Although the HX60 is a relative comfortable and modern vehicle, it is still a utility truck. Rugged, bold, harsh, very green and no sound proofing or insulation. In short: a real Monster!
We are turning Monster into a Mountain Yacht, so we decided to do an overhaul of the cabin and go mountain style all the way.
We started by painting everything that would be in sight. We have chosen Hammerite Black Structure paint, the same as we used on our Sprinter 4×4. We apply three coats of Hammerite.
After applying the paint we start with soundproofing the engine tunnel, entire floor and doors. We use STP Back Gold which has very good dampening characteristics. It’s also easy to apply, cut and form. Crawling through the cab and making sure no spots are missed is a lot of work though.
We glue hardwood strips to the back of the cabin and in front of the engine tunnel, this is where we will have our oak flooring panels. On the engine tunnel, behind the third seat, we want to make a floor as well, mainly for our dog Scotty. We have to overcome 9 cm of height here.
The next step is insulation of the cabin. For this we use Armacell in the 6 mm version. Easy to fold, bend and apply. At the back wall we apply three layers of Armacell and the rest of the STP soundproofing material is covered with one layer of Armacell.
Finally we are getting somewhere! We are moving into the finishing phase of mounting the oak flooring panels and the black velvet that is the last layer over the Armacell insulation. We have chosen self-adhesive velvet and this is very difficult material to apply. It is extremely sticky and no chance to re-adjust. It is a choice between this and using spray glue which will probably spread all over the place. Thus leaving glue-dust in the whole cabin. For us an easy choice to go for the self-adhesive black velvet.
We wrapped the entry bars with classic Italian genuine leather race bike handlebar straps. Looks the part, but also easier on the hands and much less cold than the steel bars. We also have a dark grey barrier rug on the floor.
We decide to leave the chairs the way they are. The brown chairs looked a bit odd when we got the HX. But now that we have refurbished the cabin we think they fit in perfectly with the oak, and black felt. The material looks very rugged as well and can take a punch or two.
For now, we are quite happy with the result. The cabin looks & feels much cosier and the soundproofing paid off. The engine and driving sound is noticeably less.
Scotty is happy as well!
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