An idea: Insulating Westy Pop-Top?

[rockfish]

Has anyone considered applying a heat/noise insulation mat to a Westy pop-top? Of course then you would need to add a headliner...but was wondering if it has been tried and what the result may have been.

I have to believe you could do the same in the cabin space above the front seats - remove headliner, apply mat and then replace headliner...
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89 Westy
GW 2.5 5-speed trans

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
- John Wooden

[TJC]

You may try Reflectix insulation...about 95% effective in reflecting what you don't want getting in, or escaping from the inside. I'm not so sure what your sound deadening requirements are, and this may not totally fit the bill, but it does help some.

A big plus is that it is readily available, easy to use and make patterns from (cuts with a good sharp pair of scissors and is only about 3/8" thick), and is relatively inexpensive for the result.

I've used it not only in auto applications, but in my home as well.

Oh and it is commonly available on rolls that are 2' wide or 4' wide...check your local True Value Hardware store or Home Depot.

[1621]

Didn't Fungrvn line his pop top with some heavy marine carpet of some sort? I may even have that bookmarked somewhere, but that may be of some benefit.

The real question is how much heat is being transferred through the fiberglass. I don't know, but a good first step might be some type of reflective paint on the top of the van to prevent solar gain since most owners are fair weather campers. I'm interested in what others have to offer, but I think we'd need a baseline for heat transfer to start from.
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'85 Westy

[1621]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=351985&highlight=flocking
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'85 Westy

[rockfish]

My top is white (I changed the color from the blue that matched the body color). I like the 2-tone effect.

Noise is a greater concern - besides working on the panels and floor, just thought that the roof might be another place to consider.
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89 Westy
GW 2.5 5-speed trans

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
- John Wooden

[Keyport Westy]

Hi,

I took on a poptop headliner project last Fall while the body was at the paint shop then I brought the pop top over when it was time to paint the vehicle.

My initial conditions: Black mold and mildew everywhere, missing flocking and general blech....

Goals:
A. Dramatically improve thermal and sound insulation of the pop top (while insulating the rest of the van).
B. Make it EZ to inspect/clean for mold and mildew at the beginning and end of the camping season.
C. Blend pop top's appearence with the rest of the van's interior.

Poptop features:
1. No Flocking; entirely removed.

2. Soundproofing added; combination of strategically placed Second Skin Damplifier sheets and about 4 gallons of liquid soundproofing (Noxudol). Selected because it could adhere to fiberglass w/o a primer coat as with another equally good brand I used in other sections of the van.

3. Metal 1" washers placed on a grid and glued to the flat underside and completely covered with a tweed fabric purchased from SewFine. The same Tweed fabric was used for the front headliner and around the windows inplace of the OEM vinyl.

4. A total of three removable thermal plus sound insulation panels are presently under construction. They should not potrude any lower than the surrounding 1" vertical border next to the attachment surface for the tent itself. There should be a flat sight line of flat tweed covered panels. I am using rare earth magnets with predrilled countersunk holes to mate to the washers. The foil-faced "Lobrocrud" and not the "bubble wrap" competitor will be attached to a 1/4 ply panel faced with 1/8" ensolite and the same tweed fabric material.

5. I have a 3" solar-powered vent installed in a Skylight Guy single pane skylight to assist with promoting air movement. It has not yet been installed to determine if it is going to be worth removing my very nice dbl pane skylight. It is a very nice design but I cannot comment regarding its performance yet.

6. Jack Bombay lift shocks need to be installed.

Initial Impression:
I drove it back from the painter and the rear area was noticeably quieter even without the removable insulation panels or the tent installed. Its been parked since and have unable to test it further.

Questions to consider:
1. What do you want to do and why? Cover up the flocking, add insulation, or both...
2. What kind of timeline are you on?
3. Do you really want to remove the flocking? It is a ton of work and requires chemical and mechanical methods. The insulation requires a very clean surface to promote adhesion.
4. Are you concerned that much about mold and mildew?

There are some great glue-in headliner products that I contemplated that would have saved a lot of time for me, but no..... I had to over-engineer it :)

Thanks
Keyport Westy