Sound Padding & Carpet
Installation

Difficulty Level 2

Difficulty scale:
Adding air to your tires is level one
Rebuilding a 911 Motor is level ten

Figure 2:
914 Without Sound Pad Installed

Figure 3:
3M Adhesive

Figure 4:
Air Purifying Respirator

Figure 5:
Stock 914 Sound Deadening Pad

Figure 6:
Sound Pad with Adhesive Pattern Applied

     Start by getting all your materials all in the same place.   It is recommended that you have the following on hand:

The 3M adhesive is of course the key to success.  I have not been able to find a better product out there.  It allows you to work quickly and holds extremely well.  The respirator is highly recommended.  Often when reattaching carpet and trim, you need to work in tight areas where there is not too much ventilation.  Using the respirator now may limit your chance of getting cancer later on.  For me, it seems like a no-brainer.  Once you buy the mask and have it around to use, you will be surprised at how much you will use it.  The one I used was a Survivair #8621, and I was surprised when I opened the bag to see that it had a little shark on the nose, as seen in Figure 4!

     A stock 914 sound pad is shown in Figure 5.  Despite rumors that I heard a long time ago, all of the information I have leads me to believe that this pad doesn't contain any asbestos.  The pad is very heavy (for it's size) and unwieldy to maneuver.   I would recommend applying the adhesive to the right side first, and then placing the pad in the car.  The left side is difficult to position because of interference with the relay board and the relay board cover.  You may want to unscrew the relay board and push it out of the way when you are installing the sound pad.  Aftermarket sound padding material works well too, but it is difficult to cut the material to fit exactly into the engine compartment unless you have an original pad.  If you do use aftermarket materials, you should probably 'map' out the engine compartment with some large paper to make sure everything fits.  Then cut the pad according to the changes that you made in the paper.

     Contrary to other less than superior adhesives, the 3M Super Weatherstrip allows you to place the pad against the backwall, and will hold it in place after only a minute or two.  Another good point about the adhesive is that it doesn't need to 'set.'  If you place the pad against the back wall, and a small section isn't in contact with the back wall, you can push it up against it several minutes later, and the glue will hold.  Simply, the stuff is amazing.

     Additionally, the adhesive doesn't seem to harm or remove the paint underneath.  The best description I have for the glue is that it is like an industrial strength rubber cement.  It allows you a lot of lee-way and a lot of room to make mistakes.  It's only down fall is that it is a bit gooey right out of the tube.  Hence the need for the paper towels.  It dries extremely quick, so make sure that the pad is mounted firmly against the back wall by pushing on it.

Figure 8:
914 Engine Compartment with Sound Pad Installed

     The adhesive works equally well for carpet; the sound pad is the worst case test for the glue because it is so heavy.  I recommend gluing the key points of the carpet, the corners, the edges, and a few spots in the middle.  Too much glue will not dry well, and may also get really messy.

Well, that’s about it. If you have any questions or comments about this helpful tip, please drop us a line.