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Insulated my partition - mostly for sound but there is a huge improvement in HVAC with a big temp difference between front and back. I did this project because the highway noise is just too much and gives me a migraine if I have to drive more than 30 minutes. Turning up the stereo to drown out the noise only makes it worse. There has been a drastic reduction in noise in the cab and the music sounds better now since it’s not echoing/competing with the reverberations in the back. I used Owens Corning Foamular 150 - 1” thick extruded polystyrene. More dense, less squeaky, and much less messy than regular expanded white polystyrene. I cut and fitted each piece to fit in the partition panels, sealed the top gap into the headliner, and sealed 95% of the sides, leaving 5% open for pressure release into the rear vent when closing the front doors. I used aluminum tape to secure everything and trim it out. The partition door has been bolted shut since I got the van and I was ok leaving it that way, but I could not properly fit the foam panels in without opening the door. So I added 2 latches in the front and now I can open it if I ever need to. I also fitted a piece of plexiglass over the holes in the door to block sound and framed it out with foam so I can still see into the back. I sealed around the partition door with weather stripping. Total cost was about $35 for materials and took me a few hours. The LED lights in the back I did a while ago but just got around to taking a pic. They were $9 on eBay.
Replaced the water pump. Side note, do not push a mounting bolts through a gasket or you're going to have a bad time. Make the smart move and get under the front to get a good look at the lower end.
Replaced the driver's seat bottom. It was down to the metal on the left side, probably from all the entries/exits when it was a fleet van. My lower back went numb on the drive up here so I figured it was time to fix it. I ordered a cover from TheSeatShop - super high quality product, very impressed. For anyone wondering, it was a better quality than Texan Auto Seat. Got it during the Black Friday sale for right around $100. Picked up a new seat foam for about $60 on eBay. I used the installation video from TheSeatShop and it was super simple - took me about 20 minutes. I now sit way higher, which I'm not fond of because I'm already tall and I liked sitting lower in the van. Still playing with the mirrors to get the perfect angle. It's definitely more comfortable and I don't feel every little road bump in my spine. Just wish I could sit lower.
Thanks.. I knew it was bad, just didn't realize how bad until I sat on the new seat. If it was just a work van I probably would have left it alone but I now have a 1 hour round trip commute to work so it needed to be fixed for the sake of my back. The Seat Shop sells all parts of the seat including a new and improved foam. I didn't buy their foam but am very impressed with the cover.
New plugs and wires. I’ve been having a bit of a mild ignition stumble and have no idea when the last time they were changed. The van just doesn’t move like it should. Replaced with AC Delco Original Equipment and experienced an immediate and drastic increase in power, smooth idle, and throttle response. The old plugs were 41-110 - ACD lists these for a 2015-2016 6.2L engine. I ordered the proper plugs, ACD 41-162. Not sure if this makes a huge difference or they were just worn out but its like a new van now. Currently re-calculating MPG and will see if it has improved in a few days.
Yeah that one in the close-up was toast. There's a lot of black soot on them. You might be running a bit rich.
They pretty much all looked like that. They may also have 100k on them, the company that owned the van took the cheapest route on everything. I wasn’t able to get any service records from them.
