Cheap soundproofing solution found!

[RPMS]

One of the things I've never been really pleased with is the tin-can nature of the original Z's doors. New weatherstripping helped them shut more solidly, but the sound, the feel of the doors was decidedly cheap feeling. I'd heard that putting Dynamat on the inside of the doorskins helps, but I wasn't willing to spend that kind of money without knowing how much the situation would improve.

 

I'm telling you now - spend the money. If the results are anything like what I just did to my car, it's well worth the cost. Since I wasn't sure, I took some old rubber printing plates from work and cut them to fit. They're pretty soft (around 30 durometer) and about 1/4" thick. I put a 5" wide strip at the bottom of the door, and a 6" strip at the top, above the metal stiffener welded inside the door. They're bonded in place with 3m contact adhesive, and I'll be surprised if they go anywhere.

 

The difference is amazing. The doors now shut with a solid *thunk* instead of ringing like thin sheetmetal. Although the actual weight of the rubber I put inside was probably less than 4 lbs per side, the perception is that they're much heavier than stock. It's like shutting the door on a Mercedes instead of a Toyota Tercel!

 

If you're interested in trying what I did or if you just can't afford the official stuff, you can probably get some ahold of printing plates by contacting a printing die manufacturer in your area. When they screw up a set of dies, they usually just throw them away. I'm sure they'd be happy to donate them to your cause. Get a jar of contact cement from Home Depot and a box knife, and you're all set!

 

Tonight I'm going to do the same thing to the inside of the hatch. It's so easy and has such a great result, I'd feel stupid if I didn't.

 

If anyone else has installed something else to cut down on the noise in their cars, I'd love to hear about it. The things people come up with when they're on a shoestring budget is truly amazing.

[A. G. Olphart]

Thanks for the tip...

[BrandonsZ]

I installed some sound deadening mat to the inside of the door panels ~4 sq.ft. of this aluminum backed felt (like strings everywhere looks like old clothes that they took out of a blender mixed with yarn and scapas of plastic) It compresses well and I could reinstall the door panels like stock. It was a nice difference and when I shut the door, it has a nice thud to it now. I stuffed this stuff everywhere under all the panels and trim, under the carpet, and in the back hatch, the car is a lot quieter on the hyway, and the only heat I feel is coming from the stick shift area. I will put some of this crap there soon. If I had a radio I could hear it clearly now.