Insulating a soft top?
08-17-2009, 10:00 AM
#1
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Insulating a soft top?
Does anyone have some tips on insulating a soft top? I know that there was once a Thinsulate product that was sold, but I think that company went under.
I'm just looking for something that might take the edge off during the extreme heat we have been having lately. I'm not looking to make my soft top into a refridgerator, but something that would be an improvement would be greatly appreciated.
I'm just looking for something that might take the edge off during the extreme heat we have been having lately. I'm not looking to make my soft top into a refridgerator, but something that would be an improvement would be greatly appreciated.
08-22-2009, 09:36 PM
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OK then ... I take it no one has any input on this idea? I guess I'll just have to develope something for myself. If it works out and doesn't look too embarrassing, maybe I'll post a few pics.
08-23-2009, 05:04 AM
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Californiatops.com (website doesn't like Google Chrome) looks to still make a thinsulate liner for both the soft and hard top. A few people on the forum have one of their tops. Below is the standard warning message this thread will get.
WARNING: BUYER BEWARE
That is based on a now dead reseller (I think). It is easy to tell their cart system is Paypal based. Their address in Canada is listed. My view is if everyone went by one bad experience no one would order from Quadratec or get Bestop products.
P.S. I don't have a Jeep yet but I do want a 4 door JK with a hard top and California Tops Multi-Top
WARNING: BUYER BEWARE
That is based on a now dead reseller (I think). It is easy to tell their cart system is Paypal based. Their address in Canada is listed. My view is if everyone went by one bad experience no one would order from Quadratec or get Bestop products.
P.S. I don't have a Jeep yet but I do want a 4 door JK with a hard top and California Tops Multi-Top
08-23-2009, 05:42 AM
#4
JK Junkie
No soft top idea, but I do have a hard top noise absortion product I'm testing for a client of mine who makes this type of panel for uses like Military Hummers, 18 Wheelers, planes, and more. Here are some pics. I've tested it wtih my cell phone mic and it really makes the accoustics in the cabin go from a bathroom type sound to a recording studio type sound in terms of echos, especially around the human voice ranges. Here's some pics. Some day soon, I'm hoping some of the sponsors here will want to be a distributor (I'm just trying to help our hobby, not make money personall).
Anyway, maybe these pics will help inspire some here:
photobucket.com/JeepJKSoundcoatPanels
The color and texture look GREAT inside the Jeep, too!
As soon as I put the hard top back on, we're going to fit the middle (over rear seats) and rear (over cargo area) for panels as well. The black is MUCH easier on the eyes than the white! And as I said, even conversations are easier on the ears inside the JK now.
Anyway, maybe these pics will help inspire some here:
photobucket.com/JeepJKSoundcoatPanels
The color and texture look GREAT inside the Jeep, too!
As soon as I put the hard top back on, we're going to fit the middle (over rear seats) and rear (over cargo area) for panels as well. The black is MUCH easier on the eyes than the white! And as I said, even conversations are easier on the ears inside the JK now.
08-24-2009, 01:33 PM
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Over the weekend, I came up with some basic materials and I'm going to try to make my own insulated headliner. I found an insulation material for about $6/yrd that is essentially used for oven mits and hot pads. Fairly thin with a layer of aluminized mylar as an additional thermal barrier. I'm optimistic about this. 
08-31-2009, 01:11 PM
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OK .. after a week of wrestling with it, I completed my insulating headliner for my soft top. It definitely makes a huge difference with road noise, especially noticable when passing semi trucks. The outside temperature has been moderate, so I have yet to tell if it will make a difference in cabin temps.
The way that I did it was probably a bit more work that if I had bought ready made insulation material. If I had it to do over again, I would have found pre-quilted 60" wide Thinsulate material, but instead I sandwiched and machine quilted the material myself. Most of the labor went into that process and once I finished that part, things went rather quickly. I used Velcro to fasten the headliner to the existing top bows without modification. I also took care to keep the headliner from interfering with the folding and lowering of the top.
All in all, it was about $90 in materials, a couple hours of fabrication and several intermediate fitting sessions, but I'm very pleased with the results.
Over the front seats
Over the back seat
Front to rear view
Top folded down
The way that I did it was probably a bit more work that if I had bought ready made insulation material. If I had it to do over again, I would have found pre-quilted 60" wide Thinsulate material, but instead I sandwiched and machine quilted the material myself. Most of the labor went into that process and once I finished that part, things went rather quickly. I used Velcro to fasten the headliner to the existing top bows without modification. I also took care to keep the headliner from interfering with the folding and lowering of the top.
All in all, it was about $90 in materials, a couple hours of fabrication and several intermediate fitting sessions, but I'm very pleased with the results.
Over the front seats
Over the back seat
Front to rear view
Top folded down
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08-31-2009, 02:10 PM
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Looks nice...how well do you think its going to hold up with time and mother nature (dust, mud, rain)? Can it be removed and machine washed? That would be cool!
09-01-2009, 07:06 AM
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I designed the headliner to be easily installed and removed using velcro tabs in about 10 - 15 minutes. It is also machine washable and dryable, so the mud and dust shouldn't be an issue.
