Judging by the recent years spent at the National Windsurfing Festival, which almost felt like a van meet, we are convinced this should go down a treat. In the coming months you will get to feast your eyes on all the latest van ‘things’. Whats-more, you will even get tips on how to improve your own van, so come your next windsurf trip you will have the warmest, coolest, pimp-mobile on the beach. Let’s face it, we love our vans and it could be defined as a way of life, many even believe that it takes a van to make the true windsurfer complete. So we need a few top tips from some of the best in the business, lets hand over to Exploria Ltd, a highly rated, UK based, van conversion company…
Established over 10 years ago, Exploria was set up by Graeme Hirst, an experienced windsurfer who has been sailing for over 20 years. Graeme set up the company after years of designing and building his own camper vans to accommodate his active lifestyle. He describes Exploria as a young & creative company, offering some of the most modern designs and ideas in the motorhome industry.
Exploria offers a wide range of conversions, from window and seat installations, line-outs, vehicle styling, high quality sound systems, all the way up to high spec, bespoke camper vans. Take a look below at some of the work that Exploria have to offer…
Each month Exploria will bring you some handy hints and information on van conversions and getting the most out of your van. Whether you simply want to know how to fit a swivel base or how to install a leisure battery, we’ll be bringing you some useful tips. This month’s feature will focus on soundproofing and insulation, as with Spring fast approaching, now is the ideal time to prepare your van for the spring/summer season!
Soundproofing and Insulation
Most standard panel vans are often noisy and uncomfortable to travel in and don’t offer the refinements and comfort that a car does. A panel van is effectively a tin can which echoes external noises through the body of the vehicle.
Our solution to reduce the road noise and drumming experienced in a typical panel van is to use a two part process of soundproofing and insulation. This involves bonding a dense fibre, re-constituted product to the floor, roof and all internal panels in the rear of the vehicle. This reduces the amount of deflection in the steel panels and absorbs both road and external noise.
The second stage of the process is to insulate, by using a recycled woven insulating product, bonded on top of the sound proofing. Any other cavernous areas are also filled with the insulation product.
The overall result is a vast reduction in noise and drumming from your vehicle, prevention of the build up of condensation and your vehicle will be warmer in the winter and cooler through the summer. You will also notice that quality ‘thud’ when shutting the doors.
We would recommend having your van soundproofed & insulated professionally, but for those who enjoy a bit of DIY, want to be involved in the conversion process and are willing to invest the time and effort, it is possible to do the work yourself. To make the process a little easier, Exploria are offering DIY kits for the VW Transporter T5 (SWB & LWB), which consist of pre-cut soundproofing panels, insulation material and a high temperature resistant, pack of 12 aerosol glue. All you will need are some basic tools to remove and re-fix the ply panels and a free day to carry out the work.
For further information please go to: www.exploria-online.co.uk/vw_conversions/soundproofing
The final stage in making your vehicle more comfortable is to ply line and trim the van, which also adds to the soundproofing and insulation effects.
If there are any specific items that you would like Exploria to cover over the next 12 months then please send your requests to [email protected]
