Sound deadening update

[Phil G]

G'day Eric,
I had an 81' Vanagon L that I bought new. It was actually pretty quiet, but then it had no miles on it. I only owned it for the first 60,000 miles, so who knows once it got on in years. I did ditch the factory Continental tires in favor of a set of Pirelli P700's the first month I had the car though, and that improved ride and quiet a bit. Remember those tires? They were pretty good in their day. And this 87' was horrid when I first got it, but that was because it had it's original shocks and a set of house brand tires that had been on the thing in storage for something like 12 years - bricks more than tires really. The mileage on this one is low though, and her suspension/ steering is still tight so with new tires and shocks she's a bit nicer than the 81 was - but of course we didn't have 16" alloys and XGTZ4 Michelins back then
I'm thinking of replacing the seals at both front doors and side door. The existing ones are fine, but I'd just like the doors to close as snug and tight as I remember them on the new car.
The biggest tangible difference between the 81' and 87' for me is the smoother idle, greater horsepower, and automatic transmission on the 87' that gives it better overall drivability. And of course the jump seats and table are pretty clever. But I liked the thinner 81' mirrors better than the boxy electric ones.

[captainpartytime]

I have an 89' Wolfsberg 'Whitestar' and an 82' Diesel Westy. I'm sure you can imagine the difference in sound! Even without the engine noise the front doors and sliding door in the 82' just seem like they are made out of thinner metal. They just do not have that beautiful low deading 'thunk' sound that my 89' has when I close the doors. I am going to try the sound deadening product on my 82' to try and quiet down the symphony of noises taking place behind the front seats. I don't think there is a noisier car than an old westy.........diesel!!!

[aguabonita]

Do you folks know whether the later model versions have this stuff going on already? I have an '87 Westy that I wouldn't mind quieting down, though it's not too bad as of now.

[stumpie]

Hey Vdubber, Do you plan any of that deadning material for the Fire Wall,behind the dash?? Is that a place that creates a lot of noise?? Mighty Art-- Did you do behind the dash?? Reading your thread makes me a little antzie, like I should go to the garage and get busy!! (To Cooooold)

[lovedavdubs]

[Big B]

Eric, my 91 had a thick foam pad under the front carpet, about an inch and one half thick, moulded, it was on both sides. Now i've got an 87 Westy and i've never looked under there. Does anybody know 'when' they started to put that thick foam formed pad under the carpet????
Thar would sure do it

[lovedavdubs]

[Big B]

Yeah, missed it , I think that's the stuff, that should stop alot of noise. My 87 Westy, when i bought it, it had the passenger door step rubber missing, man those four little holes let alot of noise in. First thing I did was order a new one from GoWesty.
Silent night

[Dead 1]

[mightyart]

Yes, with this you don't have to put back the plastic "moisture barrier".
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My Art:
http://www.instagram.com/flynn8552/

[sc-surfer]

Mighty... That stuff looks great. Are you just laying it in the panels, or are you using adheasive?? Any concern about moisture trapped within or behind it?
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'89 Syncro Westy
Catalog of Vans at SDM 2010
Westfalia, Syncro & Tristar Reproduction decals here.
* * * Coming Soon: Washable seat covers for westy bench seat...keep the pets off the upholstery! * * *

[tsombrero1]

Sorry to reply to an ancient thread but it just got added to the stickies today so it seemed like a good place to post my experience yesterday. I picked up some of that tar-based roof repair stuff (about 1/16" thick, 6" wide, comes in a roll) for $15 at Home Despot. Put it on the rear hatch panel inside, and voila! HUGE difference.

This stuff is WAY cheaper than B-Quiet. I was initially concerned about offgasssing from the tar-based stuff but (1) B-Quiet's mid-grade stuff is tar-based, and looks like the exact same stuff, and (2) any outgassing won't get past the vapor barrier anyway. I picked up some 4-mil clear plastic for that ($12).

Granted, I'm not doing the whole floor and stuff like some... just the noisy doors. One roll is plenty for that.

I also looked at the Frost King duct insulation that some have used. It is very lightweight-- I suspect it would not work nearly as well as the heavier stuff for sound deadening.
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Tennessee Sombrero

1988 Westy, Syncro-nated
2003 Aprilia Caponord (now with Jif)
Atari 2600
1970 Earthbound Humanoid

[r39o]

[singlewc]

[tsombrero1]

[westylife]

lovedavdubs:

Your laying down of sound deadening material is way better that mine. Your cuts look sharp!!

Question about the doors. Thats my next step. Why did you put it over the plastic and not behind the plastic? I thought I saw a post that said to do what you did to achieve more dampening affect, but I cant find it now. I was thinking about doing it on both sides, but like you I go overboard.

Thanks,

Jason.
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1983.5 Westfalia Bostig RG1

[lovedavdubs]

[techbot]

Just to chime in a bit on the plastic sheeting or vapor barrier. I discovered that the PO (or rather his mechanic) removed the plastic sheeting on the drivers side when I was doing a bit of sound deadening. I bought some painting drop cloth plastic that was rated for moisture and some heavy duty double stick tape. A little bit of creative x-acto knifing & patching and it was all sealed it back up nicely! I've had to take my door apart several times due to some powerlock gremlins so I'm good at it now!! Just a thought!
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1991 Westfalia Multivan

[lovedavdubs]

[westylife]

Thanks,

I tried to pull the plastic off and it seems like I might be able to pull it off and save it. If not I will use tencentlife's suggestion.

Cheers,
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1983.5 Westfalia Bostig RG1