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DIY freedom panel insulation

blnewt

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Got a great deal on some large rolls of 1/2" closed cell foam and a roll of black 1/2" Volara so hopefully I'll have my whole hardtop insulated soon.
The factory and aftermarket liners are only a 1/2" thick (from what I've seen). I stacked 3 sections along w/ 3 foam strips for a max thickness of 2" and primary thickness of 1 1/2". I used 3M 77 Spray adhesive, this works well for closed cell foam. I used 3M VHB (Very High Bond) double sided tape to adhere the completed panels onto the Jeep Hardtop.

It takes a bit of trial and error to get the template just right since there are outward slants in the hardtop panels, luckily I had plenty of foam to allow for some misfits :) I've built quite a few poker tables and have found that electric turkey knives work best for cutting foam straight and easy.

Using 3M 77 you spray both pieces of foam where you want them bonded, you wait about 45sec to a minute for the pieces to get tacky, then you press them together w/ firm pressure for about a minute, come back every few minutes and reapply pressure to get a firm bond.

Once you get the panels bonded together you then apply strips of the VHB tape on the raised middle sections of the freedom panels applying firm pressure along the tape as you roll it onto the top. You then remove the red tape protector and apply the foam panel, you then apply firm pressure for a few minutes in the taped areas. Tape bond will be fully cured in 48 hours so it's best to leave the panels upside down in your house for a couple days so you'll get the best adhesion.

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CarbonSteel

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Where did you obtain the foam?
 
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blnewt

blnewt

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Where did you obtain the foam?
Galaxy Foam in Las Vegas, NV is where I got the black Valero, I got the grey closed cell foam at a garage sale, kid was wanting to make a sound proof room but moved out so I got about $300 worth of foam for $10 :)
 

RedRockRubicon

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Pretty cool, notice any difference?
 
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blnewt

blnewt

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Nice difference in wind noise and stereo sounds cleaner, can't wait to do the rest :)
 

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blnewt

blnewt

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Only had a little use prior to yesterday, went on 500 mile trip to OKC and very noticeable difference in reduced wind noise and better sound from the stereo, even heard what my wife had to say :)

Hopefully have the rest insulated next month.
 
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Only had a little use prior to yesterday, went on 500 mile trip to OKC and very noticeable difference in reduced wind noise and better sound from the stereo, even heard what my wife had to say :)

Hopefully have the rest insulated next month.
My friend made these for my freedom panels and I agree, very noticeable difference in wind noise and better stereo sound. I'm so happy he made them for me and happy you posted this. Thank you.
 

Spdu4ia

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You can get a sheet of foam insulation board with foil backing at lowes for like $10 too if you can't find the foam stuff. Thats what i used and works AWESOME
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