Installed Coverking Topliner with sound deadening mat

[JeepinJason33]

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.

The rain, traffic, and taxes are all reasons we never moved back. The rain seems to be getting a bit better, but there still are not 4 seasons up there. It is hard to understand how nice 4 seasons and not being under a constant cloud cover are until you actually leave.

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[Stacey616]

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.

Thank you so much for the specific info. I have a Coverking that we need to install. I was just wondering what additional options were available to put under the cover. As much as I love my Rubi I do miss my quiet ride!
Hoping all the sticky tape holds up in the TX heat!

 

[JeepinJason33]

Thank you so much for the specific info. I have a Coverking that we need to install. I was just wondering what additional options were available to put under the cover. As much as I love my Rubi I do miss my quiet ride!
Hoping all the sticky tape holds up in the TX heat!

It has not gotten above 50 here in Denver since I installed it. I hope it holds up in the heat as well. However, once you have trimmed the top, pulling it back a bit to slap in more adhesive would not be very time consuming. If for some reason mine sags at all, I will probably switch over to a spray adhesive.

 

[roaniecowpony]

It has not gotten above 50 here in Denver since I installed it. I hope it holds up in the heat as well. However, once you have trimmed the top, pulling it back a bit to slap in more adhesive would not be very time consuming. If for some reason mine sags at all, I will probably switch over to a spray adhesive.

I am about to order the Topliner as well. I will be putting 50 mil Kilmat in first, like you did.

I finished the tub with full coverage of Kilmat 80 mil and then about 80% coverage of 1/4" (more like 5/16-3/8") Dynaliner foam mat, which really toned it down. I haven't put my meter in it yet. But it now accentuates the need for the top insulation. Also, the top is clearly flexing under small bumps in the road, causing a low frequency "drumming". I plan on making brackets to put screw adjustable rubber bumpers on the roll bar. I think this was the cause of the irratic meter readings when I last measured it.

 

[DavidArmen]

I am in the same boat as you my friend.
I ordered the Coverking Topliner on November (doesn’t matter who from because it comes directly from Coverking factory) and I waited over a month to receive my delivery in December. I opened the box only to find out that the driver side Topliner was missing. After contacting Coverking and letting them know of the issue, I was told that the missing item would be expedited. It is now over two months after that and over theee months after my original order date and it is still waiting in the box with a missing piece in my room all this time. I get very short and rude replies about random ETAs and after my last email, they said they were having material shortages, still with no estimate at all. After all this time I still don’t know when, or if, I will ever get the missing piece to my order.
Sufficed to say, that was the first and last time I will ever order Coverking.

 

[CJ SCION]

Great info Jason, thanks for sharing. Sounds like ordering now for a spring install would work quite well.

 

[JeepinJason33]

Great info Jason, thanks for sharing. Sounds like ordering now for a spring install would work quite well.

Let me know if you have any questions once you start the project. Hopefully your topliner gets to you within a month or so of ordering. Make sure you open the box and ensure everything is in there.

 

[JeepinJason33]

I am in the same boat as you my friend.
I ordered the Coverking Topliner on November (doesn’t matter who from because it comes directly from Coverking factory) and I waited over a month to receive my delivery in December. I opened the box only to find out that the driver side Topliner was missing. After contacting Coverking and letting them know of the issue, I was told that the missing item would be expedited. It is now over two months after that and over theee months after my original order date and it is still waiting in the box with a missing piece in my room all this time. I get very short and rude replies about random ETAs and after my last email, they said they were having material shortages, still with no estimate at all. After all this time I still don’t know when, or if, I will ever get the missing piece to my order.
Sufficed to say, that was the first and last time I will ever order Coverking.

Any resolution to this yet? What ticks me off is that Coverking is still filling orders before fixing existing problems. They say that they don't stock these because they are custom. How are they custom? They don't allow a color choice and all hardtops for the JL are exactly the same! Why not make a bunch ahead of time. Tells me that they are not financially stable enough to build inventory.

Such a shame because the finished product is really nice. If I had more time, I would look into producing a version of them.

 

[Blf]

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.

Hi jeepinjasan33, I like what you have done. I have ordered the covering coverking for my JLU and I wanted to do the same thing with the kilmat or dynamat or something like them. But I talked with an installer and he said in the south Texas heat that the material would come loose and cause problems with the coverking. Have you had anything like that happen?

 

[JeepinJason33]

Hi jeepinjasan33, I like what you have done. I have ordered the covering coverking for my JLU and I wanted to do the same thing with the kilmat or dynamat or something like them. But I talked with an installer and he said in the south Texas heat that the material would come loose and cause problems with the coverking. Have you had anything like that happen?

Sorry for the late reply, never saw your question. I have not had mine out in the extreme heat as I use the soft top during the summer. It does not get as hot up here in Denver as it does in Texas.

 

[Jeepn’]

I wonder if its possible to add hotheads headliner over the coverking liner by cutting a few spaces to expose the hardtop to stick to.

 

[XX4XEXX]

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.

And the cost was........

 

[Hack]

And the cost was........

Probably quite a bit less, 2 years ago, when he made that post. Inflation has been harsh.

 

[JeepinJason33]

Probably quite a bit less, 2 years ago, when he made that post. Inflation has been harsh.

I can't even remember what I paid for it. All I remember is that it took forever and like another poster, pieces were missing and I was promised expedited shipping that took way too long and several follow up calls to final arrive at my house.

 

[MarcusAntonius]

$513 with shipping. I got all the pieces but the tape pieces took some figuring out where to put them since they weren’t labeled. Also ordered some sound deadening mat and extra tape to cover areas that need a little extra stick. All in I was probably $650 with everything I bought. I did buy extra sound deadening so I could do other areas too so that’s included in the number.

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