2003 Troopy interior (rear) panel replacement, done. (1 Viewer)

[PhillipJFrye]

Ok, so the advice I gleaned from the nice folks here definitely guided me through this project. Thanks to all.

The mission was to replace the old 1/4" plywood panels that had replaced the OEM panels over 15 years ago. Also install sound deadening material on the sheet metal and on the new panels (had extra, so why not?). I went with 1/8" ABS, the basic economy ABS, which i ordered from an online plastics supplier who cut rectangles about 1-2" proud of the largest dimensions of each panel. Took almost exactly two sheets of ABS to produce what i needed, including the front doors which haven't done yet.

First, remove panels and clean the hell out of everything. Vacuum, then spray cleaner with rags or paper towels. Use gloves! There are plenty of sharp edges in those bays to slice your hands on. Take your time, have a beer, keep going until...

Now get to cutting and installing sound deadener on the sheet metal. I used a dynamat knock off from amazon. Also threw in a bit of heat barrier foam I had left over from doing the ceiling, just behind where the 6x9 speakers go to perhaps help with sound quality. As you can tell, I'm going rustic style, not being too perfect about coverage.

to be continued...

 

[PhillipJFrye]

Now I use the old plywood panels to outline and cut the ABS. The lines were good, but an occasional screw hole didn't line up well, so in that case a new hole location was figured. Also, my initial attempt to cut with a jigsaw began to melt the ABS. I had a blade that was good for PVC, supposedly, but maybe that was the wrong thing. Luckily I have a band saw that produces much less heat. So lots of test fitting to refine edges and line up holes, but pretty easy. Also added a few more screw holes for additional stability.

Now throwing on sound deadener to the backside of each panel, easy peasy.

And here's a panel with everything on it, including felt tape on the perimeter to hopefully help with any vibration against metal.

and continuing....

 

[PhillipJFrye]

Attached all the panels with #8 Stainless 3/4" Phillips Pan Head screws. Came out pretty well.

And with all the family/fun stuff installed...

Short term conclusions:

By far the biggest difference came from the sound deadening. The cumulative effect of what I've done so far has this clanging bell of a vehicle almost sounding like a regular sedan. What a big difference, and the speakers don't rattle plywood anymore so the sound quality is way up.

This ABS material does scratch quite easily. I don't care, since this car as a whole gets the hell kicked out of it between being used as a work vehicle and going on chaotic family outings with dogs and all. There is ABS available that is supposedly much more scratch and impact resistant and costs much more. I'd be interested if anyone has any experience with that stuff. Were I to do this again, i might opt for 1/4" ABS which would stick out a little from the metal recess, but be a bit more sturdy. I'll probably revisit this thread after some time using this setup and have a more solid opinion.

Future: as you can see the white painted interior metal sticks out even worse now. My plan is actually to have someone wrap it, to avoid the whole painting/prep nightmare. No rush there.

I'd be happy to answer any questions that might help.

 

[RhinoRig]

Great job!

 

[PhillipJFrye]

Great job!

Thanks Rhino

 

[Honger]

This turned out fantastic! What plastic supplier did you use? One there in Panama or one based out of the States? (or elsewhere)
That ABS really looks good.

 

[PhillipJFrye]

This turned out fantastic! What plastic supplier did you use? One there in Panama or one based out of the States? (or elsewhere)
That ABS really looks good.

thanks. i do like how it came out in general. i used curbellplastics.com in the states... they did a fine job cutting the basic rectangles i needed. i haven't posted it yet, but if i were to start again i might go with thicker 1/4" instead of 1/8" because it looks like the recesses in the sheet metal are deep enough, so why not something a bit stronger. that, and there is the temperature factor.
that is, i installed everything up here in the highlands where it's normal, about 70F during the day. when i go down into the cauldron that is David, at sea level, the abs expands and some waves appear. not the end of the world and somewhat controllable with some more screws, but maybe hdpe or a higher grade abs might put up with the temperature fluctuations better. cheers.