Soundproofing a 1972 Karmann Ghia

[bdm351]

I have a 1972 Pan off Restoration project that is coming to an end.
I am looking for solutions to soundproofing the rear quarters that lead to the engine compartment. There is a hole along the inside behind the upholstery panels that leads to the engine that I can stick my arm through. Has anyone soundproofed this area before? If so with what?

I am looking for advice

[c21darrel]

Stuff with an old blanket or other like object.
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1967 DC build
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[70 140]

Do you have the proper engine bay sound deadening that originally came with the car? Most cars have the firewall pad, but have lost the side panels. If the side panels are in place, and your interior panels are in place, there shouldn't be much noise transmission through the rear quarter. You could add some additional adhesive mat to the back of the interior panels.

https://www.karmannghia.com/FIREWALL-/-SOUND-ABSORBER/folder/4923

[sputnick60]

[Figment]

Driving around this summer with no interior panels, I got a LOT of engine noise via that hole, even with the grommets and engine bay tarboards in place.

I stuffed a moving blanket into the fenderwell, which made a dramatic improvement.

I haven't yet decided what to use in place of the blanket when I install the interior panels over the winter. I'm open to suggestions.
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'71 Ghia coupe

[kiwighia68]

[c21darrel]

Here are pics from the inside where originally there was a small stuffed sock between wheel well and outside car body.
More than just the small stuffed sock will help quiet engine noise. A moving blanket seems to work better than foam eggshell material.

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GhiaBuild
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1967 DC build
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[NOVA Airhead]

[bdm351]

[bdm351]

[NOVA Airhead]

[swavananda]

I used this in the cavity of fenders, panels and doors.

http://www.eastwood.com/lizard-skin-sound-control-formula-1-gal-pail.html


Obviously i don't have the perseverance that Daryl has....


Then I used the Mat on larger areas followed by closed cell foam in the rear firewall. Still loud, but with warming quality.......

[c21darrel]

If you are not running heater hoses under the rear seat....don't forget to plug those holes. They will let in tons of engine noise.

[heimlich]

Keep in mind that dynomat/etc add a lot of weight to the car overall. You could be adding the weight of a second person just with it.
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[bluedot]

My stereo is super important in my car, as I mix professionally and listen to mixes in the car when I go for drives.

The sound deadening makes a huge difference in making the ghia feel plush, like a new BMW when you shut the doors and stuff. People comment on it when they ride in it.

Of course dynamat - but I use brown bread, as it's cheaper. The real trick is Mass Loaded Vinyl you can get it with foam backing that can then be glued with contact cement. This stuff is amazing, and makes all the difference in the world. We use it in studios to control bass transfer. Dynamat (stick stuff) is for stopping resonance. MLP is true deadening.

Here's a pic when I was building my ghia with the MLP:

[nize]

Is it really necessary to cover all the bare panels with the silver foil covered mats? I think you need to make a difference between vibration damping and sound deadening. Vibration damping is what you do with the silver foil covered mats as they change panel vibrations by adding weight and frictional damping (changing the natural frequency of the panel).

The sound insulation is done by thicker mats made of foam like materials that kills sound transfer.

In my ghia I used Silent Coat to kill panel vibrations but just in the middle of the big panels. I did not cover the whole panel. Then over the Silent Coat covered panels I glued 10 mm thick sound deadening foam but now I covered the whole panel.

I cant tell how this worked out as the car is still not ready for the road though
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1954 Kombi
1957 lowlight ghia coupe
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[bhartwell59]

bluedot... got a link for the Brown Bread deadener?

Since I have a vert there's only so much quiet I can achieve... if I can reduce the tinny-ness, that will make me happy. Modern car quiet just ain't gonna happen with a vert... but I'll try!
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'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k

[sputnick60]

[bluedot]

As you know - my car is a convertible.

It's actually quieter with the top down than with it up! Now I'm not saying it's quiet at 60mph - but it is quiet on the roads up to 45mph.

I'll have to take you all for a ride at the next show. My doors shut with a thud, no resonance and the floor and luggage compartment is covered with mass loaded vinyl. The inside of the doors are done with the deadener, and a sheet of mass loaded vinyl behind each door panel. I used mass loaded vinyl and deadener inside the deck lid as well.

I did this in my Subaru too when we put in a new stereo and speakers. It's pretty standard in the high end audio circles.

I will say that my transaxle is unfortunately my noisiest part of my car, and I think of swapping it out one day - but when I talk to mechanics, they say it's normal.

Looks like they changed the name of Brown Bread - but here's the company that does the deadener and mass loaded vinyl. It's called B-Quiet Ultimate now.
https://www.b-quiet.com

[bluedot]

Going through my past orders - when I did our Forester, I found a better source thru Amazon for the deadening, and MLV without the foam to use behind the door panels.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008JHE1P6/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URUIKAK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1