Dyamatted

[flutes]

OK - this post ties together about three different topics I've had going discussing my leakage problems, sodden carpets and mats, rust, wrapping the AC expansion valve, Dynamat and getting the front seats out.

It's been a very successful day in Mercedes land today.

Yesterday I'd coated the front floorpan and around the front seat mounts with Miracle Paint.  I did two coats and today I could have swung a sledgehammer at it and not chipped it - this stuff is pretty amazing (the downside is I'm sure it will be days before it comes off my hands properly).

This is the front floorpan, it dries in a glossy black so is a little difficult to photograph:



The edges of the front seat mounts were showing very early signs of rust - just a brown powder really, but I cleaned these back (wire brush attachments for the drill) and painted them to be on the safe side.  The rear floorpan wasn't showing any signs of rust so I didn't paint that:





Here you can see everything cleaned up and ready for the Dynamat (notice the steering wheel from Nathan in the background!):



The tools of the trade for installing Dynamat - a hairdryer, a print-maker's hard-rubber roller from an art supply store and various cutting implements.



Installation was easier that I thought - it's a very easy material to work with.  Position a section in place to mark where it needs to be cut, cut it (I used a cutting mat/Stanley knife and pair of scissors) - it cuts easily.  You probably could just position the sheets and cut it in situ.  It holds its shape very well, so you can mould it, pull it out to trim, put it back etc to get a good fit.  When you've trimmed it enough you peel the backing paper off, position it and work from one corner or edge to press it firmly against the surface.  The hairdryer is used to heat the matting to make it a more plyable - the roller is used to press it firmly against the metal, or with fingers where that can't reach.  Apparently it works better without air bubbles underneath so I spent a bit of time making sure this was the case - especially working it into the ribbing that's pressed into the sheet metal.

I worked from the front of the car to the back and used about 2.5 sheets.  It took me around two hours or so I'd say - and as I had no idea what I was doing the first piece took probably about 40 minutes before I was committing to pressing it against the metal.

This is the finished front:



And here's the rear:



Ideally, you'd completely strip the interior of the car (trims, console, carpet, foam and wiring) and do every surface.  You can see I've gone for quite a bit more coverage than the original tar matting, but I haven't cover the rear seat area, drive train area, or underneath the console.  Pros would probably look at what I've done and scoff but I think it's turned out OK.

When I mentioned in another post that I got the front seat out with damage - I realised when i put it back in that that was because it already was damaged!  You can see in this shot the plastic cover over the mechanism has been partially snapped off - very easy to see how this would happen, when the seat is at its back-most position and is removed it looks like this piece of plastic would be in just the position to take the weight of the seat:



Getting the front seat back in was substantially more difficult that pulling it out.  The two rear bolts are particularly difficult to get lined up, I found I had to loosen the front bolts first to be able to nudge the seat into a position where the rear bolts would take up the thread.

Here's the front seat with the foam matting in place and the air cond channel back in:



And with my crappy carpet (it photographs better than it really is):



Here's the rear, prior to the rear seat being put back in place:



OK so how about performance - was it successful??  Yes - it absolutely was from a noise point of view.  I've been driving the car for nearly three months now without carpets or matting and the difference in noise was very noticeable - and keep in mind I've only done half the car.  Even with just the Dynamat down you notice a difference in the general noise of the car - it deadens/dampens the vibrations through the metal.  I didn't drive for very long but it was very evident that noticeable noise was only coming from the right hand side of the car now.  I'll report back on the thermal properties once I've done the driver's side.

A few months ago when these water dramas started I was lamenting the fact that I felt like I'd done more damage than good to the car - well I can say that's been turned around now and I'm very happy that I've improved on the original car - well the left hand side of it!

Next weekend I'll do the right hand side - this will be a bit more work to clean up as the rust is worse there.  I'm confident it's a two day project though, and if I have enough Dynamat left over (which I think I will) I'd do under the rear seat as well.

Here's one last shot just for fun - I was going to put this photo in the topic about tyres but I'd just washed the car so couldn't put the tyre gel on, and the light was fading so you can't really see the new Toyo's anyway.  It's looking pretty good.  I'm actually looking forward to the drive to work tomorrow morning.



Cheers,
Matt.

[KenM]

Matt, first rate job I'd say, it's always a bit of a 'am I doing the right thing' moment when you try something for the first time so I'd say it's gone pretty well, as you say if it's already noticeable with only one side done then you should notice a huge improvement with the whole car done. This miracle paint is pretty good stuff eh?, sounds similar to POR 15. The car looks in really good nic inside and out, should be very satisfying when you're done.

Cheers,
Ken

[Takernz]

In my 280S, I've noticed that the under side of the right hand side (passenger's side in the Philippines, opposite of your car) carpets are getting burned because of where the exhaust pipe passes through. Also, I have problems with interior heat, I'm worried about the AC overworking. Is dynamatting will solve these problems I have?

[koan]

Nice work there flutes.

koan

[Big_Richard]

awesome.

would that carton you've got there do the entire floor pan? It's something I'm tempted to do also.

when we had that stuff installed as part of a stereo installation years ago (non mercedes), the entire interior was ripped out and it was put into all the doors, roof, everwhere.

I don't actually remember there being much difference noise wise but the car was quiet inside to begin with i suppose.

with 1000w pumping through a cerwin vega sub nothing inside the car ever vibrated though - only the rear licence plate, your internal organs and your vision... That equipment might find a new home in my 6.9 yet, I'm undecided.

[flutes]

MT - one carton would do the entire floorpan - I used about two and a half sheets out of nine in the carton for what you can see there.  I think doing other surfaces would make a big difference - I'll do the roof if I ever replace the headlining.  I really should put it on the doors as well.  These cars aren't quiet by modern standards but you could get pretty close with enough of this stuff.

1000w in a 6.9 - loud engine, loud stereo!  You'd be a menace on the roads!

[TJ 450]

It sure does look neat and there shouldn't be any problem with applying a few layers if you want the car really quiet, too.

Tim

[Big_Richard]

I agree with what your saying about w116's being noisey by todays standard.

a once every 6 months drive in a w116 (my frequency) makes it feel and sound like your driving some kind of harvester manufactured by john deere. Still alot of fun though 

how much, if you DON'T mind me asking is that stuff per carton, and where does one obtain it.... ? 

[flutes]

Certainly don't mind you asking...  I bought it on eBay from this guy Link  Shipped quickly, I rated him 5 stars.

That carton was $205 + postage (which was $25 to Sydney).  RRP seems to add about $100 on to that.  The product is genuine as far as I can tell.

Actually I've just ordered another one - I figure it will be good to have on hand as I can't imagine it deteriorates quickly.

[koan]

I'll do the roof if I ever replace the headlining.

0ne thing that surprises me is the lack of sound deadening in 116 roofs, first time I got caught in a decent down pour it sounded like I was driving a tin hut.

Would benefit from some Dynamat provided it can be made to stay there.

koan

[wbrian63]

Actually I've just ordered another one - I figure it will be good to have on hand as I can't imagine it deteriorates quickly.

Keep it in a "conditioned" space.

While the material itself will still be around when the planets collide, if left in a too-warm location for very long, the backing paper gets brittle and hard (nearly impossible) to remove.

The key with this stuff, as you noted, is getting it stuck firmly to the substrate - fighting each square centimeter of backing paper is a job of futility.

Congratulations on a job well done.

[nathan]

great job Flutes,
the interior on your car (and the exterior pic) look pretty slick!
however, is that a broken trim piece on the outside of the passenger front seat? was this done in your one man removal of the seat? ha ha, please dont prove me wrong here!

[flutes]

Thanks guys.  It's looking good, although as I said - my current carpets photograph better than they are in the flesh.  They're on the list for replacement.  Externally the only major things are the bumpers, a few minor dents and scratches and of course the brightwork, for which I have no solution.

Nathan - that is a broken piece of trim but sorry to disappoint you it was already broken (presumably by the last person who pulled the seat out).  I can assure you though, that if it wasn't already broken I probably would have done it myself anyway!

Brian - the new batch will be stored in the cellar, now I just have to build a cellar!

Koan although it's easy to work with it sticks very well, provided the surface is prepared well, is clean etc.  As I was putting this on flat surfaces I wasn't too concerned about the glue there from the original matting however if I was putting it on a vertical or underside surface that might have been something to address.

I've never seen the underside of a w116 roof but if it's just raw metal I can't imagine there would be a problem getting it to stick.  This would be very beneficial to darker coloured cars in our climates from a thermal point of view, not to mention the sound.

What was interesting was when I had half the rear done, tapping the bare metal with a wrench made a loud clang and resonated through the car - doing the same on the area that had been covered produced just a dull thud.  You can see why car stereo guys go crazy with this stuff.

[TJ 450]

I'm pretty sure there is at least one pad of bitumen sound deadening above the sunroof frame area, otherwise nothing but metal. Modern cars have the stuff everywhere, including in the boot/rear quarters.

When every panel of the car is allowed to resonate (no matter the gauge), it is going to be noisy.

In a car, you can't use enough of the stuff. Likewise, an MB without a bonnet mat is an even noiser affair.

Remember though, that this stuff works (partly) by adding mass to the surface... thereby increasing the overall weight of the car.

Tim

[Luke1]

Flutes, glad to see I'm not the only one usine Miracle Paint, that is real good stuff, I know for myself.  I will changing out my original bamboo color interir with the same color that you have, and I will be painting my brown exterior similar to your silver, I'm thinking a dark metallic grey, Nice work!  I've used the Miracle paint almost everywhere under my car and entire floor pan and under the hood, whell wells.  It is very water tight, it made a beleiver out of me about two years ago.