It’s been a few weeks since my last post and there’s been a ton of progress on the van. Since the bed went in it’s been a mad dash to the finish and I’ve been running around like a maniac. I’ve worked 12+ hour days, 7 days a week for the last 4 weeks straight. But now I’m… done?… Or at least road ready.
Now comes the fun part. The time has come to build stuff out of wood! Which means drilling holes. Lots of holes. Each hole I drill is an emotional experience and I find myself exhausted at the end of every day simply from the uncertainty of not knowing what’s going to happen. Is this the time I drill a hole in my beautiful cherry wall and miss the narrow metal stud behind? Or is this the time my drill bit snaps in half? Perhaps it’s not the drill bit, but the screw itself. Or maybe the drill jumps out of the screw head and mars the wood surface? Each of these things has happened and I’ve had to work around each issue. Every hole is emotional.
Now comes the fun part. The time has come to build stuff out of wood! Which means drilling holes. Lots of holes. Each hole I drill is an emotional experience and I find myself exhausted at the end of every day simply from the uncertainty of not knowing what’s going to happen. Is this the time I drill a hole in my beautiful cherry wall and miss the narrow metal stud behind? Or is this the time my drill bit snaps in half? Perhaps it’s not the drill bit, but the screw itself. Or maybe the drill jumps out of the screw head and mars the wood surface? Each of these things has happened and I’ve had to work around each issue. Every hole is emotional.
Insulating a metal box is not a trivial task. It seems that everyone in the van community has their own theory and despite a plethora of options, there is no clear winner. Fiberglass is highly toxic. Spray foam is permanent and difficult to install. Cotton batts absorb water. And foam boards squeak like a thousand horny crickets! In the end I chose 3M Thinsulate SM600L as my bulk insulation. It’s non-toxic, easy to cut with scissors, and provides some sound isolation as a bonus. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a very high R value, meaning it’s not as good at retaining heat as say, fiberglass. But hey, at least it doesn’t squeak! That would probably drive me off a cliff in a matter of days.
Today iVan learned to sing. And he’s REALLY good at it! This is my fourth car audio system, but the first that I’ve installed myself. Growing up in a piano store, music has always been a big part of my life. These days I no longer play piano, but I’ve been left with a high appreciation for music and quality sound.
