Second Skin - Damplifier Pro

Congratulations Scott! It's pretty cool to win something that's actually worth having. Looking forward to your pictures and review. Tom
 
Cool! I've heard both good and bad with this product. Hopefully, you will find it as the product for you :D
 
UPS delivered my batch of Second Skin today! I was able to get things ready over the weekend so I can install the 13 sq. ft. of material I received. I'm going to focus on the firewall, and drivers side footbox as this is the area I want to start covering up with wiring, fuse panels, etc...

Stay tuned for pictures and my write up of the install.

Scott
 
Install - Part 1

Ok, you got it Tim...here are some before, during and after pictures and description of the installation of the Damplifier Pro product from Second Skin Audio.

The box came well protected, containing about 8 or so sheets of this product, which is a foil faced bituminum rubber like dampening and insulating material. In the constrution industry we have a similar product called peel and stick membrane, which is used for roofing and masonry flashings. Be careful, the foil facing is sharp on the edges and will cut your hands while you are installing it (ask me how I know).

Here is the product, in the box, ready to go into my cobra. All of the aluminum is installed (for the cockpit) and was cleaned with a simple citrus based cleaner (all panels were previously cleaned with acetone, and I was out of acetone, so this was going to have to work!)

PICT0019-1.png


In the process of getting the firewall and footbox ready, I finished fabricating some brace and block off aluminum panels so that I could run the Damplifier Pro (from here on out I will just call it DP) over my joints.

Here is the firewall before DP (and sans the new brace plate):
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And after installing one sheet of the trimmed DP (and brace for the firewall/heater):
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I like how it sets right over aluminum lap joints, and the back side of the blind (pop) rivets. You can't even tell that there is a bunch of rivets under this material.

The next area I did was the driver's side footbox. I want to make sure this is really well insulated. But first, I needed to close off the intersection with the 4" round tube and inside footbox panel:

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More continued in next thread...
 
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Damplifier Pro Install - Part II

Here are some photos of the installation of the DP in the drivers side footbox. So far I have used three sheets in the footbox. Oh, each sheet by the way is approx. 13" x 20" long.

Here is the inside panel (facing the engine):
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And now the floor is installed:
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And used one more sheet (trimmed to fit) to do the upper areas of the inside panel:
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Before tackling the outside panel of the drivers side footbox (which I ahve previosuly modified with the dead pedal kick out), I decided to install a sheet on the passenger side:
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Once I have all of the sheets installed, my plan is to tape over all of the joints with an aluminum duct/foil tape specifically made for this purpose.
 
Damplifier Pro Install - Part III

Well, this concludes my first night of using and installing this product.

Thoughts so far:

1. Damplifier Pro is easy to use, I'm just using a cutting mat and utility knife to cut to shape as needed before hand, then running the knife along the edges of the areas I want to cut once it is in the car.

2. When trying to align a full sheet, only pull back the first 1"~2" of the backing paper, get the leading edge of the mat aligned on the panel you are covering, and the start pulling back the rest of the backing paper, while smoothing out the DP as you go.

3. Second Sound recommends a roller to fully smooth out the DP after it is installed, and this is probably a good idea. In some tight areas you will get small wrinkles and creases that are hard to work by hand (or with your hand).

4. My only complaint thus far is that the product is not perfect. Several areas were missing the deading material when I pulled back the paper:

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Looks like a manufacturing defect to me. Oh well, you know what they say about beggars and choosers...

I'm travelling for work tomorrow, so it will probably be a few nights before I get back to my install and write-up.

Scott
 
Damplifier Pro - Part IV (Day Two)

Well tonight (11/11/08) after I landed from my flight and got home, spent some tme with the family, I decided it was time to finish. Got a late start but only took about 1.5 hours to finish tonight.

By the way, this is what the raw product and my tools look like for this project:
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Here is the completed Driver's Side Footbox:
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PICT0122.png


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(continued)
 
Damplifier Pro - Part V (Day Two)

And the passenger footbox (ran out material):
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The Firewall:
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And and overall shot of what I was able to install with 13 sq. ft. of the material:
PICT0125.png


Conclusions:
1. I like this product (will buy more and finish the interior prior to carpet installation)
2. It is pretty easy to work with
3. There is very little waste - what you cut off one area, just apply it to another and foil tape the seams
4. The edges cut your hands up - people who used this and gave me warnings weren't kidding!
5. The aluminum panels that this is installed on are a little stiffer, less tinny, and feel more solid.
6. It took me about 4 hours to install 13 sq. ft.

BTW - Anthony from Second Skin Audio says it would take about 80 sq. ft. to do an entire cobra (all interior and the trunk). I think if you just did one layer it wouldn't take that much, just seeing how far the small box went. I guess if you want to do multiple layers on the hot areas it may take that much.


Hope this has helped anyone considering using this product.

Scott
 
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Alternate?

Scott
ERA recommended using duct liner, available from any HVAC source or big box store. It uses a grey urethane rubber under the aluminum, about 3/16" thick

What is your opinion or comments on using this versus the Damplifier? Price is dramatically different.

Paul
 
Paul,

It's funny you mention that. Factory Five doesn't recommend doing anything other than gluing down the supplied carpet? But most people on the forum do something and are happy with the results.

I'm happy with this product so far, and if my budget allows, will use it to finish the car.
(The amount I installed was free + shipping through the promotional contest on ffcobra.com)

I think the product you used is good, but not great. It's designed for building applications, were the noise and air is a constant speed, and temperature (within a certain range), whereas in a vehicle, the engine bay is HOT. The sidepipes are even hotter, and the road noise and resonant frequencies from vibration will vary depending on speed.

EDIT: I think the construction of Factory Five's vs. ERA's in the footboxes and floors are pretty different. The Factory Fives have just a single aluminum panel 0.040" in thickness between the inside of the cockpit and the road.

Again, if budget allows, use the right product designed for the specific application.
 
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