|April 18, 2015|

Following with my Stage 1 plan of building a solid platform, the first actual mod will be Sound Deadening. I followed @Rock Slide 's build for where to buy materials. In his build, he also opted for new carpet padding. I chose to reuse the stock padding as it was still fine.
Rock Slide's 2002 Sport - YotaTech Forums

What/Why:
Sound deadening is exactly what it sounds like it is, applying materials (Similar to Dynomat) to dampen vibration and road noise to produce a quieter cabin. Many newer luxury vehicles have sound deadening already. Another method of sound deadening used in the auto industry is to fill body cavities with foam, I obviously did not do that. Sound deadening can also help to insulate the vehicle from extreme temps, but the windows will do a good job of keeping that improvement to a minimum.

Parts/Cost:
$84.28: (5) Rolls of 4"roofing mat (McMaster-Carr 9640T1)- I actually bought 7 rolls, and only ended up using 4. I say 5 if you plan to do the doors. They also sell 6" rolls, but I found 4" was better for the tight areas.

Tools:
-Utility Knife
-Heat gun (a hair dryer will work, but will be MUCH slower)
-10mm socket
-12mm socket
-14mm socket
-Phillips screwdriver
-Surface cleaning product (something that cleans and doesn't leave a residue such as Lysol wipes)

Time:
6-8 hours. Depending on how thorough you are and how fast you can disassemble/reassemble the interior.

Procedure:
There are 3 main phases on this mod, I chose not to do the doors, because it got late in the day. I will save the materials and do the doors if/when I replace speakers.
-Passenger area
-Cargo area
-Doors

For the passenger area, first step is to remove the seats. 14mm bolts.

Next, remove the trim around the doors and the center console. To remove the center console, there are a number of bolts that require the 10mm socket or a Philips screwdriver. I have marked them on this picture, this is for a 99-02 center console.



This mod is a great way to clean the interior too! Mine needed it.



Next up is remove the carpet. It is held down with a few clips along the door jambs, nothing more.



Once the carpet is removed, BE SURE TO CLEAN THE SURFACE OF THE METAL or the mat will not apply very well. DO NOT use cleaners that leave a residue.

Here are the rolls of sound deadening material


Cut each strip to the desired length, remove the wax paper backing, and heat the material to activate it. It is EXTREMELY sticky once hot, so you won’t be able to re-position after you apply it. Keep that in mind.



Once you have it all covered, put everything back.



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The cargo area is similar to the passenger area. Remove the trim then the carpet. There are a few bolts holding the rear trim pieces on that are not apparent right away.
If you happen to break any of the plastic clips that hold this panel on (I did), the PN for replacement clips is 67771-35010.

For example, the upper section of the big side pieces has this bolt that can only be accessed once the cargo light and the piece it bolts to are removed.


There is this rubber mat that was under the carpet, I chose to reuse it in addition to the sound deadening.




All covered.



All done!



Overall, I did notice a difference mostly in road noise transmitted to the cabin. I would say this mod was worth the money.