Sticky problems
Last issue’s report saw the theoretically straightforward job of replacing the Spider’s carpet with period-correct Alfa rubber matting grind to a halt when I found rust in an inner sill. With that fixed by my classic-friendly local garage, I could make progress again. But not before going over the rest of the floor and treating any suspicion of surface rust to a wire-brushing and coat of Kurust. Next job was to apply stick-on Dynamat Xtreme sound-deadening material to every possible surface. I love the sound the Spider makes but you can have too much of a good thing and the truth is that we’ve all become used to cars being quieter inside.
I did however baulk at the £27.50 that Dynamat wanted for a roller tool to apply it with. Instead
I bagged a wallpaper seam roller that looked near-identical for £10.33 online. It worked perfectly,
– just as well because it had a lot of rolling to do. I got through just over seven of the nine 18x32in sheets in the pack, applying it not just to the floor but to the backs of all the trim panels and even the underside of the steel seat pans. The boot area too, which was also included in the set of rubber matting. The leftover Dynamat will go on the inside of the doors once it’s warm enough to work on the car outside. There’s not room to open them wide enough in my standard-sized Eighties single-car garage.
Fitting the mats was simple enough – they’re accurate repros and just fall into place. The exception is the inner sill covers. These need to be stuck to the top and side of each panel, and fairly substantial rubber is no fan of being folded at a right-angle. Finding something strong enough to stick it without damaging it was a real headscratcher. Industrial strength Evo-stik Impact had looked like the ticket, but a test on a scrap piece cut out around the handbrake showed it distorted the rubber.
Consulting an Alfa 105 series Facebook group brought a few suggestions and I settled on 50mm wide heavy-duty Velcro. If nothing else it is much easier to work with than sticky liquids and after fanatical cleaning of all surfaces it worked a treat.
But has all this work produced the desired effect? Under lockdown I couldn’t carry out a long-distance test, but an essential errand including a lap of the village and a stretch of A10 revealed a noticeable difference – I’d estimate cabin noise levels at 70mph are now where they used to be at 55mph. That’ll do. All I need now is a nice long run.