Van Build 2 – Nothing a Spatula Can’t Handle

My father-in-law volunteered to help me dig into stage one on our Ford Transit Van Build, and something that I proooobably should have done more than 1 day prior to our 3+ week long excursion around the country. I also think he only had a partial idea about what he was getting himself into… but… Continue reading Van Build 2 – Nothing a Spatula Can’t Handle

  • Author: brad
  • December 12, 2021
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Ford Transit Van Build 2 - Thinsulate Insulation - Online Pilates Classes
Ford Transit Van Build 2 - Thinsulate Insulation - Online Pilates Classes

My father-in-law volunteered to help me dig into stage one on our Ford Transit Van Build, and something that I proooobably should have done more than 1 day prior to our 3+ week long excursion around the country. I also think he only had a partial idea about what he was getting himself into… but I’m grateful all the same.

Today we cleaned, primered, cleaned, sound proofed, cleaned… and insulated!

And this day wouldn’t even have happend if we hadn’t found Vanlife Outfitters who had the thinsulate that I was looking for and was able to ship it so that it arrived yesterday. We’re excited to actually stop by and meet them while we’re visiting Florida on our upcoming trip (pics to come!)

It was a solid 10 hour day that started with a hunt for those hard-to-find push pin pliers that help you disassemble car doors without destrying the plastic pins that hold the doors together.

Cleaning, Fixing, Primer…ing

Then it was time to clean the van, prepping for the primer. I only primered the nicks and scrates that RBG incurred over the past year of transporting everything from cactai to Cadillacs… fortunately it wasn’t too much.

ford transit van build 2 clean 2 online pilates classes
Almost feels like when we rolled RBG off the lot!

Sound Proofing

Next up was sound proofing. Two boxes of Kilmat sound proofing showed up a few days ago and went pretty thoroughly on the wheel wells and found other spaces that would make sense where we could cut down on road noise from vibrating side panels, especially the wheel wells. I fully anticipate being able to have a conversation with Lesley without shouting at each other now.

ford transit van build 2 sound proofing 1 online pilates classes
Mike rolling a Kilmat pad onto the van
ford transit van build 2 sound proofing 2 online pilates classes
Mike hunting for Kilmat pads to roll out

Some of the spots were difficult to get the roller into…

ford transit van build 2 sound proofing 3 spatula online pilates classes
Nothing that a spatula can’t handle

Insulating

After stopping to briefly admire the transformation, we moved on to measuring, measuring, measuring, and cutting the thinsulate. We attached it to the walls, ceiling, doors, and roof (above the bucket seats) with a spray adhesive. Eventually we realized that if we made a measuring mistake we could just cut the piece down and stuff it into the myriad nooks and crannies.

ford transit van build 2 thinsulate insulation 1 online pilates classes
First piece of thinsulate in place!

When we get back I’ll keep going with the insulation, as we did not disassemble any of the doors (6 of them!) I’d also like another shot at the space above the seats as well, as there is plenty more room in there to put any of the exta thinsulate we don’t use in the doors.

ford transit van build 2 thinsulate insulation 2 online pilates classes
Starting to get warm in here… (I keep telling myself)

If you’re wondering why we didn’t plaster the van from top to bottom with insulation, it’s because of this blog post by Isabelle and Antoine at FarOutRide.com where they talk about heat transfer, thermal bridges, and other fancy science stuff that really made me think before we got started.

ford transit van build 2 thinsulate insulation 3 online pilates classes
Primered, sound-proofed and thinsulated!

See You On Tour!

I’m really excite to see how quiet RGB is going to be even with only this portion of phose 1 finished. And, with insulation, rugs on the floor, a bootload of blankets, and three dogs, Lesley and I fully expect to be warmer that our last cross country drive.

We leave tomorrow for our annual winter tour. Wish us luck and see you there!

⚠️ Disclaimer: By watching this video, you agree to our Terms and Conditions, which you can read here: https://opc.me/tc

2 comments

  1. Wow, what amazing progress you made…thanks dad! Lol. I think this is so cool and plan to follow your progress. My best friend has been looking for the perfect van to convert and I’m thinking this just might be my retirement plan too. Small enough to drive everywhere, but big enough to move around and stand up! Happy and safe travels!

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SUCH A TEASE

ONLINE MAT & REFORMER PILATES CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

Teaser is probably one of the most photographed exercises in Pilates. Which makes people think it's a "peak pose." But, it's anything but! It's simply another layer to your Pilates practice. This week we will acknowledge how each exercise contributes to your ability to do Teaser (someday) and then how Teaser teaches you where to get curious in your practice.

On the Mat we will use light weights for one round of Teaser as they can be helpful for those still adding into their practice.
No props on the Reformer.

See you in class,

xx~LL

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, light weights and a Mat!

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self and a Reformer!

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

UP, UP, & AWAY

ONLINE MAT, REFORMER, CADILLAC & WUNDA CHAIR PILATES CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

We are all going to feel like Super Humans after this month!!

Whenever I’m in a hard exercise (for me) where I’m holding myself up with my arms and reaching my legs away I picture myself with super human strength!!! I can do ANYTHING! It makes me smile and helps me stay STRONG.

This month our exercise is Up Stretch and when you think about it - reaching your legs away and staying strong over the carriage may feel a lot like flying!

We’ll be focusing on stabilizing our strong cores while staying equally balanced in our arms and legs. We are giving you some amazing building blocks by merging strength and stretch in all directions. You are going to get a little bit of everything that you can use to connect to your Up Stretch (and even your Roll Up and Knee Stretches Off).

Chair: Please have a foam roller and a balance pad available. We are going to challenge your balance safely.

xx-LL

I LOVE ROCK & ROLL UP

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

Finding some love for Roll Up and Open Leg Rocker isn't easy! But, these two exercises unlock the potential for so many other exercises. And what we don't like we often need. So, let's dive into what we need to rock our Roll Ups and Open leg Rockers and see how that changes the rest of our practice in the meantime.

Mat: Magic Circle, Pole or Theraband
Reformer: Have your short box pole nearby

See ya in class,

xx~LL 💋

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, Magic Circle, Pole or Theraband and a mat!

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, short box nearby and a reformer!

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

An OPC favorite theme is back! This week's class is prop free and all about focusing on your breath. Focus on when you're holding your breath so we can explore why. And as best you can inhale and exhale as you move so that the breath can help you rock, roll, reach and stretch!

Joseph Pilates was BIG ON BREATHING! I won't make you pull out your breathisizer but I do want you to fill those lungs up!

See ya in class,

xx~LL 💋

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, and a mat!

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, and a reformer!

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

HIPPY KI-YAY, MAT & REFORMER

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

To find the work, we’ll use a hip band and mix some reformer exercises into the mat workout and some mat exercises into the reformer workout. We’ll work on finding connections to our hips while loosening them up and making them stronger.

Mat Props: hip band, light weights, and something to prop the hips up.
Reformer Props: hip band and your typical reformer pieces

See you in class,

Rachel

    MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, hip band, light weights and a mat!

    >> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

    REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, hip band and a reformer!

    >> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

    ANCHORS AWEIGH!

    Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

    Anchors Aweigh is often misspelled as Anchors Away! Did you know this? And did you know this - The expression anchors aweigh means all the anchors are clear of the sea bottom, and the ship begins its voyage. So, I actually thought I was being clever when I changed it to Anchors Aweigh because I want to use the 1 lb weights as a prop. Also, I want to use this theme to bring focus and clarity during each exercise about what's not moving vs. what is moving. And really keeping what’s not supposed to move as still and stable as can be. May be harder than you think to do, so let’s have fun with it! Think of it as a game.

    Mat prop: 1 lb weights (water bottles or soup cans as substitutions ) + pole (dowel/broomstick/swiffer as substitutions)
    Reformer prop: 1 lb weights (water bottles or soup cans as substitutions ) + pole (dowel/broomstick/swiffer as substitutions)

    See you in class,

    Christine

    MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, 1 lb weights, pole and a mat!

    >> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

    REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, 1 lb weights, pole and a reformer!

    >> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

    LOOK MA, NO HANDS!

    Online Mat, Reformer, Cadillac & Wunda Chair Pilates Class Descriptions:

    We’re going to focus on the muscles that help us get up/down to a chair, toilet, in/out of a car, and to the ground without the use of our hands to help.

    As we age, we can lose strength, flexibility, mobility in these leg and core muscles which results in us using our arms and hands to get up and down.

    Let’s keep these bodies as young as we can by practicing getting up and down with only our legs, our center, and our strong back.

    Reformer: No props needed
    Cadillac/Tower: Reformer box
    Mat: Theraband
    Chair: No props needed

    See ya in class,

    xx-LL 💋

    THE BIG 4-6

    ONLINE MAT, REFORMER, CADILLAC & WUNDA CHAIR PILATES CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

    It's Mindi's BDAY month y'all and she is turning the Big 4 6!!! Oh yeah, which means that we are going to be doing either 4 reps of an exercise or 6!!! Alternating between the two means you get to explore what it feels like to have more reps or less reps to play with an exercise.

    Mat class - have your magic circle ready!

    See ya in class,

    xx-LL 💋

    PUSH ME, PULL ME

    Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

    We often say "reach" when it comes to what the arms and legs are doing in Pilates. But, to find that reach there is a push or pull happening. In this week's class we will feel out when to push, when to pull and how that affects our center.

    Mat: Theraband or Pole
    Reformer: No extra props needed

    xx~LL

    MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, Theraband or pole and a mat!

    >> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

    REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self and a reformer!

    >> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.