Keep it Quiet, Keep it Cool – with Design Engineering Inc.
Vintage cars and trucks have never been known for their quiet driving characteristics. Sure, some of those noises, squeaks, and rattles can be attributed to age, and some of it is due to us comparing our old rides to our newer, heavily insulated daily rides. These traits are seemingly multiplied when you compare new trucks and SUVs with old ones, like the ’71 Suburban we’ve been working on.
Back in the late-1960s and early-’70s, trucks were still looked at as more utilitarian vehicles than smooth, quiet drivers, and this Sub was due for some acoustic and heat protection. The main reason for this update was because an air conditioning system was recently installed, and if you have excessive heat wafting through the floor, doors, and roof, the A/C will not perform as well as you want. In short, one upgrade leads to another.
To help block the road noise and heat from the Sub’s interior, we turned to the experts at Design Engineering, Inc. DEI, located just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, has been testing and developing solutions for heat and sound damping for more than 30 years and continues to design new products to control and protect against excessive heat and interior noise. The company’s new Advanced Thermal Acoustic Coating (ATAC) material is a good example.
ATAC acts as both a sound and heat barrier for automotive interiors thanks to a unique ceramic micro-sphere technology that dampens noise and vibrations while deflecting heat from its surface. The compound can be easily be applied by brush or as a spray (we tried both) and is non-toxic, water soluble, and easy to clean up.
DEI is also known for its Boom Mat vibration dampening materials, Under Carpet Lite composite material, Floor & Tunnel Shield, and more to help you achieve a quieter and cooler driving experience in your classic. Most of these materials were incorporated into the goal of quieting road noises and keeping this Suburban’s interior cooler and quieter and producing a more comfortable drive, which was instantly recognized on our first cruise around town. A great upgrade for any classic car or truck that will see a lot of miles!
First thing, of course, was to remove the seats and carpet, where we found remnants of different materials including chunks of factory jute and thin packaging foam strips for some reason.
The cleaner the floors the better the adhesion of the ATAC compound, so goo was scrapped and cleaned followed by a few passes with an emory cloth to scuff the painted surfaces. Rusted areas should be cleaned and treated, while bare metal should be primed. DEI offers a red oxide primer to do the trick.
ATAC was easy to brush on, but it would definitely require another coating. The nice thing about using the brush, besides the simplicity, was that it offered more control and required less masking prep. However, we wanted to try the spray-on process.
Once the brushed-on layer was dry, we broke out the air compressor and DEI spray gun. The gun is designed specifically for the ATAC material. Spraying the ATAC on was the way to go. The application is a little thicker and really gets down into the nooks and crannies. We used a tiny compressor, but took our time and let it catch up a little at a time. Slow and steady. Another benefit of ATAC is the easy cleanup. The water-based coating is easy to clean and non-toxic.
We waited a day for the floor area to dry before tackling the long roof of the Suburban. Since the spray-on application proved more efficient, it was worth the hassle of masking off the windows and floor. We did prop the rear doors open during application to help with the ventilation and wore a mask when spraying. ATAC is designed to be applied to metal surfaces only and since the rear floor of this Sub is wood, it was masked off and will receive a different acoustic material. The spray application proved useful inside the rear panel areas.
Even with the ATAC coating, we opted to apply pieces of Boom Mat for added vibration damping. The pure butyl material is easy to apply and was placed throughout the cabin including the toe board areas and the long rear panels.
To reduce excessive noise and droning in the vast stern area of the ’Burb, DEI recommended its Under Carpet Lite material. This sound decoupling material features high-tech composite layers and will protect against heat coming through the floor.
Up front was looking pretty good with a combination of ATAC, Boom Mat, and Under Carpet sections to reduce heat and noise around the tunnel and under the seat.
Reassembly time for the carpet and interior panels. A spray adhesive was used to keep the carpet in place on the wheel wells.
A coating of Boom Mat Spray-on was applied in the spare wheel well. The spray cans of this material are ideal for a variety of uses!
More pieces of Boom Mat were applied across the entire roof of the Sub to reduce road noise and vibrations. Note that the entire surface does not need to be covered for the Boom Mat to be effective.
For more information about blocking heat and reducing road noise, check out all the offerings at Design Engineering Inc.
