Hardtop sound deadening mod using Kilmat

[Chippewa-Pin]

Great job op. Thank you for the walk through.

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[okbob]

Our 2D Badlands Sasq still has the factory top

I used an app on my cell phone today called NIOSH. it measures sound but isn't calibrated so your results may vary. The phone is mounted on my 67 designs phone holder that's hung on the Archetype Racing BYOD rail. It's just to the right of the steering wheel and level with the dash. Sitting at the light the ambient sound was around 44 to 45 decibels.

Driving at 60 mph the sound was in the 65 dB range

And then on the 5 in a section that's got grooved concrete with a fairly windy day and doing 75 mph it was 75 dB.
I have stock Good Year Territory "Wrangler" 315's on the truck and the driveline is stock. The section of road I metered was pretty much about the loudest section we have around.

And I can't show any before because I honestly didn't think to do it before. Actually I was just too impatient to wait to do it once I had the time to get into it.

This is perfect! Just need someone that has a similar setup without the sound deadening to do the same lol. If not I can do it when I get mine in a couple months

Our 2D Badlands Sasq still has the factory tires and no sound deadening, I'll get a db reading this afternoon.

 

[okbob]

2D Badlands with Sasq, stock tires, no sound deadener on the hard top or panels. Here's sitting still at the intersection, no ac on, etc. And then again at 65mph with 20mph crosswind. If we ever have a day with no wind I'll try again. We've had almost 40 straight days of 20-50mph winds so today is a light day lol. Any big sound spikes along the chart are rocks hitting the rock rails and steps

 

[Hossfire]

That's an awesome job you did. I have a plan to paint my MIC white even on the inside and wonder if there is a product that can either take white or is white out of the box
there are acoustic hex panels in white and sound dampening paint -
any opinions or experience with whether they are effective in auto applications?
Trying to lighten up the cabin with a white interior roof and the sound deadener from the factory seems to look like grey carpet

Some people use "peel and stick" roofing as a sound deadener as a cheaper solution than Killmat. You may want to visit a roofing supply store. They make that stuff with a white outer layer to reflect sunlight.

 

[peterh]

Thanks that's a great call

 

[Alvin Olson]

Some people use "peel and stick" roofing as a sound deadener as a cheaper solution than Killmat. You may want to visit a roofing supply store. They make that stuff with a white outer layer to reflect sunlight.

Be aware that the roofing material will give a smell of asphalt for a while when it gets hot in the summer. Eventually it will wear away or you get used to it.

 

[Knownman]

The Kilmat does have a top aluminum layer that is essentially supposed to be a thermal barrier. Roofing material I would guess is likely more fragrant than I could handle personally. But I haven't really tried and honestly if the price of one package of Kilmat is too much for the budget than I kind of question how the Bronco could be afforded?

 

[Alvin Olson]

The Kilmat does have a top aluminum layer that is essentially supposed to be a thermal barrier. Roofing material I would guess is likely more fragrant than I could handle personally. But I haven't really tried and honestly if the price of one package of Kilmat is too much for the budget than I kind of question how the Bronco could be afforded?

I used FatMat on my Raptor. I’m sure similar to Kilmat. Great project. No smell.

 

[Denny3297]

When I took delivery of my Bronco it didn’t have the hardtop sound deadening package installed. Somewhere this got missed but Jeff at Galpin made it right and got the package delivered. I’m kind of glad it wasn’t installed as this gave me the opportunity to take advantage of a raw untreated top.

Based on a lot of people mentioning how little difference there was between the soft top and the hard top regarding outside noise I decided to add some Kilmat. And this weekend was beautiful so I started and finished that project.

I did each panel one at a time. First I removed all the latches, then laid out the factory liner, then I checked for clearance of the latches swing which led me to the areas I chose to not add treatment. Too thick under the latch and it would interfere with the throw of the latch. Next I thoroughly cleaned the entire area with isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber. Noting the interior is somewhat rough so using a cloth that wouldn’t shed or leave residual fibers was pretty important. I then hand laid each piece with the backing still applied, formed them to the contours by hand and used my thumb nail to crease in the areas I would trim. Pulled the Kilmat and cut the unneeded areas with some shop shears.

Then I laid the piece down and reformed it paying close attention to the depressions, edges and contours. I used a roller to finish each piece and made sure they were super tight. Once the entire roof section was sound deadened I would recheck the factory head liner for any overlaps to avoid having any deadened hanging out exposed. I then recleaned the surface of the entire panel with the alcohol. Next was to peel and lay the factory liner. I had noted where rack piece needed to line up so I just took my time and employed the help from my wife for the two larger sections.

Overall I’m super happy with the results. I couldn’t really put numbers down for the interior sound decibel difference but it’s substantial. Yes the roof still has a notable air flowing sound from the seams, but it’s less than it was. And I no longer feel like I’m in a tent while in the Bronco which is about what the stock hardtop sounded like. Next I will probably deaden the entire interior while I upgrade the stereo.

Hello,

Curious follow up question: any problems with the install after the heat has had its way?

 

[Knownman]

I’ve had no issues so far. We’ve had several plus 100 degree days and I’ve not noticed any problems at all.

 

[JD8]

When I took delivery of my Bronco it didn’t have the hardtop sound deadening package installed. Somewhere this got missed but Jeff at Galpin made it right and got the package delivered. I’m kind of glad it wasn’t installed as this gave me the opportunity to take advantage of a raw untreated top.

Based on a lot of people mentioning how little difference there was between the soft top and the hard top regarding outside noise I decided to add some Kilmat. And this weekend was beautiful so I started and finished that project.

I did each panel one at a time. First I removed all the latches, then laid out the factory liner, then I checked for clearance of the latches swing which led me to the areas I chose to not add treatment. Too thick under the latch and it would interfere with the throw of the latch. Next I thoroughly cleaned the entire area with isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber. Noting the interior is somewhat rough so using a cloth that wouldn’t shed or leave residual fibers was pretty important. I then hand laid each piece with the backing still applied, formed them to the contours by hand and used my thumb nail to crease in the areas I would trim. Pulled the Kilmat and cut the unneeded areas with some shop shears.

Then I laid the piece down and reformed it paying close attention to the depressions, edges and contours. I used a roller to finish each piece and made sure they were super tight. Once the entire roof section was sound deadened I would recheck the factory head liner for any overlaps to avoid having any deadened hanging out exposed. I then recleaned the surface of the entire panel with the alcohol. Next was to peel and lay the factory liner. I had noted where rack piece needed to line up so I just took my time and employed the help from my wife for the two larger sections.

Overall I’m super happy with the results. I couldn’t really put numbers down for the interior sound decibel difference but it’s substantial. Yes the roof still has a notable air flowing sound from the seams, but it’s less than it was. And I no longer feel like I’m in a tent while in the Bronco which is about what the stock hardtop sounded like. Next I will probably deaden the entire interior while I upgrade the stereo.

That looks awesome!

Anyone remove their existing liner and if so what did you use to clean it? I'm thinking about doing this.

Also, recommendations on getting the gaskets to stick again, mine loo like they are starting to peel or something? I can take to the dealer but I don't think they will do the quality of work that I'm expecting to re-adhere the gaskets

 

[Ksjrb03]

That looks awesome!

Anyone remove their existing liner and if so what did you use to clean it? I'm thinking about doing this.

Also, recommendations on getting the gaskets to stick again, mine loo like they are starting to peel or something? I can take to the dealer but I don't think they will do the quality of work that I'm expecting to re-adhere the gaskets

My gaskets are starting to fall off too. The "glue" is melting and oozing out of the seams. Didn't last one south Texas summer. Haven't attempted a fix yet.

 

[FoxFour281]

I used an app on my cell phone today called NIOSH. it measures sound but isn't calibrated so your results may vary. The phone is mounted on my 67 designs phone holder that's hung on the Archetype Racing BYOD rail. It's just to the right of the steering wheel and level with the dash. Sitting at the light the ambient sound was around 44 to 45 decibels.

I promise I'm not nitpicking, I know this is a old post and not suppose to be scientifically accurate, but the phone needs to be at the same height and location (as possible) with your head to get a true measurement of sound within the cab.

75db is good for a convertible truck. When I measured by soft-top BD, I saw a range of 77-79db down the roads I primarily travel on.

 

[aniljavali]

When I took delivery of my Bronco it didn’t have the hardtop sound deadening package installed. Somewhere this got missed but Jeff at Galpin made it right and got the package delivered. I’m kind of glad it wasn’t installed as this gave me the opportunity to take advantage of a raw untreated top.

Based on a lot of people mentioning how little difference there was between the soft top and the hard top regarding outside noise I decided to add some Kilmat. And this weekend was beautiful so I started and finished that project.

I did each panel one at a time. First I removed all the latches, then laid out the factory liner, then I checked for clearance of the latches swing which led me to the areas I chose to not add treatment. Too thick under the latch and it would interfere with the throw of the latch. Next I thoroughly cleaned the entire area with isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber. Noting the interior is somewhat rough so using a cloth that wouldn’t shed or leave residual fibers was pretty important. I then hand laid each piece with the backing still applied, formed them to the contours by hand and used my thumb nail to crease in the areas I would trim. Pulled the Kilmat and cut the unneeded areas with some shop shears.

Then I laid the piece down and reformed it paying close attention to the depressions, edges and contours. I used a roller to finish each piece and made sure they were super tight. Once the entire roof section was sound deadened I would recheck the factory head liner for any overlaps to avoid having any deadened hanging out exposed. I then recleaned the surface of the entire panel with the alcohol. Next was to peel and lay the factory liner. I had noted where rack piece needed to line up so I just took my time and employed the help from my wife for the two larger sections.

Overall I’m super happy with the results. I couldn’t really put numbers down for the interior sound decibel difference but it’s substantial. Yes the roof still has a notable air flowing sound from the seams, but it’s less than it was. And I no longer feel like I’m in a tent while in the Bronco which is about what the stock hardtop sounded like. Next I will probably deaden the entire interior while I upgrade the stereo.

well done my friend.

quick question. my MIC did not come sound deadening liner. I want to cover my Kitmat so that it looks cleaner. any ideas? or is there a product to cover it?

 

[FlyingScot]

well done my friend.

quick question. my MIC did not come sound deadening liner. I want to cover my Kitmat so that it looks cleaner. any ideas? or is there a product to cover it?

You could always throw the OEM liner on top of your sound deadening
https://www.levittownfordparts.com/part-model/ford-bronco-headliner.html

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