XJ Floor Plans

I put together a plan for the flooring in my XJ. I enjoy a good ride and as quiet as it can be. Especially after a long day wheeling/camping I want it to be manageable.
I have been driving around carpet-less that last week. Its noisy, not totally unbearable, but a lot noisier than I would like. I don't care to hear every little creak and pebble that bounces off the underside. Not to mention its been Warm in the cab.. and cold when first getting going in the morning.

So here is the Plan for next week. I am going to start after the run this Saturday.

I have a few rust spots, of course, wire wheel and paint

The first layer will be Dynamat Xtreme through out the cab.
http://www.dynamat.com/technical_specs_dynamat_xtreme.html

Then I am going to top that with Dynaliner 1/2"
http://www.dynamat.com/technical_specs_dynaliner.html

Once those layers are in place, I got a replacement vinyl floor to install.

I have all the stuff.. now its just a matter of digging in next week. I am also trying to take audio samples and measurements of noise. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Sounds spendy.

No, it sounds interesting and spendy! Keep us up to date.

FNF

I suspect we are in the same boat as far as expectations for sound, temp, etc.

I wheeled just a few times without carpet and it was rediculously loud and cold/hot.

I ened up useing the "do it yourself" bedliner from the local parts store (sorry I can't remember the name off the top of my head) and then put the carpet with pad back in. I could not be happier.

To be honest, I really don't understand why people remove the carpet in a full bodied rig? It isn't too much to vacume out at the end of a trip and it makes a great deal of diference to the sound/temp/etc in the cab.

My personal experience is that paint, can't make anywhere close to the same difference as a material mat of some sort. It can "dampen" a small noise frequency but not as large of a frequency as a mat can.

1 other thought. It takes a lot longer for these things to dry than I would have thought, it stunk for the first several months. If you are going to use multiple layers you might want to make sure the 1st had totally dried before installing the second?

Just a few thoughts and comments.
Michael

goblazers_6 said:

Sounds spendy.

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Not so much. I think I may have purchased too much stuff, but I will know once I lay it all down and get it in place. If I can achieve the result I am going for, it will be well worth it. The stuff can be expensive, I looked around the web and found some good prices through Amazon.

2xtreme said:

I suspect we are in the same boat as far as expectations for sound, temp, etc.

I wheeled just a few times without carpet and it was rediculously loud and cold/hot.

I ened up useing the "do it yourself" bedliner from the local parts store (sorry I can't remember the name off the top of my head) and then put the carpet with pad back in. I could not be happier.

To be honest, I really don't understand why people remove the carpet in a full bodied rig? It isn't too much to vacume out at the end of a trip and it makes a great deal of diference to the sound/temp/etc in the cab.

My personal experience is that paint, can't make anywhere close to the same difference as a material mat of some sort. It can "dampen" a small noise frequency but not as large of a frequency as a mat can.

1 other thought. It takes a lot longer for these things to dry than I would have thought, it stunk for the first several months. If you are going to use multiple layers you might want to make sure the 1st had totally dried before installing the second?

Just a few thoughts and comments.
Michael

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I pulled the Carpet to have a Cage installed. Thanks to your great writeup and pics on the Cages you and Hans did, I was able to use those as an example. With the cage in place, I wanted to install a more durable flooring. With the carpet.. and my kids.. they are always spilling things.. especially on the trail..

I was really surprised at how much insulation was under the carpet. Way more than I thought.

The DynaMat and DynaLiner are a peal and stick application. The DynaMat Xtreme, has a thin layer of aluminum and material for thermal and sound blocking. Then the DynaLiner is another layer of sound and Thermal insulation. I went with the 1/2" after seeing the amount of padding under the carpet. Everything I have read and all the reviews have been positive.
The Vinyl floor, is a replacement from Accessory Central.. something like that. Its a molded floor for a 97+ XJ.

I will do a step by step write up and summary. I have already taken some Sample audio readings and recordings without the carpet. In hindsight I wish I had done it with the carpet installed, just to have that as a reference point also. Maybe, I will bring the dB meter out on the trail, and get some refernces from other peoples rigs with carpeting. I am sure it must vary from early to late models.

I am excited. I hope it delivers a great difference. I may even Dynamat the doors just for some extra.

I think you will be happy with the results.
I look forward to seeing the cage :shocked:

Michael

A tip to save some money for the doors, hatches, hell even the headliner - tons of cheap gallon zipper-locking bags and some pillow stuffing from Home Depot or similar home improvement store. Stuff baggies with stuffing, stuff into desired area to be insulated. I ended up using this method on my Scion xB when I had it due to the subs rattling the entire thing. Substantially cheaper than 'matting everything, and lighter as well (considering the 108 flywheel hp, weight was an issue!).

Also, Elemental Designs makes a pretty legit liquid sound deadener - used it on my last XJ with great success, especially in tight or contoured areas, as well as areas with multiple joints and seams.

This is an interesting thread since my interior is also ripped apart and I am trying to redo it "better than factory".

I'm replacing the original carpet with some factory carpet from a "clunker XJ" interior. My choice for padding was Volara foam in 3/8 thickness. I wanted something that would not absorb water if I should submerge the interior again. But the foam arrived yesterday and atho it is a closed cell foam, it isn't very dense. It is extremely light and not acoustically sound. So I'm looking for something to supplement it.

Def. gonna look into the Dynaliner. Dynamat is out ... too tarry. I do have some in my 1/4 panel speaker enclosure.

OP, I can't see your pics since I am at work, but in case you haven't yet, can you post pics of your vinyl flooring (before installation). And I'd be interested in later knowing your impressions on the fit.

Whatever you use on your floors check how hot your floors get in the front and rear passenger areas above the cat and muffler..I have melted rubber mats.

I was told that the Neoprene & Volara will withstand the heat. But I'm still looking for something else to pad the areas that are reinforced on the factory stuff - which I have kept as a template.

I have been reading write-ups and experiences for a while now. I knew I was going to be taking the carpet out and wanted to change it. I know heat + sound reduction was something I wanted.

I came across this in a Dynamat Catalog -


Layers always produce good results, similar to going up to the mountain for a person. The Dynamat Xtreme has a thin aluminum layer and the tarry stuff.. to me that represents a nice heat sink, which will spread the heat over the surface and help wick it away and dissipate it. Then adding the DynaLiner, I will have another 1/2" of heat and noise reduction. Hopefully it will work like a 2 stage cooling and sound blocking system. The first layer should block sound, and dissapate the heat, then the second layer will act as a larger barrier to keep the heat and sound below and not allow it to escape into the cab. I was originally planning on using the DynaMat but found the pre-shaped Vinyl floor.

I am going to dig into this Saturday. I am hoping to have it finished by Sunday, if everything goes well.

Any pics of the vinyl stuff?

Mighty.Mighty_XJ said:

Any pics of the vinyl stuff?

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I will post some this weekend. For storage, I have kept it in the box.

Okay.. with all the darn rain, I finally got this finished. Which forum would be the best for a right up? Mod Tech or just reg.. OEM?

This thread or mod tech would be fine.

Hey I ended up using 1/2" Neoprene for padding, and used the volara in the trunk and to supplement the neoprene on the tranny tunnel. haven't driven the XJ yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing whether there is a difference in damping. Also, I opted to keep my original carpet. Turns out it was twice as heavy as the clunker carpet I had bought - yay for Limited insulation!

Where's those pics you promised?

Pics?! I've been waiting a long time.

goblazers_6 said:

Pics?! I've been waiting a long time.

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seriously. and we all thaught dustin was a tease:laugh3:

Ya, really Dave.... WTF ?!?!

I used to work at foss car audio in tacoma, If someone is looking to do the same type of thing which I probly am ( thanks for the idea) they have there own mat that is the SAME as dynamat but its only 10 bucks a sheet rather than 25 bucks a sheet. plus the guy likes to wheel and deal so Im sure someone could get it for 8 bucks a sheet.