Searching for a solid door sound

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Stezo
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 2:59 am
Your car is a: 1973 124 Spider

Searching for a solid door sound

Postby Stezo » Mon May 22, 2017 6:29 pm

Hi,

I've been bugged by the sound of my door when I close it. It's like a hollow "clank". I guess I'm used to having my VW family car and I think German's know how to have that solid "thunk" when you close it.

I'm sure most 124 purists will say it adds to the character of the car but I'd like to improve on it giving it a modern classic feel.

My question is: will dynamat inside the door help with this? And/Or applying a new rubber stripping seal be the way to go?

All suggestions and comments will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Ray

klweimer
Posts: 550
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:45 am
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Arvada, Colorado

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby klweimer » Mon May 22, 2017 8:44 pm

I'd vote Dynamat, or some other heavy damping material. Lots of it. Will probably never sound quite as good as the German versions. I had a BMW 633 CSI that had doors that weighed as much as a Fiat engine block...
Kirk

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So Cal Mark
Posts: 13839
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:45 pm
Your car is a: Fiat
Location: upland, ca.

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby So Cal Mark » Mon May 22, 2017 10:04 pm

one square of Hushmat on the inside of the outer door panel will give a solid "thunk" when closing
Mark Allison
allisonsautomotive.com Fiat and Alfa Romeo parts and service. Performance parts our specialty!
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Stezo
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 2:59 am
Your car is a: 1973 124 Spider

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby Stezo » Tue May 23, 2017 12:09 am

Thanks klweimer for your comment. Nothing sounds nicer than that German thud but, you are right that door does weigh a ton! I should ask next time how many ply of sheet metal my VW has to make it so heavy. :D

SoCalMark - thanks for your expert advice. You're the true 124 guru! 8)

Ray

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chrisg
Posts: 746
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:30 am
Your car is a: 1971 FIAT

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby chrisg » Tue May 23, 2017 8:55 am

FWIW, there are some good threads (old ones...gotta search) on Mirafiori about that & sound deadening/vibration in general with good input from some minds who did that kind of work for a living. Might be worth looking at. Mark answered what is in essence the condensed version of those pages of dialog, so that is helpful. Maybe it's my imagination, but the older 124 Spiders (which are the ones I've always gravitated to) seem to have had something closer to the sound you are seeking naturally than the late ones. yeah, probably is my imagination....
Chris Granju
Knoxville, TN
'71 FIAT 124BS (pretty), '72 FIAT 124BC,'76 FIAT 128 Wagon(ratbeast), '85 Bertone X 1/9, '70 124BC (project), 79 X1/9 (hot rod in rehab), '73 124BS (2L, mean), '74 124 Special TC, '73 124CS, '73 124 Familiare

DieselSpider
Posts: 2130
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:21 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider with Isuzu Turbo Diesel

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby DieselSpider » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:56 pm

chrisg wrote:FWIW, there are some good threads (old ones...gotta search) on Mirafiori about that & sound deadening/vibration in general with good input from some minds who did that kind of work for a living. Might be worth looking at. Mark answered what is in essence the condensed version of those pages of dialog, so that is helpful. Maybe it's my imagination, but the older 124 Spiders (which are the ones I've always gravitated to) seem to have had something closer to the sound you are seeking naturally than the late ones. yeah, probably is my imagination....


My 78 has that solid sound and not the tin can note you get from some. Some newer cars actually have a plastic laminate on the steel to make them sound more solid. I forget if it was Toyota or Lexus that made a big deal about this when they introduced their cars which used the laminated steel for sound deadening.

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nelsonj
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:37 pm
Your car is a: 1972 Spider 124

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby nelsonj » Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:05 am

I recently put Hushmat on my hood "bubbles". Really made things quieter and now the hood sounds really solid when it shuts.
I also added hushmat around my gearbox/shifter. Again, really made a big different on noise and heat reduction.

So, I agree with Mark and give +1 on the Hushmat idea.

Peace.
Out.
Image
Simi Valley, California
Spider 1800
Romans 10:9

PhillySpider
Posts: 325
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:51 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: New Hope, PA

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby PhillySpider » Tue Jun 27, 2017 8:57 am

"Great Stuff" expanding foam...

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pininfarina79
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 10:56 pm
Your car is a: 1979 124
Location: Salt Lake City

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby pininfarina79 » Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:04 pm

What does "inside of outer door panel" mean? Work it through the openings in the door panel, past the window mechanism, to the outside sheet metal? I can just see myself getting the sticky part of the mat all hung up and screwed up as I try to stuff it through the holes. How big is a "square" of hushmat that would suit this purpose?
Steve Pluim
1979 124 Azzurro Lipari
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia
2008 Tacoma Fishing Truck

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kmead
Posts: 1069
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:24 pm
Your car is a: 1969 850 SC 1970 124 SC 85 X19
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Re: Searching for a solid door sound

Postby kmead » Mon Oct 30, 2017 7:53 am

You don’t need a huge piece to get the sound reduction. Experiment with a few pieces of 6x6 squares installed on different parts of the door.

Start with the door panel off and shut the door. Then add the first piece so that it is near the center of the door panel top to bottom and left to right. Shut the door, if it gets you the sound you desire stop there. If its not what you want, add another closer to the lock mechanism.

It doesn’t take as much as you think, all you are doing is damping the vibration and stiffening the door skin.
Karl

1969 Fiat 850 Sports Coupe
1970 Fiat 124 Sports Coupe
1985 Bertone X1/9


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