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CJ Hardtop Insulation


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I put a bikini header on the CJ and ran it topless most of the summer, but the weather is cooling off and I spent the morning putting the hardtop back in place.  Unfortunately, the header for the bikini had to come back off first.  That will be a bit of a pain, but as long as it's only once per year I'll manage. 

 

I am looking for a way to reduce the booming from these 33" Mickey Thompson's.  My route to work includes some highway miles.  In the summer, I wore ear plugs due to the tire and wind noise, but I'd rather not do that the rest of the year.  I've found several pre-built insulating mats for TJ and newer Jeeps, but none for the CJ.  Does anyone know if the TJ models would fit my hardtop reasonably well?  I don't want to use the aluminum backed rubber products like Hushmat--I think it would look pretty ratty on the interior of the top.

 

Also, does anyone have experience with any of these pre-made mats?

 

Case

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If anybody is viewing this, Hothead Headliners has the patterns for CJ, TJ, JK and all (as far as I can tell) Jeep hardtops.  The owner is an automotive upholsterer.  I ordered a set; I'll put up some pictures and let you know how it works once it's in.  They're made to order, so I have another week or two to wait.

 

Case

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He's doing well. In fact we're about to leave him with a sitter for the first time. First dinner out alone in ages! The headliner arrived yesterday, so I'm planning to put it up tomorrow. It's not as thick as I expected, but appears to be well made. Pictures to follow.

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Case...Your first "date" and babysitter...I'm sure you're very picky about the sitter!  Exciting time...

 

Looking forward to the photos of the insulation install on the Jeep CJ-7 top.  Many will be interested, cold weather is just around the corner!

 

Moses

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OK, so I finally got the hardtop insulation installed.  I completely forgot to take pictures of the process, but suffice it to say it was a piece of cake.  Hothead headliners provided two sections for my CJ.  The offer both a double-sided tape option and heavy duty velcro.  I read some reviews on a different site indicating the velcro holds better.

 

I prefer the option to remove the panels and reinstall, so the velcro would have been my choice either way.  I did a test fit before removing the liner from the adhesive, and the panels are pretty much a perfect fit for the front and back of the hard top.  There is a raised area that crosses the top about halfway aft, and the insulation uses that as a natural break point between the two sections.

 

The pictures don't show up well, but the panels are about 5/8" thick.  They use automotive quality materials, and seem to be very well made. I don't have any sound pressure level measurements from before to compare to, but I would say there is a very real subjective difference in noise in the Jeep.  It's still loud with the oversized tires and lack of carpet or other sound insulation, but it's much less boomy and the high pitched racket seems to be reduced.

 

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the quality and ease of installation.  It's not a magical sound reduction, but I think it's a pretty good outcome for a couple simple panels.

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Case, this is a great install!  Some floor insulation and you'll have it!  DEI makes heat barrier floor insulation for Jeep vehicles.  See their products for ideas!  Cold weather ahead, that baby boy needs to stay comfortable! 

 

Rear seat heater?  Consider the older FJ40 Toyota solution: copper tubing and a bona fide (circulating engine coolant and a fan) rear heating system.  This was popular on '50s cars; G.M. cars like Pontiac and others come to mind.  No effort was spared to warm the rear seat passengers, and there was a rear floor heater mounted underneath the front seat.

 

Moses

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