Sound Deadening

[Gilbern74]

I'm about to stick some ancillaries/bits/bobs back in the car and need to think about getting the sound deadening / firewall covers back in place first.

Starting with the engine-side firewall, I dug out and gave the old vinyl covered engine bay surround a good scrub up and it came out pretty well.
But I was thinking of adding an additional layer of 'something' underneath to absorb some heat and noise.

This is what I'm talking about................................................................................on to the blank canvas



This got me thinking about the interior sound deadening as well. The bog-standard 'classic' felt stuff should still do a good job and I intend to use that again, but with something else underneath.
This also brings in the subject of water/damp-proofing at the same time.... is there a product that can shore up the panels, reduce noise and provide water-proofing at the same time..? Ok, glassfibre over the cracks is the first option, and I intend to do a spray test to identify and cover over any potential leaks with the stuff. But another barrier below the felt won't hurt either.

I have been looking at some of the Second Skin stuff here at Car Audio Direct and was wondering what (if any) additional barriers others have put in place in their Gilberns?
That stuff seems extraordinarily expensive and there is cheaper stuff out there. But what caught my eye was the 'Sludge' product they have which I thought might be a good brush-on barrier for both the floors and also inside the wheel arches.

I intend to use some of the Damplifier on the engine-side firewall with the old vinyl covers on top of it.
That stuff is a little heavy, I guess to add Mass in order to prevent vibration - quoted as: Mass/Area: .42 lbs/Sq.Ft. (2.05 kg/m²).

I don't know what this translates to in terms of additional weight to the car if it were applied to the whole interior.... I'll have to measue and work it out. I don't want to add too much weight, but I might use the same stuff inside as well to cover this lot:

Inside job...


...then there's the boot/bonnet/etc/etc. Could get a bit pricey! Decisions...decisions...


Any opinions or stories from anyone out there in cyber-Gilbern-space on this subject?

Jason

[Greybags]

I have been looking into sound deadning myself as hopefully now that I have retired (gentleman of lesiure, when the wife has finished her list of essential things to do) I can get on with stripping the paint and preparing the interior ..

I have looked into the eDead stuff which is highly rated, but when I picked up a 4 sq feet pack the other day was totally amazed by just how heavy it is, as well as pricey. I think to do the whole car with the stuff would probably double it's weight...

Nice and quiet but can only reach 35MPH

Checking out the Woolies site http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/c-126-felt.aspx will probably go for a mix of the 11mm Latex for the bonnet, 11mm felt for the floor and 6mm for elsewhere.

Grahame

[Waylison]

Hi Jason.

In case you're not aware, Wollies is at Market Deeping, so you could pop along to them and chat through you're requirements and actually handle the stuff.

Glad you're sorted with an engine, I looked at the 3.4 also, but they were initially much more expensive on ebay when the guy first put them on. While you're about it, look to upgrading to a 5 speed box if you can. Makes a big difference. I know a chap up north who's busy putting a BMW 6 speed box on his essex in his one of many Gilberns.

Cheers,
Wayne.

[Gilbern74]

I never realised Woolies were that close. Might pop in next time I'm up that way (which isn't often).
Having looked at their Felt, which I had pencilled in to order from them it seems rather pricey now I think about it... is felt really £12/metre??! I suppose 54" wide is quite large though.

Regarding the engine, these last ones he's selling are not full engines like the previous batch, hence a little cheaper. But that's fine fopr me as I have so many engine bits lying around. I was going to give that Dave Gathercole (who you told me about) a call regarding the flywheel lightening and balancing, once the engine arrives.

[trippdl]

That vinyl-covered sound insulation in the engine compartment was not on any of mine, but looks good. For the engine side of the bulkhead, I intend to have a look at Thermo-Tec, it appears to be the same stuff Lotus use for the engine bay on the Elise, it reflects the heat (also for the underside of the bonnet; for the interior, where the felt was, I was advised by my local 'expert' that I should stick to the original DynaMat, as he reckons it works better than the copies.

The last owner of the Genie had used something probably from a building site that was a layer of self-stick foam bonded to a sheet of lead, bonded to more foam, then an aluminium sheet. Probably very effective at sound deadening, but so thick that I could not get the rear seats (made up of five parts across the width of the rear seat backs) to fit until I removed it from the sides of the interior mouldings, and what a pain that was - the Dynamat is a lot thinner. Also to keep in mind - all of my cars have had leaks until I had the windscreens re-sealed. The felt, once it gets wet, will hold the moisture until the carpet rots. I'd like something with a skin, so the moisture doesn't penetrate, with a little drainage hole somewhere, and a rot-proof carpet to go on top, just in preparation for the next leak...

Dave

[Gilbern74]

...Also to keep in mind - all of my cars have had leaks until I had the windscreens re-sealed. The felt, once it gets wet, will hold the moisture until the carpet rots. I'd like something with a skin, so the moisture doesn't penetrate, with a little drainage hole somewhere, and a rot-proof carpet to go on top, just in preparation for the next leak...

Dave

Ah the good old leaks... I'll have to check the original Gilbern handbook, as I believe they came as standard to all cars.

I remember my parents driving through europe with me in the back complaining I was getting wet (I was about 7yo). When they eventually stopped after ignoring my pleas for many miles they found I was waist-deep in water


Well I've decided to go for this Damplifier stuff as it is also apparently very very sticky. Although it's heavy... I think it might add 20kg for 10m2 which may be a conservative estimate. I'm reluctant to add that much weight but it seems to be good stuff and should be a good seal.
With felt (or alternatively this Luxury Liner stuff which is closed cell and wont hold water so good for the floor area) and carpet on top I should have a good base. There doesn't seem much point in trying to make the car silent inside as it's never going to happen - I'd be better off just buying a quieter car!! I can always just turn the stereo up louder
Drainage holes - could use some of these bulkhead grommets in them to take water down and out?