Take The Heat Out Of Your Seat With Dynamat

Using Dynamat for our demonstration


Sound, heat and vibration: its not something you normally think of while building your hot rod, but ask any rodder who has done a long trip in a hot and noisy ride, and he will tell you its a reality. Most old cars came with paper-thin rubber sheets that were stuck to the body to reduce vibration. This, however, never really worked, and they deteriorated with time.  Engine noise and heat enter the car from both the engine compartment and the road.



The best way to prevent this from happening is with sound and heat insulation. There are many brands and types of materials available for car builders who want to try and soundproof their cars. The trick is figuring out which ones work for various applications within a car. Floors have different properties to doors, while firewalls need noise and thermal reduction. We decided to do our demonstration with Dynamat.  


Dynamat is a well-known product in the rodding industry and one of the best on the market. It provides products for all aspects of car sound reduction. For this demonstration we decided to do the floor of the car, using Dynamat Extreme, which is specifically formulated to reduce road noise and vibration on virtually all sheet metal. The foil-like surface keeps out heat from the road and keeps the interior nice and cool.


STEP ONE


Remove the front and rear seats as well as the carpeting, and ensure that the floor is clean. We suggest a good vacuum to remove any sand or dust that could stick to the Dynamat. Scrape off any old sound-deadening material and keep the area clean.




STEP TWO


For this demonstration, we used the Dynamat Bulk pack that consists of nine 457mm by 812mm sheets. Its best to work out your square meterage beforehand. Place the sheets in the car to estimate how much you would have to cut in order to cover the floor. The sheets can be cut with a blade or a sharp knife.




STEP THREE


Simply peel off the backing paper and stick the Dynamat to the floor. We found it easier to work from one side of a sheet by pulling the paper off as we went along. Be sure to push the Dynamat into all the folds on the floor. Reduce wastage by using small pieces of Dynamat to fill in small sections.





STEP FOUR


Ensure that you dont cover any holes or wires that you might need at a later stage. Open up all the holes with your knife (even going so far as placing the bolts in position as a means of testing) before replacing the carpets. This will save some time and frustration later on.