Pulse

I've seen a bunch of questions about this, and some setups in the works that will need this. These are general tips (work for all cars) as I haven't done anything xB specific yet. Once I get my system in place I'll post more specific tips, if needed.

Okay, in no particular order:

• Buy it by the roll. The door kits are always over priced, usually are to big, or to small, and you waste a lot.
• No matter how small the piece, don't throw it out until you know you are completly done.
• Get a heat gun, if you don't have one use a hairdryer. NOTE: Do NOT use your wife/girlfriends good one, it will probably burn out if you are doing a big job and she will hurt you. If you do, and she does, it isn't my fault, you were warned. :D
• Try to do it on a sunny day. Unroll the material in the sun and let it sit for a while, this will make it a lot easier to mold.
• With doors, you do not have to do the entire inside of the door area. Just do the area around the speaker. Make sure you cover around 4-6 inches around the speaker hole, but don't let any of it show through once the door panel is back on. Also, apply it straight to the metal, not the plastic liner.
• Always use a roller (if you buy one of the big rolls, it should come with a wooden one) to press it on. Heat the material up with the heat gun and work it in with the roller. The more it sticks the better.
• There, usually, is no reason to do the entire floor of a new car. Work on the areas that are more prone to rattle; doors, hatches, areas around large subs.
• Even if you have stock speakers (in the doors) dynamatt around them, they will sound better as the speaker isn't wasing power moving the door skin. Also, later, you won't have to do more matt work when you replace the door speakers.
• If you are putting subs in the rear of the car, take everything out of the back (including the spare) and dynamatt the floor. This will keep things from making rattle sounds (spare, change that may fall in there, etc) as there won't be any metal for them to rattle against. Also, make sure you strap everything down as good as you can.
• The most over looked rattle is the license plate. This is also the easiest to fix. Take it off the car, cut some material to fit the plate (make it around a 1/4-1/2 inch smaller, all the way around, then the plate. The material will spread some.) Now heat the plate up with the heat gun (or let it sit in the sun). Put the material on the back (centered) and work it in like you did the doors (heating the material with the gun while you roll it in). Now, when you mount it to the car, it can't rattle as the metal of the plat can never touch the car.
• Try and keep all the scrapes. Why? Well, the stuff costs money. Also, you can take a bunch of scrapes and put them together to cover a remaining surface. This will come in handy later for trouble shooting.
• When the car is back together, turn the system up and close the doors. But you remain outside the car. Walk around ther car and listen for anything. If you hear something, take not of it's location. Now, turn the system off and go to the inside of the car where you heard the noise. If it's caused by something metal, take your scrapes and dynamatt it. If it's plastic, look for a way to isolate it so it can't rattle.
• A rattle is, most commonly, two hard objects (usually metal) bouncing off of each other. There is a good chance you will not be able to rid the car of all of them. Also, cars do tend to have a resonance frequency. In this range, the car itself will vibrant and make annoying noises. A lot of this can be fixed by adjusting your amps/crossovers/eq's so that the subs push a slightly higher, or lower, freq.

Okay, enough spam from me for this morning. :twisted:

Sciomodr

Also if your budget allows, you will get fewer rattles by putting sound deadening material on the molded plastic panels that you pull off to mat the metal beneath.

If you want to try saving a little money but like the idea of matting the plastic, the areas where there are seams in the plastic and the areas where items are bolted/pressed in/glued etc. to them will benefit the most from the material. The above poster is right about it being really hard to eliminate them all. Anywhere materials meet rattles will be found, so look there 1st.

Mike

Dylan

Hi Mike, what kind of sound deadening material can be used on the molded plastic panels?

Thanks,

Sciomodr

I was just suggesting using the same dynamat type stuff that you would use to put on the metal body panels.

Edit: Oh and this is in ADDITION to the matting that you do on the metal parts.

Mike

rbloedow

I've been thinking about doing this just to make the inside quieter at highway speeds - any tips on areas I should target to eliminate exterior noise?

Sciomodr

I'd look to the manufacturer's web sites for the best info. But, if its tire/road you hear, its mid door down areas to do the deadening to. Areas proximal to the corners esp wheel arches under the carpet will help for the tire sounds.

I haven't taken a car apart yet, but plan to, cavities in the car can be filled with insulation, backsides of panels dynamatted. Insulation is going to be more effective to stop wind/rush/high frequency noises, the mat is going to be more effective for the vibration/rattle/buzz noises. Jus tbe sure to take your time and do it right the 1st time, and think when you do it. Drain channels for rain, wires, etc are built into all cars now, so you need to check for those kinds of things when you go about the soundproofing stuff. You want to be sure to not block off access to something as murphy will say that whatever is unreachable is the next part needed to be reached.
Lastly, its a car, it will never be a recording studio.

Mike

DenZinz

Dynamat rocks!

I think Eric M., Randy, Adrian, and many others on this forum can vouch for me... If you want to hear the difference come to the Sundays owners meet at KK and ill demonstrate it for u.