I am about to do my first Dynamat installation. I think I have a prety good idea of how to do it, but any tips or tricks that anyone would like to throw at me would be much appreciated! Thanks

 

Helpful supplies: Sharp razor blades, some Mechanics gloves, rubber roller... Heat gun or hair dryer will be useful, too.

 

most important tip!
Gloves

 

Use poster board as a template in hard to reach areas. Some cutting before removing the backing makes the installation much easier.
HTH,
-Shadow-

 

just make sure it is super flat and smooth to all surfaces. cut any bubbles with the blade and press them ingood.

 

So I spent about 6 hours yesterday installing the dynamat. I cant even begin to say how much of a bi*ch it is to get inside the door panels. I ended up having to install it in small squares to get it in without sticking to everything. I coverd most of the door except for a huge hole that I had to leave uncovered due to the lack of Dynamat. Although there is still a large hole and an infinate baffle the majority of the door is covered near the speaker itself. I am very dissipointed in the SQ gain that it provided. I can hardly notice it. Do you think this could be due to the large hole? I had planned on cevering it up but given the results that I have seen from the existing dynamat I am having second thoughts.

 

So, didnt help in the sound area?

I have a 94 hatch that is loud as ****. rattles and what not... You would say no go huh???

 

A large hole that allows the soundwave from the back of the speaker to interact with the soundwave from the front of the speaker will cause cancellation. Isolating these two soundwaves is one of the primary reasons for installing sound deadening.

 

Solvent!! make sure you use something to clean the surface that you are putting it on to give it a better bond.

 

Tell me you didn't cover the whole inside of the doors outer skin.

There is a much bigger gain in SQ from "sealing" the door then there is from covering every square inch of the inside of the cars door.

Cover area behind the speaker, using the piece that you cut out from the speaker opening.

The first thing to do when Dynamating your doors is to remove anything you can, clean the doors properly, make a template or use the door panel, cut piece 1" bigger all the way around, hang on door using masking tape and mark position, [so it will go back in same place] find point where door lock/latch linkage has to come through, cut a hole/slot for the rods/cable, do the same for any wire harness that has to come through remove sheet from door, use a scrap piece twice as big as the hole and cover hole from the back, [sticky sides together] cut hole/slot in "reinforcing" piece.

Use some of the scrap pieces the cover parts of the inside of the door.
Rehang the sheet, [don't forget the linkage and wire harnesses] this time peel back the first 4-6 inches from the top of the sheet, starting at the top of the sheet, using a heat gun to "warm up" the Dynamat start rolling, the Dynamat down, using gloved fingers,, [real installers don't use gloves] in the nooks and crannies, peeling more of the backing down and off as you go lower, if you have done a perfect job it will look like it is sprayed on, or a "stamped" piece, the only hole will be the linkage and wire harness holes.
Reinstall all the plastic clip/screw holders, wire harness holders, nuts/bolts and brackets onto the door, use other door for reference, [you will forget where everything went], again using scrap pieces, seal the holes where the wire harnesses comes through, [you can not do this where linkage comes through, they have to move freely] cut out opening where speaker housing sits and place that piece directly behind hole.
Now if you went through all the trouble of doing the whole door, you would also now be installing custom MDF speaker housings in place of the stock plastic ones.
One more time with the scrap pieces, make a Dynamat gasket for the speaker, stick Dynamat over speaker hole cut off outside excess cut hole out, install the piece directly behind opening, [2nd layer] doing the above will result in a day and night difference, no matter what speakers you have.

Don't believe me? Do one door and then try the system. 94