So many of us build our trucks with big, loud tires, and fill up the cab with huge sound systems, and it's a challenge to get the truck quieted down.
There are many ways of attempting this feat, and Second Skin Automotive Insulation has come to bat for many of us and rendered this situation a much more tolerable task when it comes to ease of installation and range of affordability.
This article is going to show just how easy one of its products is to install by yourself over a short period of time. Regardless of how big your project may be, there are always huge advantages to using a product such as this. Read on and find out how you can improve the quality of the acoustics in your ride.
Though not looking like much at the moment, our current project in question is this '89 GMC crew cab short-box conversion, which has obviously been undergoing some serious surgery over the past few months. This being said, the truck has already had the necessary work of stripping the interior completed.
| 1999 Gmc Crew Cab
Depending on how far you plan to go with your project, the hardest job is going to be stripping everything out of your way to complete the job properly. We planned on doing pretty much every inch of the interior with Second Skin's Damplifier Pro to rectify any kind of resonance from the factory sheetmetal.
To start the project off on the right foot, we scuffed and cleaned the surfaces that required the matting. This included blowing out all the corners, inspecting for any type of rust or corrosion that may be lingering underneath the carpet and factory insulation. This type of thing should be taken care of with proper preparation before continuing on.
With that completed, we picked out our weapons of choice. A good heat gun with both low and high settings makes a much easier task of installing this heavy-mil-thickness matting, and a good marking tool of some sort, utility knife, and roller tool (included with kit) help the work continue with ease. It is highly recommended that you use a good pair of leather gloves to protect your hands from the heat gun and hot product you will be placing on the project. The foil backing on the matting can make short work of your fingers if you are not careful and not using proper protection on your hands.
In our case, each mat needed a few relief cuts to allow for proper fit and finish into some of the tight areas. This is where your marking tools can come into play, allowing you to mark, measure, cut, and install with the finished product look of a pro.
| Sound Damper Install Tools
During the install, we found that we got some of the sheeting good and warm to fit into the tight areas and had some excess residue adhere itself to the roller. This, at first, looks like a terrible mess to deal with. But we found that using your heat gun and heating up the wooden roller slightly, then rolling the tool across the bare, unmatted floor removed the excess product with ease.
Once each panel is laid out and prepared for its new home, all there is left to do is peel off the protective wax paper backing and carefully place it. Using your heat gun, slowly warm up the area that needs special care to fit an awkward location and use your hands to rub it into place with the roller tool that is supplied with the kit. Using your hands (with gloves) works excellent for forcing the mat to shape itself around contours.
After a few good hours of installation, our crew cab floor was completely covered from front to back (minus the transmission hump, which will come into play at a later date). In our case, we also opted to do the inside of the firewall, as the cab was completely gutted for our build. This may or may not be your case, but the opportunity was there and we rose to the occasion to make the best of this great product.
The roof of our project truck will be covered by a custom headliner, so the opportunity was taken to cover more real estate inside the cab. With the product installed, we found an instant improvement when pounding on the sheetmetal. We are very happy with the product and without question will be using it again on future projects.
| Installed Sound Damper
The job itself was not that hard at all but, depending on your project, the level of difficulty will vary on the disassembly of the vehicle in question. Do your research and find the information needed to tackle something like this before jumping in and you will do fine. Just take your time, think it through, and you'll be happy you did when all is said and done. The added creature comfort will put a smile on everyone's face, and your ears will thank you for it.
Feel free to check out Second Skin's website to feast your eyes on the seemingly endless amount of instructional videos, instructions, and products available to you at the click of a mouse.
