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MG MGA - Coupe Roof Sound Deadener

The jute material between the head liner and the roof that was removed from the car is dried out and falling apart. What kind of modern material have others used to dampen sound? I assume it needs to be a breathable material to keep the inside from being more oven-like than normal.
David Terhune

David,

I don't have a firm answer for you but I will need to have an answer when get to that stage with my coupe. I am looking at lizardskin (lizardskin.com) or one of the stick-on materials like what is used for sound deadening only I know they have a product for heat control. I'll be watching this thread with great interest.

Randy Myers
'59 roadster, coupe
Randy

So far ,on my coupe I have added sound deadener to the complete interior. This is the same stuff you see in the stero installation kits and many times on TV ,when a car is being rebuilt,IE: Overhaulin. It is a stick-on rubber type based sheet with and aluminum coating. It is supposed to act as a sound and heat barrier.
As for the origional felt piece,as yet not installed in my coupe,I have been looking at some sort of flexable two inch thick material.When I do install it it will be much larger that the origional piece.
So just like you guys I to need a suggestion as too what to install. Gordon
Gordon Harrison

I used Lizard Skin on my coupe. I put it on the underside of the transmission tunnel, battery cover and top. I don't know how well it works yet. I think I'll also add some type of pad between the headliner and lizard skin for good meausure. Plan to install the firewall/dash pad as well.
Cheers,
Gerry.
G T Foster

Not sure what happened this could post twice.. OK..not a lot of response..so took the advice of a friend who restores 50's hot rods... Dacron. It is about 1/2 inch thick but compresses very easily. We already had part of the headliner in before I thought to take a photo of the glued in Dacron. I have attached a photo of a piece of scrap..


David Terhune

Sorry Randy, Gordon and GT.. what I was trying to say is not a lot of answers!
David Terhune

DT, this material looks very light. For acoustic insulation you neen a heavier material - the heaviaer the better.
J H Cole

JC...mainly looking for material to fill the void, give some sound dampening and not trap the heat. I think any true acoustic insulation would trap heat inside the car...I could be wrong about this, but it has to be at least as effective as the 50 yr old rotted jute it replaced..
David Terhune

I recall from a previous discussion on headliner insulation a couple of years ago that perhaps not all coupes had insulation between the roof and headliner. Not that its a bad idea...
G Goeppner


I am leaning more towards a "Heat Reducing Insulation" product. Not quite sure what it will be ,but I want it to cut down on the heat tranfer into the car.The noise is partly controlled by the sound deadener I installed. I really dont think the old piece of jute had any value. Gordon
Gordon Harrison

G T Foster,
I checked on lizard skin and the price is not that bad but the purchase of their application gun set me back a little. Did you purchase their gun or find another application method? Thanks and have a good day!

John
John Progess

John,
I too looked at the spray gun. You can rent one, but still pricey and there are stipulations. I wound up applying it with a foam brush, available in many sizes in hardware stores. Works rather well if you dip the brush in water first, shake it out, then dip it into the lizard skin, then brush it on. Do a couple square feet, let it set for a bit, then, using just water, rebrush to smooth it out. Yes, the stuff is water based. Brushs rinse out with water. Clean up can be done with water as well. A little time consuming and there will be brush marks. Takes a bit of trial and error. Unless you're putting it on a surface that will show this works well. However, it can be sanded when dry.
Oh I also found that if you don't use it all right away, even after a couple months you can thin it with water and it still works.
Good luck,
Gerry
G T Foster

GT,

Did you apply the lizard skin to the firewall and heater shelf? I wondered if there would be thickness conflicts that would arise with the grommets. I talked to the lizard skin people and they said only their gun would work because of the viscosity of the product - I was a little dubious, it seems like a tip issue.
Randy

Mike Ash of NAMGAR had a good article on this topic in MGA! about a year ago. He can be contacted, and reprints are available, through the website NAMGAR.com.
If I recall correctly, he found the best material was that used by truckers to cover engine covers etc.
Regards, Peter.
P. Tilbury

Randy,
I did not put Lizard Skin on the firewall or heater shelf. I didn't like the holes. I'm going to use the underdash pad there. However, you only need about 1/32 in. thickness (they claim). I put it on thicker than that.
I believe what they say about viscosity is true. No paint gun/nozzle I've ever seen will spray it. Need a really fat pick-up tube as well as nozzle. It's much thicker than very thick latex paint. That's why they offer to rent a gun. On some surfaces a roller might work however. In fact, I think I tried a narrow one. The foam brush worked well however.

GTF
G T Foster

I've not heard of Lizard skin in the UK. Can you retro apply it with the cables still in place? Any chance of a pic of the finished product? On the point of retro fitting insulation to the fire wall has anyone tried cutting the Moss insulation between holes so that not all of the cables have to be taken out. Its such a pain taking out fitted cables and I would certainly not take the wiring harness out.


J H Cole

Yes I have fitted the Moss bulkhead insulation without removing all the cables some years ago. It requires a few cuts on the material but contact adhesive held the insulation in place afterwards without a problem.

Rod
R J Myers

J H it appears that if you use the foam brush as mentioned by Gerry you could apply it without needing to remove any wiring or cables. Here's the link to their website http://www.lizardskin.com/ They have some videos showing the product being applied, looks like a dark grey color.
Bill Young

The hot rod guys use a product called Dynamat. I don't have personal experience with it, but reviews I've read seem to like it. Go to www.Dynamat.com.

G Goeppner

Bill, if I re-work my headliner I will use Lizardskin,after looking & reading it's impressing. I am using 1/8" fiberglass bonded to a thin peace of alum it works great (heat & noise).
Cliff(SC)
Jones

I used Dynamat Ultra on the roof of my TR7 coupe and am very happy with the results. It is self adhesive and sticks like 5H1T to a blanket. It is easy to cut and work with.

Cheers,
Rich
Rich McKIe

RJ I'd like to have a go at a Moss retro fit but am a little apprehensive -it could end up looking like a pigs of a thing, any chance of a pic?
J H Cole

This thread was discussed between 09/03/2008 and 16/03/2008

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