Hi All

Rob & I have been kicking around info on my door insulation project via p-mail and he suggested I send the info to the list. So, here it is. If anyone has anything to add or corrections to be made, nows the time to pipe up!

Project: Create a less noisy, better insulated door and fix water leaking onto door panel, carpet and foot well.

Pros: Much less road and wind noise. Doors shut with a solid clunk. Music from the stereo sounds better and can be played at lower volume. Conversation is possible with passengers in the back. Van should be warmer in winter, cooler in summer.

Cons: Takes time to do it right, about one hour per door. Lots of scratches on my hands from shoving the Foilastic into the nooks and crannies of the door. Gloves without fingers may work for this. Be aware that you will hear less of the sounds from outside, so compensate by using your vision to avoid dangerous situations on the road. It's sorta like wearing ear plugs.

Cost: About $25 per door

Materials: 2 rolls Polyken Foilastic roofing flashing with foil back, 6" or 9" wide (I used 6") $30-45 per roll from building supply/roofing company. Check around. 2 rolls waterproof foil tape (I found this at Home Depot in the duct tape isle) $7 per roll 1 roll of bubble insulation, 24" x ? was $24 at HD

Tools: Exacto knife or utility knife, piece of plywood for cutting board, cross-point screw driver or drill-driver, stiff plastic putty knife, very small screw driver or pick, scissors

Procedure: 1- Open the plastic cover on each end of the grab handle with a small pick or screw driver. It will flip open towards the end of the handle. 2- Remove the 4 screws anchoring the handle 3- Remove plastic cover inside opener lever with the small screw driver 4- Remove screw under the cover to get the rest of the cover off 5-Remove the 2 screws on the lower vent cover and slide the vent cover to the rear 5a- If you have manual windows, remove crank handle by pushing the panel back and remove the clip 6- Pry the panel snaps off one at a time starting at a bottom corner. Easy does it! Use a plastic putty knife to avoid scratching paint 7- Hold panel while popping the last few panel snaps 8- While holding panel, remove speaker connections, window switch connections and mirror controls, if you have them. 9- Carefully remove plastic vapor barrier. You may want to use parts of it later 10- If the inside of the door is dusty or dirty, clean it with lacquer thinner or mineral spirits. You want to make the Foilastic sticks well and does not interfere with window action 11- Apply Foilastic to the inside surfaces of doors. Apply pressure to mold it to the surfaces 12- Tape a flap of foil insulation inside each of the openings under the window to divert water away from the inside panel 13- Cut a piece of foil insulation a bit larger than the panel 14- temporarily tape it in place and trim it back to near the openings (away from the panel snap holes) with scissors or snips. For pre 86 vans with the blue vent control, cut away the foil insulation to allow air thru the vent. 15- Trim plastic speaker vapor barrier and tape it in place. Same with window switch area if you want. There needs to be room there for that stuff 16- Trim out all snap holes and screw holes, handles and wires that were buried. 17- Seal around all holes and edges 18- put the panel back together (For power windows, be sure to wrap the back of the switches with electrical tape to avoid shorting to the foil.)

Notes: 1- You may want to run a gentle spray of water on the outside of the window to see if there are any leaks in the barrier before installing the panel. 2- What do you do if you need to fix the regulator? How do you get to it? To get to the regulator you just remove the tape, same as if the old vapor barrier was there. Any cuts to the barrier need only to be taped back up with the waterproof tape. 3- Those snap locks tend to break or pull out of the fiber panel. A warped panel could mean some snaps have pulled out. A new snap fastener could be installed next to the damaged area by drilling a hole in the panel and door (carefully!). If the snaps don't hold after insulating, you may have to trim some insulation further away from the snap lock holes.

Thanks to Jeff Vickers for materials and application ideas!

Keith O. 84 Westy "Brownie" 90 Westy Syncro