Originally Posted by childishthing

Thanks man! You stay tuned, and I'll keep it coming!






Speaking of which...


























Looking Good!




Day 1 of "Dynamat"

I've been waiting all week to start this, and I was pretty stoked to get going this morning. Started a little after 10am, and finished major coverage of the floor, and even crept up the walls a bit by about 5:30.


http://youtu.be/l7nU0xZ9J7Q



Here's your basic supplies. Peel & Seal, and a utility knife - extra blades are a good idea. You should also have a heat gun or a hair dryer. If there isn't a heat gun OR a hair-dryer in your house... then you are a sad, lonely individual. Stop working on your car right now and get a girlfriend.

You'll need 1 blade for every 2 rolls of Peel & Seal. You'll need two rolls to do the floor, one more roll if you want to go up the sides, and another roll to do your doors.
Peel & Seal is sold per 12.5 sq. feet. @ approx $17
I'm not doing my doors until next payday though - Peel & Seal is cheap, but not free.

The Dynamat Extreme Door Kit has 12 sq. feet - I've seen it sell for as much as $110, but if you buy it on eBay (and aren't getting scammed by a knockoff) you can get it as cheap as $60. Cheaper than that, and you're not getting real Dynamat.

Personally, I've been installing for years, used it all, and it's all the same. Get what you want though, just make sure you're getting a good deal



Even though I cleaned the back pretty good last weekend, there was still dust to clean off. Do not skip this step. Whether you're using Dynamat, FatMat, Hushmat, or Peel & Seal, if you don't clean well enough, it won't adhere properly.
I recommend a cleaner that has alcohol in it to help with drying. You can use straight alcohol if you want, but I used window cleaner (which I make myself). You can make your own window cleaner by mixing water, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. I guess at what proportions to use and it works okay for me - so don't ask me for specifics.




Don't just start unrolling and sticking it to the floor!
Measure out a section you want to cover, and then cut some of your roll into PANELS that will fit that section. Don't guess at how long to make your panels should be, and don't cut your entire roll into the same length either.
Get out a tape measure and figure it out properly, leaving yourself an extra inch or so than you will need. If you nake your panels too long, and you'll have too much scraps and will have to buy more material. If you make your panels too short, you'll have to use lots of small pieces to fill the gaps you created by being lazy - your turnout will look like a patchwork quilt.

Just take your time, and do it right. Like most projects, your end product will depend mostly on your preparation.



This is not required, nor does it replace your heat-gun or hair-dryer. What I have going on is just a small space-heater keeping my pre-cut panels warm before I lay them. It's important that your panels be soft and pliable; they don't have to be hot to the touch, but they should be warm when you lay them down. I'll elaborate more later.



Laying the first panel down. It's important to start at one edge and work your way toward the other, peeling the paper backing off as you go. If you bought Dynamat, they give you a roller to help apply it to the metal - throw it out, it's useless. You'll need to press hard with your hands and fingers; I made a fist and beat on it like an angry ape pounding at the ground. This isn't easy work, especially if you have a lot of metal to cover. If you've ever laid carpet before, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

You will also run into air-bubbles. If you're careful, you'll have less bubbles. Use your utility knife to make a small incision, and press the air out with your fingers. Take the bubbles seriously for two reasons.
1. A bubble means the product is not making contact with metal - this means it won't do ANY GOOD at stopping vibration in that spot.
2. A bubble means the product is not making contact with metal - this also means there is oxygen between the product and the metal, and oxygen will cause problems to the product.

Don't worry about patching the areas where you cut to get the bubbles out, you're not patching a roof - it doesn't have to be waterproof. You can patch it if you want to, it's just cosmetic at that point. The most important part is that THE PRODUCT IS MAKING CONTACT WITH THE METAL.



As you get toward the end, slow down and if you need to make cuts, do it carefully so you have a nice edge at the end. If you have scraps, make sure to save them. I stuck my scraps back onto the paper backing and set them aside.



Here, you can see the corner I'm about to put this into at the edge of the wheel well.



This is the same panel after it went in.



This is what I meant about having your panels being pliable - if you can do this, you're doing it wrong.


If it's warm enough, it should do this. [if you want to giggle, now is the time]


I also wanted to point out that there will be some gaps that are unavoidable in your install - don't worry about it. Cut your panels smart, and do the best you can to get the most coverage out of each one. When you're ALL DONE with the project, this is what your scraps are for. Also, your roll of Peel & Seal will yield three 2" strips - I suggest making about a dozen of these for when you're working around difficult parts of the wheel wells, as well as the back wall of the hatch. These are also handy for narrow sections, or other large gaps if you screwed up somewhere else. As I said, cut your panels smart, and get the most out of each one.



My girly caught me werkin'





This is where she's at right now. Got the floor covered except for a few very small gaps, and started to go up the wheel-wells toward the sides.

Tomorrow I'll get the project finished and have even more pics to share.

Originally Posted by childishthing

UPDATE: Shortly after I finished with the sound-deadening I sold the car to my friend along with my subs. The sound deadening worked fine for those of you who were interested, and even better with the carpet and plastic reinstalled. I'm in the market for another Civic right now, I'll post another update soon with my new car.

Originally Posted by RoseFuneral

i thought your intentions were to never sell the car?

Originally Posted by RoseFuneral

i thought your intentions were to never sell the car?

Originally Posted by grumblemarc

Paint the wiper arms please.

Originally Posted by verchiang

has anyone ever installed a double din navigation to a 97 civic?

Originally Posted by RI5ING SUN

Looking alot better