Installed Bullets; NO DRONE!
Scientific Negotiator
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,728
Likes: 2,033
From: USA
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'10, '14
Seriously, you two (you and hubby) could do this in a weekend. It sounds like more than it is. Think of it as moving the livingroom furniture out so the carpet pad can be replaced. Not much more to it than that. (few bolts and screws and stuff)..
GOOD LUCK!
GOOD LUCK!
Scientific Negotiator
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,728
Likes: 2,033
From: USA
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'10, '14
Originally Posted by btchn99
BTW---you drive your in the winter? Doesn't GA get snow?? I guess a couple bottles of V8 (the fruit juice) and some vodka will help get the work done..
Yup. Winter is where the COLD is at.. Really wakes the beast up.
On the very off chance that we get ice or snow (maybe once a year), I take the wife's denali in (awd)...
I grew up in NJ and never had a vette until we moved south (3 years ago). I would've lock'd it up too with the salt and all...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,118
Likes: 122
From: Madison (Huntsville) Alabama
CI 6-7-8 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
Originally Posted by btchn99
RocketDawg: Thank you and it will be on my car too if it makes it thru the DMV
--if not it's back to the drawing board
. I wonder if I am handy enough to do this project---removing everything sounds pretty hefty---do I have to take the seats out to??
Lori
--if not it's back to the drawing board . I wonder if I am handy enough to do this project---removing everything sounds pretty hefty---do I have to take the seats out to??Lori
But I saw some guy post a few days ago that he got a letter from the DMV retracting his that had slipped through ... they probably got a call from someone who was offended. But give it a shot. I wanna see a picture if you get it though.Regarding the insulation ... doing the rear hatch area is pretty easy but requires time. You have to remove all the carpet, and to do so you have to give the brackets that hold your top for storage a quarter turn and they pop right off. Otherwise, just pull it out. Vacuum well and install whatever insulating material you choose.
FrostKing is a self-adhesive fairly dense foam with a stiff foil backing. It comes in rolls 1 foot x 15 feet, and I think I used 4 or 5 rolls. They're about $10 each, and I ordered mine from Home Depot online with free shipping. They may carry it in the stores there, but they don't here. Some of the more expensive insulators, like Dynamat or BeQuiet, may be a little better. Anyway, you just put the stuff in place over every square inch of the rear tub. I also insulated behind the seats. It makes the carpet a little tight going back in, but it can be done with some effort. You'll need scissors, a utility knife (the infamous "boxcutter"), and aluminum tape for the seams for a neat job. This is where the blood-letting cuts come from ... the foil has sharp edges and points when you cut it ... so wear gloves!
I didn't do the cabin area because I didn't want to take the seats out and remove the console surround. Supposedly it's easy, but one reason people do it is because of the heat on their consoles. I've got an A4 and don't have the heat problem. Many even pull the door panels off and insulate inside. I was afraid I'd never get all that stuff back together!
As I said, the sound-deadening benefit was marginal at best with just the rear hatch area insulated.
The next thing I did was the wheelwells. EvilTwin had posted some instructions on doing this, and his main caution was to not block the hatch area drains (the holes near the back of the hatch lip). So be careful there. I just got a roll of regular wall insulation, took the vapor barrier off, and started stuffing in every cavity I could find (and also on the bottom of the door well). I used a metal yardstick as a poker.
The main cavity goes from the wheel opening up to about the driver's ear. Do this one well ... it's like a megaphone for tire noise. This job is a little less tedious than doing the hatch area, but getting the wheel well covers back on is a little testy. There are about 10 screws, and I had a heckuva time lining up the holes. There's no real reason to do the front wheelwells ... almost all of the noise comes from the back. Wheelwell insulation was the most effective. Even with my Stingers, the sound is just a deep rumble. I think the wheelwell insulation not only dampens the sound, but it changes the resonant frequency of the composite and metal parts ... makes their vibrations less audible, and probably stiffens them some.
Now, when my radio turns itself up at highway speeds I have to turn it down.
It's not Lexus-quiet, but it's a lot better than it was.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,131
Likes: 2
From: "Never play games with a bitch who can play them better" NE PA
Cruise-In VIII & IX Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
Originally Posted by RocketDawg
Lori, I'm not sure if it'd make it through the DMV censors or not. But I saw some guy post a few days ago that he got a letter from the DMV retracting his that had slipped through ... they probably got a call from someone who was offended. But give it a shot. I wanna see a picture if you get it though.
Regarding the insulation ... doing the rear hatch area is pretty easy but requires time. You have to remove all the carpet, and to do so you have to give the brackets that hold your top for storage a quarter turn and they pop right off. Otherwise, just pull it out. Vacuum well and install whatever insulating material you choose.
FrostKing is a self-adhesive fairly dense foam with a stiff foil backing. It comes in rolls 1 foot x 15 feet, and I think I used 4 or 5 rolls. They're about $10 each, and I ordered mine from Home Depot online with free shipping. They may carry it in the stores there, but they don't here. Some of the more expensive insulators, like Dynamat or BeQuiet, may be a little better. Anyway, you just put the stuff in place over every square inch of the rear tub. I also insulated behind the seats. It makes the carpet a little tight going back in, but it can be done with some effort. You'll need scissors, a utility knife (the infamous "boxcutter"), and aluminum tape for the seams for a neat job. This is where the blood-letting cuts come from ... the foil has sharp edges and points when you cut it ... so wear gloves!
I didn't do the cabin area because I didn't want to take the seats out and remove the console surround. Supposedly it's easy, but one reason people do it is because of the heat on their consoles. I've got an A4 and don't have the heat problem. Many even pull the door panels off and insulate inside. I was afraid I'd never get all that stuff back together!
As I said, the sound-deadening benefit was marginal at best with just the rear hatch area insulated.
The next thing I did was the wheelwells. EvilTwin had posted some instructions on doing this, and his main caution was to not block the hatch area drains (the holes near the back of the hatch lip). So be careful there. I just got a roll of regular wall insulation, took the vapor barrier off, and started stuffing in every cavity I could find (and also on the bottom of the door well). I used a metal yardstick as a poker. The main cavity goes from the wheel opening up to about the driver's ear. Do this one well ... it's like a megaphone for tire noise. This job is a little less tedious than doing the hatch area, but getting the wheel well covers back on is a little testy. There are about 10 screws, and I had a heckuva time lining up the holes. There's no real reason to do the front wheelwells ... almost all of the noise comes from the back.
Wheelwell insulation was the most effective. Even with my Stingers, the sound is just a deep rumble. I think the wheelwell insulation not only dampens the sound, but it changes the resonant frequency of the composite and metal parts ... makes their vibrations less audible, and probably stiffens them some.
Now, when my radio turns itself up at highway speeds I have to turn it down. It's not Lexus-quiet, but it's a lot better than it was.
But I saw some guy post a few days ago that he got a letter from the DMV retracting his that had slipped through ... they probably got a call from someone who was offended. But give it a shot. I wanna see a picture if you get it though.Regarding the insulation ... doing the rear hatch area is pretty easy but requires time. You have to remove all the carpet, and to do so you have to give the brackets that hold your top for storage a quarter turn and they pop right off. Otherwise, just pull it out. Vacuum well and install whatever insulating material you choose.
FrostKing is a self-adhesive fairly dense foam with a stiff foil backing. It comes in rolls 1 foot x 15 feet, and I think I used 4 or 5 rolls. They're about $10 each, and I ordered mine from Home Depot online with free shipping. They may carry it in the stores there, but they don't here. Some of the more expensive insulators, like Dynamat or BeQuiet, may be a little better. Anyway, you just put the stuff in place over every square inch of the rear tub. I also insulated behind the seats. It makes the carpet a little tight going back in, but it can be done with some effort. You'll need scissors, a utility knife (the infamous "boxcutter"), and aluminum tape for the seams for a neat job. This is where the blood-letting cuts come from ... the foil has sharp edges and points when you cut it ... so wear gloves!
I didn't do the cabin area because I didn't want to take the seats out and remove the console surround. Supposedly it's easy, but one reason people do it is because of the heat on their consoles. I've got an A4 and don't have the heat problem. Many even pull the door panels off and insulate inside. I was afraid I'd never get all that stuff back together!
As I said, the sound-deadening benefit was marginal at best with just the rear hatch area insulated.
The next thing I did was the wheelwells. EvilTwin had posted some instructions on doing this, and his main caution was to not block the hatch area drains (the holes near the back of the hatch lip). So be careful there. I just got a roll of regular wall insulation, took the vapor barrier off, and started stuffing in every cavity I could find (and also on the bottom of the door well). I used a metal yardstick as a poker.
The main cavity goes from the wheel opening up to about the driver's ear. Do this one well ... it's like a megaphone for tire noise. This job is a little less tedious than doing the hatch area, but getting the wheel well covers back on is a little testy. There are about 10 screws, and I had a heckuva time lining up the holes. There's no real reason to do the front wheelwells ... almost all of the noise comes from the back. Wheelwell insulation was the most effective. Even with my Stingers, the sound is just a deep rumble. I think the wheelwell insulation not only dampens the sound, but it changes the resonant frequency of the composite and metal parts ... makes their vibrations less audible, and probably stiffens them some.
Now, when my radio turns itself up at highway speeds I have to turn it down.
It's not Lexus-quiet, but it's a lot better than it was. ) I guess I will change from one bottle of vodka to two and figure on having this apart for most of my 3 months 
I will definitely make sure I have great instructions and if I don't I'm sure you'll see my SOS post..I'm worried about removing power seats myself---it's a bit scary and I will keep worrying about getting them back in in working condition---nothing is ever easy for me so I am a pessimist..
I will keep posting so you can all stop me before I make any mistakes I will end up regretting..
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,131
Likes: 2
From: "Never play games with a bitch who can play them better" NE PA
Cruise-In VIII & IX Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
Thanks all. I'll let you know how I make out and like I already said---you will see the SOS if I get into trouble..
Lori
Lori
