat, 23 Oct 2004 11:17:10 -0400
Reply-To:     Hans Achter <hansachter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Hans Achter <hansachter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: noise reduction
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I'll second Robert's recommendation.
It seems to me that a lot of noise comes in just at the front step at the bottom of the door, since
that has no carpet either.
Also, as the temperature gets colder in my van, the front windshield seal makes progressively more
noise until at 20 below zero my car is a rolling kazoo.  I've been wondering if a new seal would
reduce that noise.  Much of the noise in my van is just wind noise from the windshield and rain
gutters and mirrors and such.
A friend of mine was telling me that Ziebart can do undercoating in a thick continuous layer on the
bottom of your car, and it sounds like it would do a lot for sound.   I haven't checked it out yet.
-Hans


----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Cardo" <rrecardo@WEBTV.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 8:42 AM
Subject: Re: noise reduction


If you wnated to do a quick and painless experiment in front door
gasketing, this is how I would go about it without removing the front
door's.
Go to Ace Hardware , Home Depot, Lowe's, any household repair
supplier,and purchase a roll of foam rubber window gasket material.
It comes in various thicknesses, and width's.
It has adhesive on one side of it.
It is a comon item anywhere.
Cut the appropriate length for the front of the door, open the door,
stick the gasket on either the jamb or the door, and close the door.
A simple job, maybe a 5 minute job at best.
This would tell you right away how much that factory gasket is or isn't
going to quiet the interior of the Vanagon down.
It won't.
The front and rear wheel well area, and under the seats must be covered
in sound absorbing material.
The underside of the Van's wheel wells must be covered in heavy coats of
undercoating.
The front vent intake must be sealed .
I would start in these area's, and you'll find that this was the right
place to start with the noise prevention.
I don't have a DB meter..
I can talk to my passeneger without screaming to the opposite side of
the Van, and I can hear the radio without having it at full volume.