Engine Noise!

[FawnaFox]

So 5" is a lot. You could certainly build out over that if you felt so inclined. I'm assuming there's some way to maintain access to the fuse panel and still create some measure of sound barrier.

Don't know if it helps, but here's (link below) is what we did with your area (which admittedly is completely different from yours. Steel framework comprises a skeleton upon which wood panels are installed (via rivet nuts). Pretty much everything comes off with 4 bolts... 4 bolts to remove the battery box cover, 4 bolts to remove the inverter / electric area cover, 4 bolts to remove the upper dash, etc. So everything remains accessible.

Hit this link. Pretty much everything I'm talking about is on that page of our build thread (scroll up & down)...

Our dash build

That Looks really good, I'll have to measure how well something like that would work with my bus, but also I've been hesitant to modify anything up front past a small box. I'm really not wanting to tear apart the dashboard, mostly because of how many wires my bus has, being an early EFI engine bus, and also having ABS and a whole other computer for that. My conversion is laxed in the modifications to the bus itself, which is probably not the greatest Idea.. but it's how I'm going to do it, mostly for cost and simplicity. Here's a picture of my bus's dash wish all of the panels off to show..

 

[Mr. Beefy]

That's a great photo. It sure looks like you have a lot of space there essentially going to waste.

 

[nikitis]

My dash as requested:

As you can see spacious, a little dirty right now cause I was using the bus as a moving everything in my house van. I have a very open and wide space which is ideal, but also not because there is an engine on the other side, but that's true of those with FEs and doghouses too, but I at least get space.

 

[Mr. Beefy]

Man, that's pretty awesome (all that useable space). Do you have any solid plans on what you're doing with that space, Nikitis?

 

[nikitis]

I think, I just wanna keep it as space. It's pretty unique as it is, I've rearly seen a bus like that in the front without something there, (Either a large fuse panel, or AC,). I already added a fire extinquisher. I may add a Single Din stereo there in the upper middle but that's basically it.

I've also noticed some odd gravitational anomalies in that area, where I can put a Stanley cup of water there, drive the bus, and it never tips over on the ground. Anything in that area for whatever reason NEVER moves, even if I slam on brakes. It's really really odd. (And that is certainly not true for objects behind my seat.) Probably something to do with the position of the front axle location and that area?

If I really wanted to put in the work, I could move the glove box over farther to the right, and add the stereo in the current glovebox's place and still keep all of the space. Putting the stereo that far right would be problemsome trying to access it while driving so I'd have to move the box.

 

[Mr. Beefy]

If I really wanted to put in the work, I could move the glove box over farther to the right, and add the stereo in the current glovebox's place and still keep all of the space. Putting the stereo that far right would be problemsome trying to access it while driving so I'd have to move the box.

Our deck is accessible from the driver's seat, but it's still too far below the line of sight for me to feel safe dicking with it while driving. Fortunately, the android app for it (Kenwood) incorporates most of the functionality I need. I mounted my phone holder where I can easily interact with it while driving, so that was my work-around to that problem.

LOL at your physics-defying zone. Only laughing because I've experienced the same before (though not in my bus). I pretty much just chalked it up to magic

 

[nikitis]

Yeah my stereo I plan to add is mainly for Bluetooth audio from my phone. If you look closely at my second photo, I have a phone holder on the left of my steering wheel. My problem now is that the engine is too loud that I cannot hear audio from my phone so with a stereo with Bluetooth and some speakers in the ceiling, that may allow me to hear the Google maps navigator voice.