What to use to cut noise in back of Chevy panel van ?

I am getting a 2005 Chevy Savana , 1 ton panel van next week , it's a base model with bare metal walls in the back.

It will be used for moving stuff , pulling my race car and sleeping in it at the swap meet or track.

I planned on putting a front room carpet on the floor , cutting it around the wheelwells to make it fit , 

But what is the best thing to put on the walls ? 

No fiberglass ,  and I am not going to panel the sides or roof , 

The plan is to cut the noise down from road noise but also outside noise at the track or when I am trying to sleep , 

Anything I can but at Home Depot etc ?

Thanks for your ideas

I have read (probably here) that mass-loaded vinyl is the best option for noise reduction. Dynamat and similar products are reported to be better at reducing vibrations. A combination of the two would be the ideal, I suppose.

I haven't used either of these yet, but I have been researching it as I plan to do a bit of noise reduction in my 2002 in the near future.

By panel van do you mean just an empty work van or a square box?

If it's the van body then you could do a layer of silver bubble wrap insulation and then carpet. That's about the only hardware store combo that comes close to one of the Dynamat type products. But the cost may be about the same and the dynamat is less PITA

If it's a straight sided box van I'd go with sheets of foam insulation from the hardware store. Easy, cheap, effective but not super bendable.

Of course you can score the back of those sheets and help them to fit the curved walls of a van but it's a lot of work...

We used Foam board from Lowes in The Candy Van.  It quieted the ride down a great deal and helps a ton with keeping it warm. It was easy to work with and I would use it again.  We used mostly 1 inch but I got some 1/2 to make door panels.  On the doors I used duct tape on the bare edges.  

Installation tip- scoring the back of the board so it can crack where you want it to helps it curve to the sides of the van.

Hi , it just a work can with no side windows , not a box van , 

I like the foam board idea but not sure if I want to do that much work !

What glue did you use for the foam board ?

Thanks

I line the RX-7 with Harbor Freight mover's blankets.  Works pretty well, and cheap.

I know I've seen someone on here (Duster maybe?) use a significantly cheaper Dynamat-like product from McMaster-Carr. https://www.mcmaster.com/sound-insulation

californiamilleghia said:

Hi , it just a work can with no side windows , not a box van , 

I like the foam board idea but not sure if I want to do that much work !

What glue did you use for the foam board ?

Thanks

No glue.  A tight friction fit between the posts. Nothing has jarred loose and we have put a few thousand miles on it.  We basically took rough measurements and then trimmed to fit. Most pieces were tapped into place with a small dead blow hammer.

It took me and the wife an afternoon.  It wasnt too bad.  Make sure to have extra blades for the utility knife.  

Dynamat or similar on the wheel arches worked great to quiet it while in motion.   I used 3M double sided tape to secure foil faced 1" foam board. Do the ceiling too. Aluminum faced tape on the edges for a finished look.

I did that on a stripper 2015 Ford Transit 250 high roof.

californiamilleghia said: 

I like the foam board idea but not sure if I want to do that much work !

Work?  That's a two beer job!  Finish it up with some inexpensive paneling so you don't poke holes in it.  Shy away from the insulation that feels like chopped cloth.  Insulates well, but add a little moisture .......

You'll appreciate the insulation if you ever have to spend the night in it, winter OR summer.

Hi , yeah I figure the wheelwells and around the diff will produce the most noise , but it's a big tin can from behind the drivers seat back.

It does have a metal divider behind the seats so I might make up some pads to put on that to stop some noise and keep the heat in the cab area , and the air-co cooling in the cab area.

I have no plans to ever travel in the snow , it never gets below freezing at night around my house , but the summers can be brutal a little inland at 100f plus for weeks. Same if you are driving to LasVegas or Arizona.

We used Peel and Seal on the wheel wells. 

When I get the van I will have to look under the wheelwells and the floor above the diff and see if there is room for the Peel and Seal , 

Or is it better to just spray it with thick undercoat or bed liner ?

We used it on top of the wheel wells.  It was still in process in the picture above.  Im sure undercoating on the bottom would help too.

Shag carpet, a mini-fridge, waterbed and wood panelling.

californiamilleghia said:

I have no plans to ever travel in the snow , it never gets below freezing at night around my house , but the summers can be brutal a little inland at 100f plus for weeks. Same if you are driving to LasVegas or Arizona.

 

Unfortunately the people who come to grief are those did not plan for the possibility of traveling through a mountain pass in winter.

In reply to Rons :

I agree , I always have a sleeping bag and blankets, dry warm clothes and shoes and food in the van all the time , 

Earthquake county here , the last 2 big ones were at early morning and I was home , but what if a real big one happens like Japan and I am 20 miles from home.....

logdog said:

We used Foam board from Lowes in The Candy Van.  It quieted the ride down a great deal and helps a ton with keeping it warm. It was easy to work with and I would use it again.  We used mostly 1 inch but I got some 1/2 to make door panels.  On the doors I used duct tape on the bare edges.  

I always thought Johns Manville would be an excellent name for a gay bar

logdog said:

We used Foam board from Lowes in The Candy Van.  It quieted the ride down a great deal and helps a ton with keeping it warm. It was easy to work with and I would use it again.  We used mostly 1 inch but I got some 1/2 to make door panels.  On the doors I used duct tape on the bare edges.  

Any issues with the foam squeaking where the edges are pressed against the van structure, when going over bumps or on rough pavement?

As for the peel and stick products, remember that you don't have to have 100% coverage - just putting some strips of the stuff on instead will accomplish most of what you're trying to do to reduce booming and drumming inside the van.

Also relating to peel & stick check to see what temp the rubberized asphalt melts at. I had a customer who installed some in a project car in his garage then it got hot in the garage and the stuff melted into a sticky gooey mess. We very rarely get over 93 F where I am, never mind 100+ in direct sunlight. His wife was NOT happy when he and his son tracked it all over the house.

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logdog said:

We used Foam board from Lowes in The Candy Van.  It quieted the ride down a great deal and helps a ton with keeping it warm. It was easy to work with and I would use it again.  We used mostly 1 inch but I got some 1/2 to make door panels.  On the doors I used duct tape on the bare edges.  

Does this also do a good job of muffling the screams and cries for help after they are lured in with the offer of free candy? 

Well at the LA Roadster show at Pomona 2 years ago it  was 110F, so think what it was with a dark car and the windows rolled up sitting in the parking lot all day ..,

My area is only 80F most of the summer ,  so not too bad.....

If I lived where it was real hot I would rig up a solar ventilation fan  to pump the hot air out during the day,  maybe a 12v computer cooling fan.....

Get it spray foamed and then line it with whatever you wish.

In reply to DeadSkunk :

How does the foam outgas in hot weather ?