Originally Posted by spensley
Check-out this thread for door panel removal - see the attached pdf document...
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ad.php?t=17911
When you say the hatch back, do you mean the hard plastic panel on the hatchback itself, or the felt/carpet style panels actually in the trunk?
I believe the plastic panel just snaps in/out - a plastic wedge may help removing the panel - see the Interior threads on the forum, they were discussed there, and I believe you can buy them from crutchfield. A large flat head screwdriver will probably suffice - but be careful for obvious reasons!!!
I think the clips on the felt/carpet pieces just snap in/out too.
Oh yeah, 'snap' may be the operative word - this kind of clip does not usually lend itself to being used over and over again.
Let us know how you go on - I intend to add some sound deadening soon.
Here's how it went. With your link, it was very easy to remove the door panels. Even though I saw a two door kit of Dynamat Extreme on E-bay for the same price as Edead paint, I decided to use the paint because there are lots of obstructions like holes, wire tie wrap holders, bends etc. so it seemed like just slapping on a few coats of paint would be much easier. The painting was easy, and since it's going to be covered, there's no need for finesse. Just make sure you don't paint beyond what the door panel is going to cover. I did and had to clean it up. I waited less than 1 hour per coat and the last one I laid on pretty thick and used around 1/2 gallon.
After putting the panels back on which went pretty smoothly I had to take 1 back apart to get rid of some rattles. By the way, the door panels look like they are made to rattle. I might take them off and paint the inside of them just to seal up the joints.
How did it work? Hard to tell. Got to figure that the two doors are maybe 1/10th the cabin area, so even if you could remove 100% of the sound transfer your still going to get a lot of noise. The car is quieter though. There is a highway near me (I-355) that is concrete, graded for traction and VERY loud. I notice I can hear the stereo better now. Also I can tell there is a "dead" area of sound near the doors. Also I mentioned earlier that after doing the hatchback area I could tell the main source of sound moved from the back to all around. Now the sound is more located in the back, so it appears I must have removed sound from the doors.
Was it worth the effort? Yes, it took much of a day, but since so much time was spent drying, I was able to do other things and there is an improvement. Who can tell if Dynamat would have been better? They have a great reputation, but it sure looked like alot of work since there were many places I would have been only able to apply a very small strip at a time. Also since there is a large hole in the door, with the paint I could get the inside area of metal too. If I ever get brave enough to remove other panels, I bet I could make this car pretty quiet.
Thanks for your help everyone, I hope what I add can help.