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Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:25 am

I just bought some reflectix from Home Depot so I could insulate the inside of my bus. After doing the inside I had some material left over so I decided to put some in the engine compartment were the old rotted out tar board used to be. I plan on covering it was a nice piece of 1/8 masonite with correctly spaced 3/4" holes to help deaden the sound even more. Now my question, is reflcetix flamable or will it be safe behind the masonite baord?

Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:45 am

Put a match to a scrap piece. If flammable, then don't drill the 3/4" holes for any flame to get to it.... :wink:

Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:04 pm

Never thought of that...Good idea!!!!

Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:11 pm

No problem, glad to help.

IMO, the holes where to lighten the heavy press board (glue & saw dust) to prevent them from sagging early on instead of sound deadening.....just my .02 cents worth.

PS: I make the ABS plastic engine ceiling panels....much high flame resistant than the woods. :wink:

Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:12 pm

Alright so I took a piece of scrap reflectix and put it up to a lighter and the material begins to melt when exposed directly to the flame. When I held the lighter closer to the reflectix and for a long time the material does catch on fire. So do I leave the reflectix in place and hope it never gets exposed to direct flames or remove it to save myself the headache from constantly worrying about it?

Never thought of using ABS. How esay is it to make and where do you get your material?

Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:25 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=817243

Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:18 pm

I think if you have a direct flame in your engine compartment the insulation on the ceiling is the least of your worries. :roll:

Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:26 pm

I've had reflectix in the ceiling of my engine compartment for over a year w/ no issues... but it is not going to give you any sound deadening... only heat insulation. If you want to quiet the engine noise stick some fat mat/dynamat/edead/etc to the ceiling under the reflectix.

Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:53 pm

I think Im will just stick with the reflectix. I sure am interested in those ABS celing panels though. Do I need to use revits or can I screw them in? If I order it from one of the shops here in So Cal can I just go and pick it up instead of paying the shipping?

Wed Oct 13, 2010 8:00 pm

They come with alum 3/16" over size head rivets which are a pia unless you have an air rivet gun.

I have sent along my nylon Plastic 1/4" mollys to buyers and asked to get back to me on if they worked or not.....and they must have as they didn't response back to me. :roll:

Yes, but most dealers don't stock all the panels (lots of applications) and they have to special order them from me.

Sat Oct 16, 2010 9:05 pm

if you wanted you could use some stove board and cut it out of that is should stand the heat just fine
http://www.fireplaces-store.com/hy_c_ul_listed_sto...8_prd1.htm
you can get it at home depo

Sat Oct 16, 2010 9:13 pm

werksberg wrote: IMO, the holes where to lighten the heavy press board (glue & saw dust) to prevent them from sagging early on instead of sound deadening.....just my .02 cents worth.

Then why did they put the same holes in the earlier bay steel boards? They would never have sagged with or without the holes. Pretty sure this was a sound deadening exercise.

Sat Oct 16, 2010 10:34 pm

That was only a one year ('72) only year....and since they did it before and after with the wood.....or should I say with glue & saw dust!

Density & different materials works best for sound deadening.

Just my opinion....but I have been working on cars nearly 50 years now!

Sun Oct 17, 2010 12:11 am

Never really understood the "need" for heat insulation in a Bus engine compartment (particularly w/the air flow going on in there ;) ). Sound deadening makes far more sense.

Sun Oct 17, 2010 6:05 am

The board was there to support the sound insulation behind it but the holes are necessary to give a somewhat non-reflective surface so the sound can be trapped in the softer insulation. If the surface was solid the sound would just bounce around in the space. Ideally you'd have a dense material (like dynamat) to stop sound transmission into the cabin, and then an absorbtive material on top to absorb the reflections. Unfortunately absorbtive materials are horrid for cleanliness. VW's solution is their compromise. Simplified acoustics 101.

Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:29 pm

werksberg wrote: IMO, the holes where to lighten the heavy press board (glue & saw dust) to prevent them from sagging early on instead of sound deadening.....just my .02 cents worth.

Westfabulous wrote: Then why did they put the same holes in the earlier bay steel boards? They would never have sagged with or without the holes. Pretty sure this was a sound deadening exercise.

werksberg wrote: That was only a one year ('72) only year....and since they did it before and after with the wood.....or should I say with glue & saw dust!

Density & different materials works best for sound deadening.

Just my opinion....but I have been working on cars nearly 50 years now!

Right. So, if they were so concerned about the boards sagging, why would they drill them full of 3/4" holes and significantly decrease their structural integrity? Or better yet, why would they use "glue and sawdust" at all if they were concerned about sagging? They're for sound deadening, that's why; and my original set lasted for 31 years.