I figured this was the most appropriate forum to ask this question....

I am going to put a stereo back into my 2000 Z (last one was stolen last year) this summer, but I want to see if I can do anything about a particular affliction my Z suffered last time...

My rear hatch would rattle when the music was turned up. I had 1 10" sub in the cubby hole in the hatch area.

What can I do to alleviate this problem? I would like to know beforehand so if I need to order anything I can do it before the stereo actually goes in. I was thinking of putting some dynamat in the trunk area under the carpet to help dampen some of the vibration. Would that help or heal the vibration? I hate hearing that window thump on other cars and I hate it even more when I know mine is doing the same thing.

Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks!

 

Either take the plastic pieces out for good, or take them out, and spray rubberized undercoating on the inside of them.. Also, take off the rear panel, that goes between/under the lights, and spray the inside of that!! I took the plastic out, and sprayed under the panel, and get no vibration.. dynamat would probably work too, but put it under that panel, and under those plastic pieces! Good luck! <img src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" border="0">

 

Dont forget to Dynamat the back of your licsence plate. I also used 3M double side foam tape on the interior plastic panels were they attach to the car and the adjoining panel to get rid of the buzzing in the interior. If you want to get crazy you can use that expanding foam isulation stuff and squirt it between the tail lights and body to keep them from vibrating.

 

Thanks for the suggestions so far, but what can I do for the hatch specifically? I can understand that dampening the plastic parts inside the hatch can help, but is there anything I can do to the hatch itself?

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by BBYZED:
<strong>Thanks for the suggestions so far, but what can I do for the hatch specifically? I can understand that dampening the plastic parts inside the hatch can help, but is there anything I can do to the hatch itself?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Nope...I have tried everything...it still has the little humming rattle...The hatch being so damm big doesnt help either....

 

How about going with a smaller speaker in the rear. Switch speakers around. Hatch being as is, I don't see to really get around that problem IMO.
My solution: Park and open the hatch <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" /> Only then can I let people know I have a 500 watt system!!!

 

I only have a single 10" sub in the hatch area. I will take the plastic panels out and coat the inside of them with rubberized rocker guard as suggested (which I actually already have a can of.....) and maybe look into some dynamat for under the carpet on the floor and rear.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by BBYZED:
<strong>I only have a single 10" sub in the hatch area. I will take the plastic panels out and coat the inside of them with rubberized rocker guard as suggested (which I actually already have a can of.....) and maybe look into some dynamat for under the carpet on the floor and rear.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. Be careful with the rubberized undercoating. It takes forever to dry and you really need several layers buildup to dampen anything. Also once it's on it's there for good as you might as well buy a new panel before trying to remove it. Also, if you DO use it, don't spray to the edge of the panels as that crap will rub off on anything it has friction against like carpet and other panels.

2. If you use the expanding foam, make sure you get the minimal or moderate expanding stuff and you watch it very carefully. I've seen destroyed spoilers and body panels because of that stuff OVER expanding particularly on a hot day.

3. Probably the least messy but of course the most expensive would be Dynamat or B-Quiet(much cheaper). The "extreme" version of either is the one to get because of the pliability and no need for a heat gun.

4. If you want a less permanent solution consider going to Lowes or Home Depot and get some carpet padding. They sell some dense padding that is not foam, it's like shredded carpet fibers for around $2 a linear foot and maybe 5-6 foot in width. You can cut it to shape using your panels or rear hatch carpet as a template. You could even lightly spray mount it with some 3M "99 Strength" spray glue.

I Dynamatted from the front seats back and the doors but on the hatch just pulled the plastic panel off and put one layer of Dynamat Extreme on every part hidden by the panel and used a small roller to press it down...lots of small pieces cut to fit. I have hardly any noticeable buzzing with 600 watts on one 12".

 

I had 4-10's in my old '95 (now sold) with about 600 or so watts per sub....loud!!!! I had hardly any noise from the back. On the hatch...turn the stops so they stick out a little farther, wrap somekind of deadner that wont rip (i used electrical tap) around the post of the hatch that latch holds on to. Dynamat all the floor area. Foam tape behind the license plate. Another thing to do is to cover the exhaust and spray rubber undercoating under the entire back of the car (not on any moving suspension part or the muffler/exhaust. Good luck. I also had my windsheild wippers vibrate slightly <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" /> but never figured that one out. <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_cheers.gif" />