Sound proofing

[JTCrow]

How hard is it to remove the factory interrior carpet and install sound proof sheeting? I've read a few posts about this but really want to know if it's an easy job. Comments? Likes, Dislikes?

 

[bmoeller]

PM Forrest Nearing. He's been there, done that. In TX, too.

 

[WUnderwood]

I did some Dynamat on the back of the cab, underneath the rear window,and it wasnt too hard. took out the seats, and a panel, then went at it

hope this helps

 

[DShore]

Don't know what you mean by "easy"... if you mean "can you remove everything in 30 min or less"... NO. You will have to do all your homework about removing all fasteners before getting started. You should plan on replacing all plastic retainers, etc. since it appears you live in a hot climate, the heat deteriorates them pretty rapidly. You might also want to get ahold of a trim tool to remove these fasteners. Hope this helps.

 

[ENafziger]

I say go for it!

I just finished mine a few months ago, and it made a big difference. I say go for it! It really wasn't very hard... in fact, a friend and I did it all in one night (although it did take most of the night!)



It's pretty obvious how the seats unbolt. After unbolting the rear seats, fold them up, and lift up on them firmly. They set down in metal clips along the rear wall of the cab. The carpet also comes out easily, and it is molded onto a firm backing, which makes re-installing simple.



Pay attention to how the seat belts are routed for the rear seat, and just take your time. Be sure to cut holes in the deadening material for all the screws, clips, and bolts you take out (there are quite a number of these... especially on the pillars). Having a friend help out makes a big difference in avoiding bumps and scuffs when removing the seats. Also, a rather large Torx bit (maybe T55?) is required for some of the seat belt bolts.



I also dropped the headliner with thoughts to soundproof the top as well; however, with the sunroof and side air bags, there really wasn't a significant area left to place deadening material. I don't have much experience with brands of material. I went with FatMat, and it seems to have worked nicely.



These aren't the best pictures, because they were taken at about 3 a. m. , but maybe it will give you some idea. I could've spent a lot more time than I did getting everything "perfect", but for a beginner like myself with limited time, I'm satisfied...



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Have fun!



--Eric

 

[bighammer]

Nice pics Eric. How much material did you use for all that? Did you notice a big change?

 

[ENafziger]

How much material did you use for all that? Did you notice a big change?

I bought mine off of ebay. It came as 2 rolls of material, each 33. 5' x 18" (approximately 100 square feet). After covering the entire floor of the quad cab, all four doors, the side pillars, and the rear cab wall, I have maybe 20 square feet left over.



As for effectiveness, it really did bring the in-cab sound level down dramatically. I never measured sound levels before and after, so I can't give quantitative numbers, but it made enough difference to hear.



There are 2 square "vents" along the back cab wall that I did not cover. I figured these were needed to avoid pressure buildup in the cab (ears popping), and allow the HVAC to work as it should. I drove around without the rear seat in place for a while, and it was obvious that these vents let in a lot of noise; however, after re-installing the rear seats, this quieted down alot.



In looking back, I'm glad I did it. Doing it over again, I probably would put two layers on everything except the doors (it would be tricky to get the door panels to seat properly in their clips with 2 layers). It's one of those things that you're glad you did when it's over, but wouldn't like to ever do again! Well, at least for awhile...