StreetStangs.net - Project Quiet Cobra - Phase One Complete (*DUW*)

Project Scope and Goals

To quiet down the noise experienced from my solid suspended rear suspension. Basically, the car is a pain to drive on long trips because of high interior noise levels. Conversations are shouting matches at speeds greater than 55mph and phone calls are impossible. Listening to the radio is almost like trying to overcome wind noise in a convertible.

Products Used

B-Quiet Ultimate
B-Quiet V-Comp
Lowe's Wallpaper Roller
Free Labor

This is how the products arrived:

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/boxes.JPG

This product came highly recommended from majority of the sound industry. In comparison to the Dynamat stuff you find at Best Buy this is an awesome value. It is also better at supressing noise and vibrations. The company is based in Canada so shipments take four to five days. Shopping was a breeze and they accept all types of green.

The Install

Start out by removing your interior pieces. You methods will differ between models and body styles, consult your manual!

This is what mine looked like with everything removed. Other than the sound pad attached to the bottom of the carpet, the only other sound insulators on the floorpan are a select few patches of mastic. No wonder Fords are know for loud interiors and road noise.

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bfp1.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bfp2.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bfp3.JPG

I have to say that I was quite surprised at how clean the floorpan was considering the age of my car. There were only a few places that I had to scrub on.

With everything removed, I wiped down every surface that was to be covered with Greased Lightning cleaning solution. Then I used a damp washcloth to remove and cleaning residue to ensure a clean surface for the adhesive to stick to. Now you are ready to start laying down the Ultimate material which suppresses vibrations in the panels and turns it into thermo heat (hence the silver backing). It comes in a roll 12in wide totalling 50 sq-ft. Make sure you take some measurements and get a layout plan in your mind or you'll waste material. Now its time to lay it down, but first some warnings:

1. This stuff is sticky! Do not let it touch anything you don't want it to stick to!
2. Be sure to get you a cutting board of some type and a really sharp knife, the tar is very hard to cut straight.
3. Measure, mark, measure, check, then cut.

With that said, once you have some of your first pieces cut place them in the car without peeling the backing to make sure they fit well, then peel the backing and place it down. It will bond quickly so be very sure of where you stick it. After you lay it down, use the roller to smooth out any high spots and to make sure the tar is sticking to the surface below. One 50 sq-ft roll covered from my back seat all the way up to the firewall. I could of bought another roll to double up (which is recommended), but I had enough left over to double up in the needed areas. Here is what it looked like with is all stuck down:

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bqfp1.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bqfp2.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bqfp3.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/bqfp4.JPG

That is the tough part. Next to go in was the V-comp material which reduces the amount of noise passed though it by a factor of 3. This comes in a large square and needs to be cut to size. I purchased two rolls of this stuff because that was what I was most interested in. One roll was cut in half and used for the area from the front footwell to the rear footwell on both sides. The other roll was used in the rear seat area, rear wheelwells, and seat back. The recommend spray adhesive to hold it down, but its heavy enough to stay in place by itself. Here is the final product:

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/vcomp1.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/vcomp2.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/vcomp3.JPG

http://www.senderosnake.com/graphics/pqc/vcomp4.JPG

As you can see from the pictures I've cut holes in the material where seats, seatbelts, wiring harnesses, and plugs pass through. Be sure you make note of where these things are or your interior will not go back together correctly. Also be aware that you are adding 1/8" to 1/4" worth of material to the floorpan so there will be some difficulty in getting your interior back together. Its a tight fit!

Put it all back together like you took it out and you're done.

Final Thoughs

Well worth the money! I wished I had a decible meter so I could give you a before and after comparison, but I can say it probably reduced the interior noise at least 5-6 db's. (Remember that db's are logarithmic so a reduction of 2 is a lot) Everything is back to at least stock sound levels which are very manageable. I can still hear road and exhaust noise, but its not annoyingly loud. In the beginning I decided against covering my doors with the stuff, but in hindsight it would of been a good idea. You can now actually hear how much ambient noise is coming through the doors. With a little more material I could probably get a Mecedes or BMW level of quiet, but that wasn't my goal. I would recommend this mod to anyone looking to improve your daily driver!

Cost

(1) 50 sq-ft B-Quiet Ultimate
(2) 13.5 sq-ft B-Quiet V-Comp
(1) Wallpaper Roller

$251.96 :sendero: :chug: