Sound/heat reduction

[Namrups]

First off let me say that this is just MY OPINION. I'm not trying to start an argument just a discussion.

In their basic form, these cars (any and all models) are LOUD AND HOT!

Lets talk about the heat first. There are two forms of heat to deal with. One is radient heat and the other is hot air.

In the footbox area of my coupe I used Dynaliner and Dynamat covered by carpet to reduce the radient heat coming off the engine and sidepipes. Lizardskin heat and sound deadening covered by carpet was used on the rest of the panels on the interior. Both products do a very good job of reducing radient heat. On 95+ days the interior of the footbox panels are only slightly warm to the touch. The big back window in the coupe heats up the car the most. I'm looking into getting that coated. What I found to be a bigger problem was hot air. Any little hole, open seam, thru hole, gap of any kind would allow the hot air of the engine bay to blow into the cabin like a blast furnace.The area around the door hinges was a big deal. Once all the holes were closed off the car is very comfortable heat wise.

The sound deadening efforts are good for eliminating the rattles, vibrations and squeeking making the car feel much more solid. They don't really do much as far as the noise from the sidepipes or the wind in the roadsters is concerned. Even with aftermarket sidepipes you still need ear protection.

Again, these are my opinions and my opinions alone. Just wanted to open this up to discussion for new builders. A lot of money can be spent on trying to eliminate something that may not be possible or necessary.

[JohnK]

I don't think you're going to get much argument on any of your points. This is pretty much the accepted wisdom. Unless you add hundreds of pounds of sound insulation, plus laminated glass, you're never going to get close to an OEM level of quiet on these cars.

[JimStone]

What have you guys used to plug up those small holes/gaps? Aluminum tape and silicone?

I've been making some small 0.040 thick aluminum patches for some areas, but I'm concerned air will fine a way through.

[JohnK]

Depends on the size of the gap. For smaller gaps, I temporarily backed them with gorilla tape and sealed them with Dynatron seam sealer. Larger gaps get a few layers of aluminum tape. Then everything got covered with Lizard Skin.

IMO, the main gap you need to worry about on the roadster is the gap between body and footbox by the hinges. Jeff K's recommendation of air conditioner weather seal from the hardware store glued in place with 3M Super 77 works perfectly here.

[Namrups]

I used clear silicone, aluminum tape, fire resistant cusion foam. What ever would fit the situation. The Lizardskin material is a good sealer for small holes and narrow panel gaps.

[JohnK]

Just a note that if you're planning to spray Lizard Skin you may want to use something that's not silicone-based to fill gaps. They advised me that Lizard Skin will not stick to silicone, which is one of the reasons I went with Dynatron as a gap sealer.

[Namrups]

Just a note that if you're planning to spray Lizard Skin you may want to use something that's not silicone-based to fill gaps. They advised me that Lizard Skin will not stick to silicone, which is one of the reasons I went with Dynatron as a gap sealer.

Silicone is a better sound and heat deadening material than the Lizardskin is. It's used on SpaceX rockets! (Ask me how I know) In most cases the Lizardskin will be covered by a carpet so if it does not stick to the silicone it's no big deal.