top insulation?

[laura79]

Is there someone who made a homemade top insulation?what kind of stuff could be appropriate? My is a canvas top, it looks good but when i go with top up there is a lot of noise because it hasn't an internal headliner. I dont' know if it's a strange idea or not. Thank you!

[wikkid]

What do you have on the floor, under the carpets, as padding/insulation?
Is the noise wind noise or car noise?

Noise is a subjective thing. Are you finding it noisy compared to another Fiat Spider, or just noisier than you would prefer, compared to what you would like it to be?

[laura79]

On the floor there is insulation pads, not with metal side but it's like original one, more or less.It's wind noise because car noise is not a problem, it's sweet sound for me..I can't compare with another fiat spider, where i live i'm the only one that have it..i prefer that it would be less noisy because when i drive with top down there is less noise.Thank you for your answer. Laura

[wikkid]

It must be from wind whistling through the small openings between top and car. Hard to know what to do - and probably depends on the fit of the top itself more than anything else. How bad are the gaps with light visible through?

I don't know if a liner would do much to deaden that. Someone with a creative solution for covering/closing any gap areas should come along at this point and chime in.

I wear cheap, foam ear plugs wen I ride my motorcycles (any pharmacy or Walmart - sold in packs of.... lots of the little things! I hear things around me and the engine just fine, but it blocks wind noise, which actually is incredibly damaging to your hearing.

Convertible cars: pure luxury by comparison! ;- )

-Chris

[manoa matt]

The canvas tops are quieter than the vinyl tops due to the thicker material. Do you have the top secured to the three cross bows, it not it will buffet in the wind. (Not Jimmy Buffet) There was a fellow that made some insulation for the top over on the Mirafiori.com site, but it was mainly for heat/cold insulation as he has an AC system. Made of mylar faced bubble wrap, with some cloth covering and a million staples, it wan't the prettiest thing.

[spidernut]

I had thought about it as well. My thoughts were along this lines but I never actually tried it:

1. Velcro along the header bow and each of the convertible top ribs and a few pieces along the side bars
2. A liner made of canvas with the other side of velcro attached to it
3. Glued or sewed to the canvas would be a water-heater insulation liner with the plastic side up so the insulation fibers don't blow around.

I'm not sure how much benefit you'd get as far as noise insulation and not even sure it would work. Ever consider a hard top?

[laura79]

thank you everyone for answers. Spidernut your idea is like something that i'm thinking, but i don't know what is the best insulation...It's only for winter drive because everytime i can i go with top down!

[Warren]

What I did on mine to reduce some of the wind noise on the top-of-the-window flap was to install some black foam insulation strips which you can get from Home Depot and Lowes. They are 1/2" wide and 3/8" thick with a peel-off sticky backing. They fit on the frame (individual pieces) and help push the top flap against the window a little more; my top is a canvas one with the thick flaps. Also make sure the top of the window is at the correct position; adjustment is done with the door panel off as I recall.

On the vertical black rubber piece which fits against the window, it is hollow and it can be filled with some other donor rubber strips to push it out against the vertical window edge. Check to be sure your door is adjusted to be flush with the body; with age they tend to be more out which will give more gap on the top/frame seals.

My biggest noise problem is running ~4000 RPM at 70 MPH with my 3 speed automatic transmission and 165/70 13 tires; next time I need tires I going up in size to reduce RPM.

[Exit98]

Laura.

You probably know this, but just in case...

The little side windows, on their back sides is a strip of velco, and on your top where it meets the back of the windows should be a flap also with velco. These velco strips fuse the top to the window when the top is up. A pretty ingenious system in its day.

Make sure you have all 4 strips of velco where they belong. When you put up the top put your hand back in there on each side and smooth out the velco connection from top to bottom. If you don't have this set up right on your top the wind will whistle in big time.

[laura79]

thank you for your advices.Velcro strips are ok, i'll try to find some black foam insulation strip in Italy i don't think that Home Depot and Lowes ships here.