Hardtops introduce some amount of wind and road noise into the cabin because they don't have any kind of liner. In the summer time they also contribute a bit to heating up the cabin because they don't really have good insulating capabilities. To address both at the same time in the Jeep, I picked up a set of
Hothead headliners. These headliners are really nicely constructed compared to other products in the market with a radiant barrier to reflect heat and a firm backing for a support the high quality headliner fabric.
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| Hothead Headliners |
They install by 3M VHB tape so you need to prep is key. Ideally you'd install this in the summer time when things can get nice and hot and with the outside temps near freezing today, I put the jeep in the garage, turned on the heater and let it get to a bit warm before starting this project. First step was to scuff the hardtop a few times with the provided sandpaper. You don't have to get too crazy, 3-4 passes just to rough up the surface a bit is enough.
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| Scuffing up hardtop interior |
Then to ensure that the surface was free of any dust or contaminants, I applied acetone twice just to be extra sure.
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| Acetone time |
I also ordered their "Sound Assassin" strips as part of the kit. It's really nothing more than sound deadening pre-cut into strips that go right into the hardtop ridges to help further dampen noise. A quick application and some pressure with the included roller was all that was needed to set them in nicely.
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| Before |
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| Sound deadening strips being applied |
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| All the strips installed |
I also opted for the liners to cover the sides of the hardtop for a uniform look. Those are attached via Velcro strips so I put those strips down first before putting in the rest of the panels.
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| Velctro strips applied |
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| Side panel ready to go in |
Next, I took each panel and put them up against the heater in the garage to warm up the tape as much as I could then quickly applied each panel on making sure to apply several seconds of pressure on each strip to ensure maximum adhesion.
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| Front headliners installed - 11-27-2021 |
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| Rear headliners and side panels installed |
Once I was happy all the panels were in, I let the car run for a bit with the heat at maximum just to give as much opportunity for the 3M tape to bind properly. Overall, this was a pretty easy project. Took maybe 2 hours taking my time to do it and ensuring proper prep. I think it really adds to the interior aesthetically and is very functional too.
