Proper sealing of doors when the door panel uses clips to attach to the door

[JoshC 10+ year member]

how many feet of deadner did it take to cover both your doors? Im about to do the doors of my 08 ram

 

[Sleeklsc 5,000+ posts]

Screws would be a horrible idea. Just put some foam back there. Believe me, you'll be kicking yourself in the *** in the future if you drill up those panels. Something i've learned with age is that some things are just better off left alone.

If it was a pos like alot of car's i've seen on here then I'd say do whatever the fu ck you want, this doesn't fall in that category.

 

[Nut Hair Trick 10+ year member]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I just CLD CCF and MLV'd my doors and I cant get those f'n plastic push pins to engage to the door to seal it. Right now, I just have the 2 bolts in the door handle and 1 bolt at the top of the door holding them on. If I were to go the screw route, would self tapping screws work?

 

[Joseph7195 10+ year member]

It looks like you have deadened the door pretty decent and done some work to deaden the panel itself. I would do the MLV and the closed cell foam. I would just make the holes a little bit smaller so you have to really work the clips back in. Im not sure how far you want to take this, but you have already done more than a good majority of people would do. Short of adding more deading and trying to add more mass/deading to the door panel, you are going to have to do something really custom to improve upon what you have already.

Thanks man, it was a lot of work doing all the doors, and it made a world of difference for sure. It's one of the most important investments I have made in my truck audio-wise I believe. I was gonna do exactly what you were thinking too. I am gonna add sheet metal over the openings in the door and then recover with deadener and I hope the added stiffness will help get my midbass response up. Even with just what I have done so far, I was able to get the response down from around 80hz to mid to high 60hzs, but when I turn it up louder, the bass seems to just seems to disappear, lol

how many feet of deadner did it take to cover both your doors? Im about to do the doors of my 08 ram

I believe it took about 40 sq feet for all 4 doors, but the front doors are a little larger than the back. And don't doubt it on these trucks, it's well worth it to deaden it!

Screws would be a horrible idea. Just put some foam back there. Believe me, you'll be kicking yourself in the *** in the future if you drill up those panels. Something i've learned with age is that some things are just better off left alone.
If it was a pos like alot of car's i've seen on here then I'd say do whatever the fu ck you want, this doesn't fall in that category.

I am looking into adding screws around the perimeter, only if I can figure out a way to make it blend in really well.

I'm kind of in the same boat. I just CLD CCF and MLV'd my doors and I cant get those f'n plastic push pins to engage to the door to seal it. Right now, I just have the 2 bolts in the door handle and 1 bolt at the top of the door holding them on. If I were to go the screw route, would self tapping screws work?

I remember seeing somewhere (either autozone or Oreilly's) some self tapping screws that were in several different colors and had small plastic washers around the head. The only problem I couldn't figure out was they didn't look long enough to go through the panel and the deadener, MLV and CCF. They were only like 1.5" inches long. I have been searching since I got home for some that were longer than those, cause those would probably work well and blend in too. If I can find them, I will make sure I send you the link!

 

[JoshC 10+ year member]

well i have a single cab so i only have the 2 front doors to do, but im gettin 25cuft

 

[Joseph7195 10+ year member]

well i have a single cab so i only have the 2 front doors to do, but im gettin 25cuft

You should be good then. A little off topic, but how do you like those Hertz front stage? I have heard great things about them.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

When I treated my front doors, which use the same type of hooks to secure the interior panels, I mostly left those holes alone. I did have to cut off two hooks per panel since I unintentionally covered the hole they fit into, but on the other ones I didn't do anything to seal them. If I were trying to do a subless install I would probably have made more of an effort, but for a midbass application it seems to be working quite well.

For those who suggest adding even more mass to the doors, let me share a forum thread that might give someone ideas. I'm posting this partly because I'm getting the impression people are applying too much CLD, well past diminishing returns.

I'm over CLD on the doors

Let's try to remember this hobby is about enjoying music as we drive, and not about listening to our speakers. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[cablguy184 10+ year member]

You should be good then. A little off topic, but how do you like those Hertz front stage? I have heard great things about them.

Joseph ... Bring your truck to me, I can fix you up with these doors (if you haven't taken care of this already) ...

Let me know, I will be glad to help ...

 

[Joseph7195 10+ year member]

Thanks Mr Johnson! I will probably come to make a visit in the near future. I am about to have to rebuild my rear in in my truck (it's a corporate 9.25" rear-end) so it won't be easy at all. I am about to buy a small welder too. i was thinking of tacking in some metal panel supports in the doors and on the roof and rear cab area to help stiffen things up.

It is a low power welder, do you know if I took my time and tack welded at different points (so as to not heat up the metal in one spot too much) would it still cause the paint to discolor or peel on the outside. That's the only thing i am worried about

 

[cablguy184 10+ year member]

Best of luck on that job bro ...

Sorry, I'm not a welder, I can't help you there ...

 

[VWBobby 10+ year member]

You can buy butyl rope from most auto parts stores or autobody supply places. Sometimes its called strip caulk :-/

They also make a cool product that is butyl setting tape.

CRL Black Butyl Setting Tape and Adhesive. CRL 1303 - Filmtools

Closed cell foam can be bought at upholstery shops or some fabric stores. Some major cities have foam rubber supply places that carry all types of foam. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I agree that a solid attachment like a screw would be best. However, if the clips are tight fitting and don't rattle, sealing with butyl rope/tape or foam should be adequate?

 

[Joseph7195 10+ year member]

You can buy butyl rope from most auto parts stores or autobody supply places. Sometimes its called strip caulk :-/
They also make a cool product that is butyl setting tape.

CRL Black Butyl Setting Tape and Adhesive. CRL 1303 - Filmtools

Closed cell foam can be bought at upholstery shops or some fabric stores. Some major cities have foam rubber supply places that carry all types of foam. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I agree that a solid attachment like a screw would be best. However, if the clips are tight fitting and don't rattle, sealing with butyl rope/tape or foam should be adequate?

Thanks for the link Bro! That's the best price on butyl rope I have seen yet. I am still trying to figure out the easiest and cleanest way to get these door panels to work right. Since it will be for SQ competing, I am trying to not cut corners, but I don't won't to waste my time doing the unnecessary either. I found replacement doors at a junk yard for about $400 bucks, so if I end up messing up something with my "test" door, I probably won't have to pay thousands for a replacement

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

when it comes to competition, i'm not sure any extra effort is a waste of time. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

you want rigidity and mass so it's quiet and non-resonant, you want airtight seals so you don't have response issues, and you want ease of removal.

screw heads with colored covers are commonly used in cosmetic applications.

SNAP-CAPS ® Screw Covers

HINGED SNAP-CAPS® Screw Covers/Screw Caps

i just found this site. wish i had seen it sooner!

 

[galacticmonkey 5,000+ posts]

I guarantee there will be absolutely no audible difference if the door is 99% sealed or 100% sealed. Ive sealed/deadened many a door panel, and there is no such thing as a 100% seal. Theres always going to be the possibility of a little air escaping around the clips, or some other part of the door. Heck, even if the front of the door is sealed 100%, theres still a hole for the window to go through and drains in the bottom of the door to let any rainwater out in the event that some slips past the weather seal around the window. But the fact is, its only a single tiny speaker in the door. It wont/cant displace enough air to make any difference.

Dont do anything where youre going to ruin your door, or make it impossible to get it back off when there wont be any sound difference.

 

[JoshC 10+ year member]

You should be good then. A little off topic, but how do you like those Hertz front stage? I have heard great things about them.

Really sounds good now with my doors done and DD T2's in the dash. Feeding em 90watts from a DB drive A5

Lots of good midbass, very clear. They dont lack at all response wise either, used 25ft for both doors lol audiotechnix 60mil i did inside and out of door

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