I'll soon be painting and insulating the floor and firewall on my '54 pickup truck. Theoretically, I'll soon be driving this thing every day, so I'd like it to be as "new car quiet" as possible. With that in mind, I'm interested in exploring some of the newer hi-tech solutions to heat and noise. Anyone out there in HAMB-land tried any of the paint-on insulators? I'm thinking about doing the firewall, floor, roof, inner door panels, and maybe the underside of the hood. Worth the big bucks? I'm willing to spend it for results, but not for some barely noticeable improvement over the foil stuff (which I already have). Thanks, Ed
Good question, Ed. Thanks for posting it. I was just thinking about using some Lizard skin on a project. If you wanted it cool and quiet, would you use it in conjunction with the foil stuff?
i used Lizard Skin once on a `32 ford. my opinion it was a mess to apply and i don't really see any advantages...the car is quite , cool and rattle free , but not anymore than cars i have just used the normal insulation
Dad used Lizard Skin on his '56 Olds and he said there was a noticable difference. He drove it a bit with just the Lizard Skin and no door panels and he said it was quiter then before with no Lizard Skin and door panels. He gave me his excess and I do plan on using it on Big Olds. Free stuff is good stuff
Though I have no personal experience the Lizard Skin, my understanding is that its really designed for heat, not so much for noise, though any thick coating will dampen a panel and help out. To make it "new-car quiet"(or close) you'll probably have to use dynamat extreme(the foil backed stuff), then padding insulation under the carpet and behind all panels. Once you tear apart a new Lexus and see all the sh*t stuffed under everything to make it quiet, its no wonder they are so quiet inside hehe
36: Thanks for your input. I know you build some high-zoot stuff.... what is your "normal insulation"? HRLC: Well, there's one vote for it! Dodge Rodder: Damn! Dynamat Exteme isn't any cheaper than Lizard Skin, etc! Thanks for the responses, keep 'em coming! Ed
I have used Lizardskin on two cars...I swear by it...it is soundproof, heat proof and waterproof...and even fireproof...and easy to spray on...but don't take my word for it...try www.Lizardskin.com and check out the testamonials page (case histories), especially the one about the Willys that caught fire. I have sprayed it twice, on two different Cadillacs...one a '54, the other a '55. Spraying it gives you one solid membrane to waterproof the underside of your car ...it goes on with a body shutz gun and is no more messy than any other type of spray-on undercoater, probably less so than the truk bed spray-on...it cleans up with soap and water..and it can be painted when you are done with a single stage urethane. It's not the cheapest stuff in the world...and that's the major obstacle...however, there is no cutting, no glueing, no fitting and no trying to make the seat brackets fit thru all that dynamat (or whatever else is cheap) and carpet...I'll gladly pay a bit extra in the long run to increase MY overall driving pleasure...as for thickness, Lizardskin needs to be no more thicker than a credit card for optimum performance! If you're building a hot rod and don't have use for door panels, carpet, floors or heat relief from the firewall cuz of that big engine, don't bother with Lizardskin... R-
I used Coolcar, the predecessor of Lizard skin. I'm a believer. I was impressed at the difference it made in my 53. I was able to put it where I couldn't have gotten dynamat on. Your choice but I think it was money Well spent.
I have about $6-700 of heat barrier and sound insulation in my green truck. Two layers of the Damplifier Premium on the firewall, toe board and floor board in front of the seat totaling over 40 square feet. Then I have 7 square feet in each door! I have six sheets of Luxury liner over that covering the firewall and floor. Then on the back wall of the cab I have spray on Spectrum from a B-stock supply. Underneath I have Spectrum sprayed under some 3M undercoating on the toe boards and under the cab I made an engine blanket for the transmission tunnel out of a Mylar-fibergl***-aluminum blanket for a water heater. Home Depot purchase that was about $40. Then for the last bit of heat and noise I bought a fire proof shifter boot from Jegs and some Themo-Tec 2000 degree heat resistant material that is on the outside of the firewall behind the headers. There is ZERO heat soak through the floor on the hottest Arizona summer. I can set a cup full of ice on the trans tunnel and after a 30 mile drive the floor is cold under the cup! Moral of the story: this **** cost big bucks. I don't think it is possible to do this for $200 or so. Not and get the same results. Spend the money on covering the firewall and toe boards for now. Throw a few square feet inside the door skin, a little goes a long way for dampening. Then as you can afford it, add more. You are always better off blocking the heat from the engine before it gets to the firewall. Insulating the inside helps but isn't nearly as effective. It's quiet like a new car inside.
ELpolacko, How smoothly does the Spectrum paint spray? Could I spray it on the engine side of my firewall, block sand it, and then topcoat it? I agree with your thought that the best way to eliminate engine heat and noise is to block it before it even enters the cab. Thanks, Ed
Not worth a ****, you spray it on with a Schutz gun (undercoating gun) It looks pretty good when dried but has an orange peel texture. As far as top coating it, I dunno. Regular Body Schutz would be better for that. Not much we can do for the surface of the firewall if you want it to look nice.
Sorry to drag this up, but I will be nearing this point soon on the kids car. Does this stuff spray on the inside or the outside of the floorpans or both?
How about using it on the roof panel inside before putting a headliner in? I've always been afraid that the adhesive on the panel type would give up and fall in eventually.
guy down the street used it on his last two cars, and the way he raves about it I am going to use it on the 55. He said the heat barrier is the best he had, and he said it did quiet the car down too. -Sobastrace
funny that this post was brought back up. i ended up purchasing the second skin audio spectrum firewall. damn that's a long name. i haven't put it on yet, but probably will in the next week or two. plan is to spray it on the inside of the floorboards (i'd spray both sides if this were a body-off), the firewall, the inner door skins, the headliner, and the inner fenderwells. according to the manufacturer, the firewall and inner fenders are the two most important places to spray -- the firewall to cut down on engine noise, and the inner fenders to cut down on tire noise. depending on what the spectrum firewall looks like and how tough it seems, i might spray bedliner on top of it in the inner fenders. on the interior panels, i definitely plan to use a layer of dynamat (or similar) whenever i get to upholstry. hth, ed
The Jalopy Journal
