TR2/3/3A Dynamat liner. Will it spoil a 57 tr3 restoration?

[bnw]

I can hide a multitude of sins by installing Dynamat in the interior of my completely repaired 57 smallmouth tub. The key word here is "repaired" Will this spoil the restoration? I usually peel back the carpets when looking over a car looking for original floors or new original replacements. Would you cover the complete interior of the tub, or leave the floors uncovered, just carpeted?

 

[poolboy]

You mean in the eyes of a judge or a prospective buyer ?

 

[bnw]

Probably both. Although it is more of a mental thing for me.

 

[poolboy]

I think in a valuable car like you have, I'd not do it. My TR6, I had no compunction about it.

 

[PeterK]

It's kind of like asking if you paint your walls anything but neutrals, would you (if you wanted to) be able to sell your house. Or as many do (including myself), don't use the plush carpeted floor mats in your car so it looks new to the next buyer. Trouble with both of these is that you don't get to enjoy it as you would like.

What I did was to use the roll foil insulation from HD (looks like Dynamat but lighter) to insulate under the carpet and mats. It's not self adhesive so it comes out easily and unlike the jute padding, doesn't suck up water.

 

[Silverghost]

I think if I went to look at a car like these and found Dynamat (or variants) I'd think the person knew what they were doing and take it as a positive rather than someone trying to hide something. It takes time, effort and $$ to put that stuff in....there are other easier cheaper ways to hide things....my 2cents....

 

[newmexTR3]

My two cents is that it's completely worth it for the sound & heat deadening. It really makes a big difference.

If you're just planning on flipping and selling, you might not want to, bu it doesn't sound like that's what you're thinking, so go for it.

Here's a vid of my 3 with some pics of the Dynamat install: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk3Ggov_mTc

 

[cheseroo]

I suppose if I came across a car with Dynamat and I was concerned about the floors, I'd just do a much more thorough job of scrutinizing the underside of the car. Any sins you would be able to see from up top can be seen underneath, right? If it had dynamat on top and 6 inches of undercoating underneath I'd probably pass on the car.

 

[mountainman]

I used it on my Tr3 and it made a world of difference in the noise level. I also put it in the doors and now they sound solid.

 

[bnw]

My thoughts exactly. I'm spending a ton of time and effort trying to make the underside as presentable as possible.

 

[Member 10617]

I'm planning to install some Dynamat in my 58 TR3, but only on the floor, under the carpets in the driver's and passenger's compartments and over the gearbox cover. I want to be able to take it up from time to time to check the floorboards, and, of course, that's the way to access the jacking holes.

I plan to cut the Dynamat a bit smaller than the carpet and tack it down in key spots with automotive double faced tape to keep it from moving around. The carpet, which will have about one inch border extending beyond the Dynamat, will be "fixed" to the sides of the compartments with velcro, so I can remove them easily. The carpet stays in place otherwise without any adhesive.

When I removed the existing carpet to begin this project, it had been glued down all over the place (quite a mess), and much of the adhesive had dried out and failed over the years, so it was doing nothing else but creating a mess.

At least that is my plan.

Any thoughts?

 

[TR3TR6]

I didn't use it when I restored my TR3, but I used the foil installation when I did my 65 Mustang. I love it. It made a big difference in the heat and noise coming in from the outside. I wish I had used it on my TR3.

 

[billspit]

If you are worried, take some good pictures of the floors then cover them. Is Dynamat good for heat? I thought it was mostly for sound. There may be better products for heat.

 

[angelfj1]

I can hide a multitude of sins

Not trying to sound dense, but just what kind of sins are you trying to hide. If you have swiss cheese floors don't expect this material to provide any structural integrity. However, if this is a cosmetic issue only, the dynamat is no better than good carpet and mats. IMO you'd be wasting your money. Now, concerning sound, I drive my LBC's so I can hear the sweet sound they make so you can understand that I don't see why folks use this sound deadening stuff. I CAN understand the heat from the engine and exhaust becoming an issue, but it is more effective to wrap the exhaust and shield the bulkhead on the engine compartment side than putting a heat barrier overtop a hot floor. Just my $.02

 

[ekamm]

I personally went with the closest thing that I could find to replicate the original jute backing. I too feel that the sound of the car is what it is.

 

[bnw]

I replaced the floors, inner and outer sills. I also replaced all the rotted metal in the bulk heads, spare tire compartment, front inner fenders, and under the gas tank. This has left me with a ton of welds needing grinding and filling under the car along with the mess that leaves inside the car. I have used almost 10 square feet of 18 ga sheet with all my repairs. THe underside of my car will look great and be structurally strong while the inside looks terrible. Thus, the multitude of sins.

 

[JohnnyMead]

Dynamat and FatMat certainly reduce the "tinny" kind of vibrations. You can put multiple layers on and get more sound deadening. I put a bunch in a Porsche coupe but could not tell much overall noise difference.
I use the jute/aluminum foil stuff that Moss sells under some of the carpet (footwells, trans cover) to insulate. Not sure its doing much, but its probably better than the little square of jute the factory used.\

One dandy use for FatMat I found: I cut strips and placed them on the flange of the transmission cover. It works like the bitumen-like sealer that was on there, but is less messy.

John

 

[cmacmillan]

Eric - what did you manage to find to replicate the original jute?

 

[ekamm]

When I first got the car I couldn't afford to do the carpeting, so I went to a local auto upholstery shop and showed them the original stuff and they came back with a roll of a mat that was very similar in thickness and makeup. The difference seemed to be that it was some what synthetic in nature and the original was more organic. When replacing the carpet recently I ordered it with a jute backing and it was pretty similar.

 

[cmacmillan]

Thanks Eric - I always find the solutions that people have for the "I couldn't afford ______, so I..." very interesting.....always seem to make restorations a little more personal!