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Installed Coverking Topliner with sound deadening mat

Hothead Headliners

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I was also looking for some help with regulating the inside temperature. It would certainly have been easier to do 25%. Most high end audio shops run nearly 100% mat when they can... Especially on the floor and ceiling.
A Radiant Barrier layer is going to be the best help when regulating temperature.
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roaniecowpony

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A Radiant Barrier layer is going to be the best help when regulating temperature.
I think he can't get a thicker material in there without adversely affecting the Coverking liner fit. Ideally, I'd want both a thermal barrier and noise damping materials.

Per Mick Jagger:
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime, you find you get what you need...
 
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JeepinJason33

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Can you describe the Coverking material? Is it a multilayer accoustic laminate? I'm still trying to decide if I want full coverage of the roof.

Do you think the Kilmat was the big swinger in the noise reduction?

I'm going to finish installing Kilmat in the tub today, then I'll line it with Dynaliner foam and start putting it back together.

Once that's done, I'll move on to the doors. I completed one door in the spring. It made that door sound like a Lexus door when you close it. But the effect on the overall noise level at 75 mph was negligible, since its such small percentage of the affected area.

I would not write off doing sound suppresion just because your tires will be noisy. In that regard, I would expect the perceived effect may even be greater.
The topliner does not appear to be multi-layer. To me, it looks like really nice subwoofer box material. I am sure someone will know more about it than I do, but there certainly is not a backing on it that appears to be any different than the front. I did not put it on without the kilmat so no idea how much of the sound deadening was due to the kilmat vs the topliner alone. Again, major driver was for full coverage.
 
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JeepinJason33

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A Radiant Barrier layer is going to be the best help when regulating temperature.
I agree a radiant barrier would be best. I could not find one that was reasonably priced that I could use under the topliner. I liked the Hothead product, but wanted 100% coverage of the inside of the top and could not get it with the Hothead line. With the topliner, you do not even know that this is a fiberglass removable hard top from the inside.
 
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JeepinJason33

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I am sure there are other ways to better sound or heat proof the inside of a hard top. For me, this worked and was under $400. Might not be the best way to do it, but the difference was night and day and I am more than satisfied with the result.
 

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I agree a radiant barrier would be best. I could not find one that was reasonably priced that I could use under the topliner. I liked the Hothead product, but wanted 100% coverage of the inside of the top and could not get it with the Hothead line. With the topliner, you do not even know that this is a fiberglass removable hard top from the inside.
We sell Sound Assassin by the sheet along with bundles of half and full floor kits. The reason we sell strips for the hard top is because the headliners adhere best directly to the hardtop itself and are still pretty effective with the sound damping properties. You can certainly put more on if you'd like. Feel free to reach out directly if you have any questions. [email protected]
 

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Thanks for the great write up and thoughts! I’ve been wondering if anyone has done this.
 

roaniecowpony

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Trying to stay focused on the method I used as several people asked about it on another thread. Did not really want this to turn into and advertisement for any product.
Did you use 80 or 50 mil in the top?
 

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I read about one other person doing this, but could not find a write up of any kind. If you want the topliner, keep in mind they take 30 days to make and ship for some reason. The first one that I purchased through Morris took 5 weeks to get to my house, only to find out the box was destroyed during delivery! Morris promised to fix it, but over a month later (now nearly 3 months into this) I still did not have the parts to install it. Anyway, returned it and found a guy on Craigslist that had one for sale near me.

The difference in sound noise is night and day! The radio sounds better, people can hear me on the hands free phone, and the black really looks better than the white in my opinion. Seems to have reduced the cold inside the JL as well. Certainly cooler to the touch. Will be interested in seeing what it is like in the summer. This should be offered by the factory. The fit and finish looks OEM. There is Zero smell from the Kilmat or Topliner.

The topliner itself is not much more than some carpet that you would see on a high end speaker box. However, it is perfectly form fit and fairly easy to install. I wanted a bit more heat and noise reduction so I chose to line almost the entire top with Kilmat. The 50 sqft box from Amazon was enough for the entire top. This significantly increases the time that it takes for installation. I would say it took at least 10 hours for me to do this on my own.

There are a couple of videos already out there on how to install the topliner itself. A few tips if you are going to use the Kilmat:
  • Carefully check all points that will contact the body of the Jeep before putting the Kilmat on those spots. I did not do this and found that it actually raised the freedom panels enough to increase air noise. After I pulled back the topliner and cut the Kilmat out, they sat down nicely. Fortunately, I did that before the rear part of the hard top so I did not make the same mistake twice
  • If it is cold - pre heat the Kilmat with a space heater, I was working in a garage with a few heaters on as it was 23 degrees out. Goes on much easier this way.
  • Buy a cheap roller set to roll the Kilmat on once you have it all laid out
  • Regardless of whether it is cold or not, heat the Kilmat as you are rolling it down
  • Buy additional double sided tape for topliner
  • Leave a patch of the Kilmat off above the GPS/XM antenna. I tested this before by placing a few Kilmat layers directly on top of the antenna with the top off and it worked fine. So I thought I could line the entire top. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that the single cut out when I did this. I had to lift the top up and pull back the liner to cut away the Kilmat above the antenna. I only cut about a 6"x6" patch away and it worked perfectly.
I have included a few pics below, I forgot to take a picture of the topliner installed with the top laying on the ground as a neighbor was walking by right when I finished so I grabbed him to help me lift the top back on.


IMG_2239.JPG
Are you from Washington?
 

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JeepinJason33

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Did you use 80 or 50 mil in the top?
I used the 50 mil. Did not feel the need for the 80 mil, plus the 80 mil is a bit more difficult to work with from what I was reading. Might try that on the floor if I ever get to it. There are some great how to and comparison videos on youtube regarding Kilmat. Again, I am sure there are better products out there, but this one did well in the tests that I saw and does not smell.

Kilmat 50 Square foot left me with a few sheets extra.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0751G6TMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tape that I used. Work well, especially after heating it up once it was applied to hard top with a heat gun prior to sticking liner on.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V1L2ZVD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rollers I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XBH3JF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

roaniecowpony

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I used the 50 mil. Did not feel the need for the 80 mil, plus the 80 mil is a bit more difficult to work with from what I was reading. Might try that on the floor if I ever get to it. There are some great how to and comparison videos on youtube regarding Kilmat. Again, I am sure there are better products out there, but this one did well in the tests that I saw and does not smell.

Kilmat 50 Square foot left me with a few sheets extra.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0751G6TMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tape that I used. Work well, especially after heating it up once it was applied to hard top with a heat gun prior to sticking liner on.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V1L2ZVD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rollers I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XBH3JF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Jason,
I've been working with the 80 and 50 mil Kilmat for a couple weeks. The 80 mil works fine if the temperature is around 70 or higher. I lined my whole tub (almost finished) and B pillars. I used some 50 mil in the passenger door. I want to finish all the doors and then tackle the top. Your results sound encouraging.
 
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Jason,
I've been working with the 80 and 50 mil Kilmat for a couple weeks. The 80 mil works fine if the temperature is around 70 or higher. I lined my whole tub (almost finished) and B pillars. I used some 50 mil in the passenger door. I want to finish all the doors and then tackle the top. Your results sound encouraging.
That is what I figured. It was 18 degrees out when I did this project and I only had two space heaters to warm up my 6 car garage! The top never got warm and thus the need to pre heat the sheets and then use a heat gun to ensure they could roll out. Would be so much easier during the summer. The 80 mil probably weighs a bit more as well, not a big deal on the floor.
 

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Moved to Woodinville, WA in 78 from Cali. Grew up there, went to UW and then left for the East Coast. We have lived in 12 states across the country!
Moved to Federal Way in 1979, graduated high school here. Other than 6 months in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and 3 years in Saudi Arabia I have lived here since then. Tired of all the rain, cold, wet days - thinking maybe Arizona might be a good choice. :)
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