• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

Vintage Volvo 140 Road Noise Reduction

C

CRatcliff

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2016
Location
Seattle, Washington
Hey All,

I love love love my 1971 144, but my wife hates going on long drives in it because it is so loud, and we have to yell everything. Any tips to reducing road noise? I'm sure the Mikuni carbs aren't helping, but a lot of it is just the road noise itself (it has overdrive, so 70mph is 3500 rpm). I noticed that it is missing all of the window scrapers - would that help reduce noise?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
Reducing vibration is reducing noise. Butyl helps reduce vibration of flat panels, which will help damp noise (think of how much quieter a drum would be if you laid a sheet of rubber over the drum face). This will be most effective on flat panels with relatively low rigidity. I'd imagine the places best suited for butyl are the insides of door sheet metal, trans tunnel & firewall, and roof. Those are the "flimsiest" panels I think. Factory butyl is installed on floorpans, and those are pretty rigid anyways. Maybe also on trans tunnel. Additional insulation on the underside of the hood and trunk, as well as inside of rear quarter panels would also be beneficial.

There are tons of products out there for adhesive foil backed butyl. It gets expensive though, which is why I'd target the above areas first.

Additionally, some more OE style jute under your carpets will deaden some sound.
 
Thank you so much!!!! I'll look into it. Expensive is no fun, but I love love love taking this car on trips and just need the wife to stop hating it. Maybe some soundproofing on the firewall as well, Redwood, but honestly the engine noise isn't the biggest issue (overdrive helped that a ton)
 
I recently went on a road trip and it was the wind that made the most noise. Make sure your front vent windows seal shut. Also, installing the scrapers can’t hurt.
 
It was a long time ago but I'm pretty sure I added the weather stripping from a later (86+) 240 to the top of the doors/windows of my 142.
 
Chrome strip around windshield can make some great wind noise... Universal rubber strip which fits way better can make it more silent.
A TON of road noise comes up to cabin from the shifter opening. Volvo fabbed up a foam there in the later 240s, just under the rubber boot.
Fresh window scrapers and window guide channel seals can definitely help.
If you have a roofrack, remove it.
Later 240s also use a Rubber profile glued on the door edges around the windows. Its a square hollow profile with felt on it.
Other than these, you should add insulation on the firewall and to the whole floor, door panels (inner and outer), maybe even to the roof. Make sure to have all the stock foams pressed in the openings to the trunk, sill, etc, under the carpets at the back.

Mechanically you can check all your wheel bearings, they may work okay but they can be worn and noisy. Check your valve clearances. Fit fresh tires which run silent.
 
If you want quiet, Infiniti makes a really nice product. Ive owned two 140’s. 3500 rpms will rattle your teeth out over distance. Im sorry, but either dont take the antique on long hiway drives or dont take your wife
 
Yes, Sound Deadener Showdown is no longer active; but, their website is / was still active and has a lot of good application information. These guys have a nice range of products.

https://www.b-quiet.com/

I have used both SDS and B-quiet products on my 140.

Changing to a 4.10 final drive will help with engine noise and improve fuel consumption a nudge; but, you will definitely be shifting out of OD for any significant hills.

High damping rate shocks and stiff springs increase transmission of road irregularities to the body = road noise. Stiff PU bushings don't help either. Extreme performance summer only tires tend to make a lot of noise (more than all season tires). Tire Rack does publish some information on noise associated with tires; but, you have to search a bit for it.
 
If you want great results and minimal cost look into Noico products on Amazon. Installed the butyl foil mat on every lower surface I could access and the closed cell 1/8 inch foam in the doors, firewall and roof. You don't want to put butyl products on the roof. You can get packs of 36 sheets for around $50 on Amazon.

Get a block of foam from an upholstery shop and cut it to insulate around the shifter opening, as mentioned before, its a large gap that is hardly every addressed. Just stuff it under the boot, it will sit on top of the shifter assembly and get pinched to the tunnel opening so you shouldn't have to secure it.
 
Thank you so much for all the advice. Definitely going to do:
-Scrapers on Windows
-Foam at shifter
-Butyl foil mat on hood, trunk (which has no foam currently), firewall, doors

Down the road I'll install the dampening under the carpets, but they're stock and in amazing condition, so I don't really want to go ripping anything up if I can avoid it.
 
Noico is made in Russia, FYI. There are alternatives for a little more made in the USA if you care about that sort of thing
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top