For my next bus, I'm thinking about getting it murdered out...
You know like on Rob and Big!
http://www.chevroletforum.com/m_32716/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm
Murdered out means it would be all black, with powdercoat black rims, black bumpers, headlight bezells, everything. Then get really dark tint on all the windows!
What'chall think about that???
I think it might be cool. Kinda like ACE'S bus before he painted it.
Hi Jimmy,
Thats how my bus was before the paint, except I had chrome sims on the wheels.
Nick-
Nick,
I kinda like it...
Well,
I sure wouldn't change what I have now..... I have grown out of people thinking that I was Goverment/Tactical unit! LOL
Nick-
Kinda hard to cool in summer?
It will look great.
It will also cost you a fortune to cool it. Don't even think about traveling in the desert in the summer without at least 65,000 BTU/h of cooling capacity, either engine-driven or with your genny running full time to power it.
You can mitigate this a little bit without compromising "the look" too much by painting the roof polar white.
The dark window tint will help a bit, too, but remember that the windshield and the front side windows can't be tinted beyond a certain point in many states. There is no exemption for out-of-state registered vehicles -- you can be stopped, cited, and even forced to fix it before moving further for unlawful tint in many places. For instance, California law allows a maximum 12% tint (88% transmissivity), which is not enough, for example, to keep people outside from seeing you inside.
FWIW.
-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com
Another factor you may want to research - Even if you can air condition the interior sufficiently, the outer skin is going to be much hotter. It seems to me that significantly higher temperatures would cause a significant increase in expansion of large panels. I don't know if it would be enough to cause ripples or waves, but you may want to get an expert opinion on it.
You guy's bring up a good point..
Last summer before the paint job, while still in black primer, Bruce Knee and I did a temp gun test on my bus.
It was 90+ deg's outside under a hot sun and my bus read 186 deg's. The white car beside my bus read 122 deg's. Big difference.....
Then we ate lunch in a real good steak joint.....Bruce, that was an awsome sandwich.. When can we go back there? LOL
Nick-
Nick,
So does the fact that the primer was flat as opposed to being reflective have any bearing on that heat thing?
I've read posts before that black is a bad idea, but I figured with enough foam insulation, it wouldn't matter too much. But I never thought about it buckling. That might be a problem...
Anyway, it was just a thought. I'll probably end up going with something a little more traditional. But imagine a PD 4107 "murdered out", it would be AWESOME!!!!
(Can you believe I'm almost 38 years old?)
Quote from: brojcol on July 17, 2007, 07:25:50 PM
Nick,
So does the fact that the primer was flat as opposed to being reflective have any bearing on that heat thing?
I've read posts before that black is a bad idea, but I figured with enough foam insulation, it wouldn't matter too much. But I never thought about it buckling. That might be a problem...
Anyway, it was just a thought. I'll probably end up going with something a little more traditional. But imagine a PD 4107 "murdered out", it would be AWESOME!!!!
(Can you believe I'm almost 38 years old?)
Jimmy,
I guess you will have to show me some "Reflective Black" surface and we can do a temp test in the sun...lol
Yes, I can believe your "38" because I can't believe I'm "42" Ha Ha Ha ....
Nick-
Well, you asked, and keep in mind this is my opinion, not meant to be demeaning in any way, and is coming from someone who's decided if I never get my bus painted it won't really matter, but I personally think unless it's done "right", it would be ugly as sin. I think you could pull it off if you put chrome on in, and maybe some gold, red, or blue flake in the paint, or possibly some flames in pearl. I just don't think you can make an all black scheme work. And, Nick, no offense, but I didn't really like the look of the black, but the new paint it awesome!
It would be impossible to cool, also, no matter how many airs you put on it.
My bus is white topped, with primer grey sides, and dark tint windows. It's currently sitting in southern Colorado, where it was 101 deg today. I am plugged into a 20 amp circuit running only one compressor in my dual compressor basement air. I took a nap this afternoon, and when I woke up at 2:00, it was already 95 degrees inside with the one compressor running. We're going to hook up to a 50 amp circuit tomorrow so I can turn on the other compressor.
There is an awesome senic that is mostly black that I have seen on this board. You can find it somewhere in the photo posts. So very, very cool! 8)
Just an example;
Some of the electronic cabinets I deal with are about the size of a small van on the side of the road.
They are painted forest green, so as to blend in. LOL
One day we shot the top and they were 185 deg on a 95 deg day.
Painted the top of one white, where we had two next to each other.
Shot them on the next 95 +/- day and the white top was only 5 above air temp.
The green was still in the 180's. You do the math. ???
Cliff
I've been watching this thread with interest, and curiosity got the best of me today. I took my temp gun out to the bus at 4:00 this afternoon and measured the temps on the inside of the windshield and the outside. With a 93 degree outside actual temp, the windshield measured 138 degrees on the outside surface. I have the 1/4" foil sandwiched bubble wrap as an inside cover while the bus is parked. The temperature on the inside surface of the insulation measured 77 degrees with my front Coleman roof air running on low. I was amazed at the difference that thin Lowe's insulation made! I checked the temperature on a couple other interior surfaces, and they were within a couple degrees of the insulation temperature. So---- reflectivity really is an asset for keeping things cool in our buses.
White will be cooler than any other color every time. For some strange reason many think silver is cool, it just isn't so. Try placing your hand on top of a black car in the hot sun sometime, then try it on a white car. This convinces much better than any thermometer.
What's with this black or dark look anyway, is this a macho thing?? I see all these huge black SUVs in AZ and S Cal, makes no sense whatever to me??
I've lived in the tropics a bunch of times where white is the only way to go.
Quote from: orfunauto on July 18, 2007, 06:58:57 PM
I've been watching this thread with interest, and curiosity got the best of me today. I took my temp gun out to the bus at 4:00 this afternoon and measured the temps on the inside of the windshield and the outside. With a 93 degree outside actual temp, the windshield measured 138 degrees on the outside surface. I have the 1/4" foil sandwiched bubble wrap as an inside cover while the bus is parked. The temperature on the inside surface of the insulation measured 77 degrees with my front Coleman roof air running on low. I was amazed at the difference that thin Lowe's insulation made! I checked the temperature on a couple other interior surfaces, and they were within a couple degrees of the insulation temperature. So---- reflectivity really is an asset for keeping things cool in our buses.
Since you have the bubble foil and a temp gun, here would be an interesting test to see how sandwiching with other materials affects the performance. Cut two pieces of cardboard the same size (i.e. 2ft x 3ft) and sandwich the bubble foil with no air space between the cardboard and bubble foil on one side of the windshield. Do this early in the day and have the same AC setting. When the heat of the day is in full swing and the windshield is getting direct sun, measure each side, the foil only and the foil sandwich.
I have read statements on both side of the issue from people whose knowledge I highly respect. I think this would be a good way to test the impact of using bubble foil without air space (or glass on the radiant side) surrounding it.
Now here's one for ya...
instead of black paint, just bubble foil the whole bus...Lol
Would look like something from Buck Rodgers or something!
Nick-
OK hitechredneck,
I tried what you mentioned in your reply from yesterday. At about the same time today as yesterday, the outside temp was 95 degrees ambient, the temp on the windshield in front of the cardboard side was at 130 degrees, and the inside temp was 102 on the cardboard. The outside temp on the windshield in front of the foil was 149 degrees, and the inside temp on the foil was 88 degrees. Even though I used a thermometer and it was by far not at all scientific, I'm convinced of the benefits of the foil just by the reflected temp of the foil on the outside of the windshield....19 degrees more than the cardboard.....and 12 degrees cooler than the cardboard on the inside..... :)
Just to make sure I'm clear on it, the 102° side with the cardboard, was that with the bubble foil material sandwiched between sheets of cardboard, or just cardboard by itself?
Just the cardboard.
That's what I thought it sounded like. My curiousity was actually about how effective bubble foil is when it doesn't have air space or glass on the radiant side (i.e. when it is used between rigid foam insulation and the exterior wall/roof of the bus). Some claim it loses almost all of it's insulating value while others claim it still works well. I highly respect the experience and knowledge of the people on both sides of the issue so it makes it hard without actually testing the concept.