While living in the great outdoors sounds fun, and we briefly tried it once… we live in low-lying, twisty North Carolina. The amazing thing is it all sounds better now!
Thank you... I hope your Lincoln feels a little less superior once you soundproof your Bronco.
Wait... are you saying I don't need my Bronco to go over speed bumps at the mall? How do others do it?!
If you could swing by NC on one of your road trips, we never found a South Dakota plate during our summer travels playing the license plate game... multiple Hawaii and Alaska... no SD.
So this is on and off topic. Is the sound better or worse with the sunrider (not the full soft top) the sunrider only replaces the front panels. Mine is two doorSo, we know these are Built Wild... but my wife didn't appreciate it sounding like a hurricane everyday. Who wouldn't want to hear the subtle guitar, bass, drums and notes of your favorite music on the sound system for which you paid? After reading 4+ threads and looking at various modifications people made, I decided to create a single guide here of everything I did to reduce the interior noise. The ideas are not all my own, and credit is due to those individuals whose brilliance came first. Shoutouts to some of those brilliant individuals- jlatigo, mountainbronco, Geo2 and more that I can't put my finger on.
My family says it's significantly quieter now, and I tend to do whatever they say. Hope this helps enhance your ride!
Total cost is about $75. Total install time is ~1 hour if your hard top is already off. If it's not off, what are you waiting for?
Specs
- 4 Door- most of the below applies to both 2 and 4 door models
- Wildtrak, Sasquatch
- MIC Hard Top
Grocery List
(These are not affiliate links. I don't receive anything from you clicking on them!)
- KX Automotive Universal New Weather Stripping EPDM Rubber Seal Strip D-Shape (20')
- Duck Brand Self Adhesive Foam Weatherstrip Seal for Extra Large Gaps, 3/4-In x 1/2-In (1 roll)
- KX Automotive Universal D-Shape Door Seal 0.47" Height X 0.55" Width Weather Stripping (10')
- Automotive Weather Stripping Door Window Rubber Seal Strip Z Shape (Buy the "Z" Shape- you only need about 3' of this, so you'll have a lot left over)
- Armacell 3/4 in. x 6 ft. Rubber Self-Seal Pipe Wrap Insulation (You need 2 of these)
General Install Notes
- Clean all surfaces before attempting to stick the adhesive
- Let the adhesive bond- i.e. flex your muscles and secure firmly!
- Use a regular scissors to cut things to length- most are approximate, and size doesn't matter as much (right?). The Z Shape strip is more visible, and you probably want to measure (hint, 15.5").
- Some seals are hidden, and some are visible... take your time. If you screw up, cut a new strip.
From the front of the vehicle working to the back...
Windshield
- In the front channel, adhere #1 in the Grocery List inside the full length of the channel.
- Cut 4 short strips of #2 and stick them 2 each, side by side, vertically in the ends of the channel.
- All of this is hidden with the top on. With the top off, it will either look factory installed or like a small kid used the scissors if you don't cut straight. I have both results.
Front Panels
- Use the #1 stripping for all of these.
- Primary guidance is to adhere the middle strip that goes on the Driver’s Front Panel to the slightly raised portion of the roof. Don’t adhere it to the top/roof section as it won’t allow the panel to close enough. It also makes for a cleaner look if you install on the raised portion.
- The two strips that face the windshield are not visible. The strip that runs between the two panels is minimally visible.
Mid Panel
- Secure #3 along the length of the mid panel. This is the curved side of the panel that faces towards the back.
- Snuggle the stripping right along the edge and you'll look like a pro. This is visible from the inside once installed.
- Super easy, right?
Rear Panel
Interior View:
- This is the fun one and makes a big sound impact!
- The picture is probably the best explanation of what goes where.
- I'm not sure if the top most #3 install is needed- and I forgot to take another picture of it properly adhered. It basically curves along a small section on top. I had some extra stripping, so I used it.
- The small square of #2 goes on top of a similar, but thinner material that Ford already has in that same place.
- The Z Shape #4 is great stuff, and I think makes the exterior even look a little sleek (no one ever described a Bronco as sleek, right?). I'd measure this one and cut accordingly- I did 15.5". Adhere it right along the edge of the panel. This helps with wind noise by sealing the gap between the frame of the Bronco and the rear panel.
- This is not visible except for #4 (Z Shape stripping).
Exterior View:
To Pool Noodle or to Wrap Your Pipe
- I saw various opinions on which material worked best, which ones disintegrated in the elements, how to secure, etc.
- I decided to use the rubber Armacell pipe wrap - #5 on the Grocery List. It comes in a 6’ length, and I left it as-is.
- I peeled off the self-adhering tape and stuck it to itself.
- Rather than figure out how to secure it with the top off and/or how to not make it look bad… I decided I’d simply lay it in the roof gutter when I put the hard top on. Otherwise, it will sit in storage in my garage if the top is off.
- We’ll see if it lasts- easy and inexpensive to replace.
So that's about it. I suggest ordering everything and installing all at once when you have the roof off vs string betting the process.
Happy Sound Dampening!
I think you're asking if you remove the front hard top panels and replace it with the soft top sunrider... will be be nosier than will the full hard top? I would assume yes... as you are now swapping hard for soft. I'm not sure silence is the goal, though, of having a soft top option... right?
Quit looking at my... Bronco enhancements...
On mine once I got everything adjusted the sunrider was maybe marginally louder. I found the tradeoff was well worth it for the ease of popping the top.
Damn.
