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Old 10-29-2008, 12:34 PM   #1
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Ford Front door insulation-audio upgrade

Greetings,

Is it possible to insulate the front doors of a Ford van?
Who has done this?
Was it worth it?
I may use dynamat or ulta touch insulation.
I am doing this to enhance the sound quality of my two front speakers, to retain cabin heat in the winter, and to reduce road noise.

Any suggestions or links are appreciated!

Thanks,

Zugg


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Old 10-29-2008, 02:13 PM   #2
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The reflectix has been beyond awesome just in the windows, and it is cheap and easy to work with. The dynamat was easy as well and would also make your doors quieter.

I would probably dynamat inside the metal skin of the door and refectix under the interior panel.
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Old 10-29-2008, 04:47 PM   #3
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We had the front doors lined with Second Skin.... for both sound and thermal reasons...
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Old 10-29-2008, 06:53 PM   #4
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Dynamat Extreme here on the front doors (as well as the whole van) done by integrated audio solutions while the van was being converted.

If you're upgrading the speakers, consider putting in pillar mounted tweeters. Even if you upgrade the 6x9 speakers in the door with three ways or similar they are still firing into your knees.
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Old 11-07-2008, 08:58 PM   #5
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Greetings,

Thanks Jage, Greg & Buji for the suggestions.
I will be getting some Dynamat extreme for the front two doors.
Any suggestion on how many square feet would cover the two front doors?

Jage-Does the reflectix really help retain heat-or keep the sun's heat out of the two front van doors?
I may apply the Lizard Skin-a thermal barrier, and a sound insulator, then apply the Dynamat extreme.

Buji-do you have small tweeters on the dashboard or around the windshield?
I will be replacing the oval 40 watts OEM speakers, any suggestions?

Thanks,

Zugg


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Old 11-07-2008, 11:15 PM   #6
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Just putting a cut piece of reflectix anywhere cuts the cold. Of course mine are in my windows and a lot of heat loss/cold entry is happening there, but yeah the stuff is amazing.

On the area you just have to measure your doors and get a rough idea (see, your math teacher was right). The Dynamat and similar scraps can be used, and it form fits and stays really well- so you don't have to be exact or have 1 large cut piece. It is really easy to work with all around, just use nitrile gloves and not latex.
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Old 11-12-2008, 12:26 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zugg
Greetings,


I may apply the Lizard Skin-a thermal barrier, and a sound insulator, then apply the Dynamat extreme.

Buji-do you have small tweeters on the dashboard or around the windshield?
I will be replacing the oval 40 watts OEM speakers, any suggestions?
You will probably need 25-30 square feet considering all the little trim pieces you may end up cutting. I didn't do my doors myself so I can't say for sure, but I have done other cars before.

I have one 1-inch tweeter in the a-pillar on each door, which fires above the dashboard level and makes a big difference in competing with the diesel noise so I can hear the music.

As far as speaker recommendation, about the only thing I can say is go with speakers that don't have paper cones, and if it's within your budget go with at least 2-ways in the 6x9s. A lot of 6x9s also have a crossover wire hookup specifically for separate 1" tweeters, but honestly it's been a while since I was doing any audio engineering. I went with Integrated Audio's recommendation of MB Quartz for my upgrade, after having spoken with a friend who liked their sound. With the right head unit though, you can make any set of speakers approach something to your liking.
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Old 05-30-2010, 01:44 AM   #8
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Re: Ford Front door insulation-audio upgrade

Hi Zugg...

I haven't specifically opened up an E-series door yet...but anything can be sound dampened and insulated unless clearance is THAT tight.

Dynamat is great stuff. But so are a lot of the other brands, which are ALL cheaper. Don't be afraid to save a couple bucks at this stage
I like...
http://www.b-quiet.com/index.html
http://www.secondskinaudio.com/products ... erials.php
I hear this product works well too but haven't used it yet. Pricing is great.
http://www.fatmat.com/
(I'll be looking hard at their 'Mega Mat' when I do my floor/firewall)

I absolutely second the motion to run tweeters on the A-pillars. I ran them that way in my old GMC Safari. My newer Safari has a stock tweeter position near the top of the door panel and I installed my goods in there but it just isn't the same to be honest. I'll be swapping all my stuff into my 'new' E-Series soon and will certainly run the tweets on the A-pillar. Feel free to ask about tuning if it seems too "bright" up there.
Did you say you're replacing the speakers in the door? Which are 6x9?...I can't recommend enough that you go with round 6 1/2" Component speakers with external Crossover(you can find something quite decent in the $120-150 range that'll be awesome enough with just Headunit power) This upgrade alone will change your sound quality a fort-night and a day! If you're amplified...well that's another story
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Old 05-30-2010, 05:31 PM   #9
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Re: Ford Front door insulation-audio upgrade

The secondskin people sent me a sample. I don't think it compares favorably with dynamat for thickness/quality. No reason it wouldn't work fine, but a bit lighter weight all around to my observation.
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Old 05-30-2010, 06:10 PM   #10
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Re: Ford Front door insulation-audio upgrade

Hey, Zugg, how's that van looking? Stop by sometime....

Why not stuff your favorite shredded denim in the door cavities where there's no speaker?
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