Removing your headliner and insulating/sound deadening

Since you're in SoCal too, I know it's going to be hot this weekend so it might be a good time to test this. I have a laser thermometer that I use for random stuff around the house (usually to play with my cats), you might want to look into one from harbor freight or an over thermometer that you can hang somewhere to get an ambient temperature reading.

 

Yeah, good call with the laser therm.; I was gonna utilize the Ultra gauge temp reading too.

 

Absolutely.

The Frost King is legit. When I searched around the web, I read reports in corvette forums dating back (11) years ago, and they all reported that it does help reduce road noise. IMO, It will never work as good, as something like MLV to block noise... But it's cheap and works as intended as an insulation material. In fact, It would make much more sense to use a dedicated insulation material over something like Dynamat. The dynamat's and other sound deadner products, goal is to change resonance of body panels, something that the OP does not care about. It's also HEAVY, like 2/3 lb. per sq. foot! The Frost King and other products are very light weight. What makes it work is two things, 1.) It traps air, 2.) it reflects heat.

Without getting too technical, I'd recommend Ghost Ship put the Frost King / similar insulation product in, or install a sunroof.

 

Thanks! @Crom I didn't want to jam up your thread with dumbass questions... I might try a couple different things, but I'm sure anything will be an improvement over stock (there's nothing there but the felt headliner!) And now you got me thinking about a roadster Tacoma! Maybe something with a removable top like the old Scout Int.? But that's a whole other story...

 

Good thread!

I'm like 99% certain I'm going to put the FK in my truck within the next month...

But yeah, the sunroof. People have done it!

caleboffroad's truck below:



@fafafahey pic below

 

Wish I could tell you I'm optimistic about the project significantly improving the heat situation better than 2 80 windows down and the AC blowing ice cubes. I don't recall the humidity being bad in California. That could be what's throwing me off here. I just don't know. Good luck.

 

Perhaps people are misreading what the intentions are for this. I've never been a fan of AC and would rather have the windows down anyway. That being said, I love how icy it gets in the Tacoma with the AC blasting. I'm not trying to turn my cabin into a meat locker with sub-zero temperatures, I'm just trying to find some relief when returning to my truck after it's been sitting in the sun and I can literally feel the heat radiating through the headliner. I'm kind of tall at 6'1" and my head is only a couple inches from the roof of the truck. Yes, it cools down if I roll the window down or I blast the AC or both, but it's just one of those little things that could make it that much more comfortable for someone that spends a lot of time in there. I drive a lot for work and my commute alone sometimes is about 100-120 miles per day round trip (in LA traffic) and that's not counting any driving I have to do while I'm actually working. I've seen people go through a lot more trouble for a much smaller mod to their trucks that I have no use for. I'm not trying to come down on you, but you brought up a good point as have other before that "you could just turn on the AC", so I figured I'd address it. Without actually going through with it and taking careful measurements and documenting everything during the process, I couldn't tell you if it's going to work either, but I thought I'd ask and see if anyone has done it before. I'll probably still do it and report back what I find. Turns out someone else here also wants to do something like this so I'm not entirely crazy.
Rant over.
Again @addicus24 , that was in no way intended as me being a douche to you or anything. I'm too old to get into measly forum wars. I just want to make sure that this thread stays on topic and the intended results for the project don't get misread.

 

I know, Ghost Ship. If it works as planned, you could sell kits for it. Maybe even include some sound proofing as a value-added proposition. With 100-120 miles a day in LA traffic, you really should have a dash cam. You could throw in some video footage for free. Some of it would have be priceless. Hell, if it works, and you need a partner, let me know. Gets pretty hot in South GA also.

 

Haha! Just installed my dash cam this week- wired to the truck to record when it's on and stays on for 15 min after i park. It's pretty cool so far. I just need to add a rear facing one (already have a mount installed).

 

Alright, so I finished the installation of the Frost King Insulation from Home Depot. Took me about an 1 1/2-2 hours taking my time. Once the liner is down its pretty easy-just measure, unroll and cut, stick it on. Yeah you might need to trim here or there but overall it wasn't hard. I forgot about the ambient temp test (my bad) but took surface temp tests with a laser thermometer. To keep it consistent, Ill take new readings tomorrow at the same time.I'd suggest starting at the front and working your way back to remove the liner.
What your looking at once the liner is down:You will need 1 1/2 rolls of this stuff. This is what one roll got me.And after half of the second roll.This was the trickiest part. Patience is your friend here as well as going slow so as not to adhere the material to the roof before you are ready to stick it on. I cut a piece to fit, and slowly passed it through the thin opening from right to left.Make sure you apply firm pressure to ensure it sticks. At the end of the roll you'll lose about an inch since it's glued to the cardboard roll. I cut and removed the this strip and used the two pieces to finish off small areas.
Be mindful of where your holes are for everything to snap or screw back into. The material can make it difficult if you forget to cut out the openings. For the visor clips that twist out, I ended up removing the material around the holes since it was hindering the clips from snapping it. After all that, just reinstall in reverse order. Hope this helps Ghost Ship. Let me know if you have other questions. Ill post up 2nd temp readings tomorrow.

 

Thanks^ I will say that there is a funny smell from the material. I'm keeping the windows open the rest of the day to let it air out. Hopefully lol.

 

Nice work. I'm curious to see the results. If you did not record the ambient temp, maybe you can find the hourly temp for your city online for that day and record the temp tomorrow. The results wont mean much if there was an ambient 15 degree temp swing that wasn't recorded.

 

I'll probably hit up my wife's truck tomorrow and text both of ours.

 

OP.
I have a black pearl & feel your pain.
Tint,Windows cracked & especially a windshield screen work wonders.
The screen will lower temps substantially,& save your dash long term.

 

Awesome!

 

That look awesome man! I didn't know you'd be doing this right away. I was just putting it out there to see if anyone had "attempted" it. Glad to know the idea got some traction. After today's heat, I'll be doing it this week, if not this weekend. I was busy cleaning up some of my wiring today in the damn heat and even though I had the cab of my truck in the driveway and under a canopy, I still felt it.

Waiting patiently for tomorrow's readings. Did you have any issues with the side curtain airbags or associated wiring? I saw that you didn't drop the headliner the while way, just enough to work.

 

Today was thermonuclear hot for October 9th. It set (3) new all time records inside the county of San Diego. It was 104 here.

 

No issues with the side curtians. And I actually did drop the liner a bit more. Took off the head rests and took the wiring off the liner( black tape holds it in place). You only have to remove the A pillars. It'll feel smug tryin to pull it down, it'll give. Just take it slow.

 

Working on the ambient temp readings. The Santa Ana winds were blowing this morning which, surprisingly cooled things down for a little while. Also, spoke with my dad who deals with insulating materials within his scope of work. He recommended an insulator with aluminum on both sides and using an adhesive to stick it up. Reflectix insulation. It's basically bubble wrap with reflective material on both sides. He already has material that he's gonna let me use, so I'm looking to experiment with that next weekend. I'll do a better job with getting those temps up front too. Guinea pigging cane be fun lol.

 

I have a quick question, what insulation did you buy from Home Depot? I know it was made by frost kings, but the actual product? Thank you