Cam's AWD Astro Camper Build

[Costman13]

I bought my van back in March and have been slowly piecing it together since. I am shooting for a relatively simple, yet functional weekend camper. I will not be adding solar or a refrigerator anytime soon, but I will be adding an awning and a rear tire carrier.

Here is the lift -
https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/1999-awd-astro-ls-3-diy-lift-build.191718/

I have bought insulation and Noico sound deadener with a plan to gut the interior this weekend in hopes to have it all insulated and subfloor in by Sunday. We'll see... Any tips / tricks to this?

I am also looking at the best options for a passenger swivel seat. I have read just about every thread out there on the best way to do this and think I will build my own, as I do not like the idea of a "universal" seat base.

The build will be very similar to this one - minus the pop-top (thanks JJ!).


I've had a few campers in the past and although I didn't love my VW Vanagon Westy for a ton of reasons, I did love the interior setup and use of space. I will be attempting a similar floor plan here, with the Astro.

Any tips / tricks are welcomed.

Best,
Cam

 

[Costman13]

I was able to get the interior stripped out, sound deadening in, ceiling insulation up and flooring insulation down. Still a lot to do - including wall insulation.

 

[nonhog]

What insulation did you use on the ceiling? All looking good!

 

[Costman13]

What insulation did you use on the ceiling? All looking good!

I used 3M's Thinsulate. It's a bit pricey, but it is definitely the best option when considering r-value, sound deadening and moisture retention.

The floor is a closed cell foam insulation.

 

[nonhog]

Have links so I can read up? 3M Thinsulate brings up pages of gloves, hats etc. LOL
Or is it from a local hardware store? I can check that out easy enough. THANKS!

 

[Costman13]

I do not have a specific link.

Overall, I found that there are much better insulators out there if you are just looking at r-value, but once you factor in sound deadening and moisture control, it really narrows it down. There is a local supplier close to me in Hood River, OR. They are the same folks who are selling on Amazon and Ebay as well. They may be one of the few, if not the only ones to sell it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Thinsul...hash=item1ead2f222b:m:mQsMt9R9kVO_5FNr6jaI3KQ

http://diyvan.com/

Hein and Kim are wonderful and very helpful when it comes to questions about insulation in a van.

 

[Bbasso]

Wow! $700+ for my size van... does it really work that well?
(First time looking at it)

 

[Costman13]

Wow! $700+ for my size van... does it really work that well?
(First time looking at it)

I was also pretty shocked by the price... Granted I only needed about 15 linear ft. Had I needed a lot more, I may have gone another route.

 

[Bbasso]

Thanks for the honesty

 

[Costman13]

Thanks for the honesty

Of course.

The big peace of mind for me, using Thinsulate, was how little moisture it can absorb / retain. I have dealt with moisture issues in insulation in the past. I was not willing to go deal with it again.

Again, there are certainly less expensive options that will perform well, but when comparing all the factors (r-value + sound deadening + moisture retention / absorption) it ended up being my favorite choice. Especially because of how little I needed.

 

[Bbasso]

If I'm not mistaken the 3M installation is hydrophobic, I'm pretty sure of it.

 

[Costman13]

It sure is.

 

[Bbasso]

Cool!

 

[Costman13]

I've made some progress. Slow progress, but progress none the less.

I decided to frame in the windows. I may lose some glass, but it will give me a straight line to cut to. I have also added 4 small flush mount LEDs to the ceiling. They are more than bright enough to light up an astro.

I should have the second wall finished up this weekend, along with the flooring.

 

[borison]

Looking really cool inside and out. Looking forward to your progress.