[BabyBuffy]

I've done an insane amount of reading about insulating. I thought I had all my materials on hand for doing the floor but discovered today when reading a comment made somewhere by Orton that MLV worked best with a layer to isolate it from the metal so I ordered a roll of 1/8" polyethylene that I will apply as the layer under the MLV I already have.

Later I was gratified to see when I re-read the sounddeadener website that was specifically what they recommended doing.

The only person who I've run across who describes going to the effort to sound deaden the driver's compartment is KLP in his impressive "Yellow bird" write-up.

Now I feel compelled to follow his footsteps and it has me worried because even he hasn't yet described overcoming the challenges of insulating all of that nasty area with it's potential for setting off airbags and whatever other threats exist there.

It has me wondering how many on this forum who have described extensively their insulating method have thoroughly tackled doing the driver's area? Do you do the firewall, under the seats, do the seats have to be removed? Do people insulate their driver and passenger doors? Do you use CLD and MLV?

 

[RandomJoe]

I just insulated above the headliner and in the doors. It made quite a difference. There is tons of room above the headliner for insulation, including in the areas above the doors (so roomy there I doubled up the insulation), and doing that area greatly reduced the wind noise at highway speeds. The doors helped with road noise - and made the "turbo whine" almost inaudible! (Sacrilege, I know - I don't like hearing it! )

The headliner is a pain to remove / reinstall, but it isn't terribly difficult as long as you have trim removal tools. (The ends of them look like wide flat screwdrivers with a notch in the center to pop out the plastic pins.) Someone else here mentioned getting a set from Harbor Freight, so that's what I got and they worked just fine. You also have to drop the overhead shelf / remove visors / remove dome light. Lots of screws including one hidden deep inside the hole for the dome light. (A putty knife along the front edge of the dome light will release the catches that hold it in.)

The doors I did differently. I didn't want to put anything IN the doors since that area will get wet over time as water seeps between the window and seal. The plastic door trim is quite thick has lots of space inside for insulation though! I cut chunks of insulation to fit into all the crevices.

Getting the door trim off took a little bit to find all the screws and get the clips to release but it's doable.

Really, the airbags weren't a problem. Just leave them be and don't do anything where it'll impede the inflation of the bag if/when. The ones in the headliner don't need to be touched, if you remove the seats you'll have to unplug the ones in there but again no big deal - they're wired to a plug under the seat like everything else powered in the seat (occupant sensor, motor leads if power seats...).

 

[BabyBuffy]

Attempting to find out how I will be able to expose the inside of doors when it comes time to insulate. Not sure if this video applies but now I'm scratching my head about what it will take to get the door panels off.

In this video the guy fails to solve the problem.

I know several people on the forum have succeeded. What is the procedure?

 

[surly Bill]

The door panels come off easy, there is a link to a video on the thread discussing side mirror replacement/trade. Something like 5 torx screws (some under covers), unplugging the wire harness, then unhooking the door handle cable. There is a plastic film over the main hole, but it sticks right back on.

 

[Michael Ophus]

a speaker thread but it does a good job of telling you how to take the doors apart! http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/...ting/28394-door-speakers-tweeter-install.html

 

[BabyBuffy]

The door panels come off easy, there is a link to a video on the thread discussing side mirror replacement/trade. Something like 5 torx screws (some under covers), unplugging the wire harness, then unhooking the door handle cable. There is a plastic film over the main hole, but it sticks right back on.

Any opinions about whether or not worthwhile to pro-actively acquire a collection of Push Retainers to have on hand once I'm into stripping down the interior for insulating?


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IXXNP9S/ref=pd_luc_rh_top_sim_04_03_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[RandomJoe]

I've been able to reuse all my retainer pins. I've even taken the big foam blocks out several times (I keep adding things...!) and while the two pins in them are looking pretty rough they still hold fine when I push them back in.

There haven't been that many of them anyway - but I don't have the "load protection" panels or whatever they called it, so I just had a few on the slider door, the two in each foam block, the three (think it is?) that hold the back edge of the head liner.

 

[hawkeng]

Any opinions about whether or not worthwhile to pro-actively acquire a collection of Push Retainers to have on hand once I'm into stripping down the interior for insulating?


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IXXNP9S/ref=pd_luc_rh_top_sim_04_03_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I have found this website to order replacement clips.

http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/default.asp

The generic ones do not always fit the best.

 

[orton]

I've been able to reuse all my retainer pins. I've even taken the big foam blocks out several times (I keep adding things...!) and while the two pins in them are looking pretty rough they still hold fine when I push them back in.

Bought replacement foam block pins from local Ford dealer. They had them in stock and they cost $2.93 each. Part # *W710532*S300