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How I Cheaply Fixed My Hollow Sounding Driver's Door

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Old 11-04-11, 06:34 PM
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How I Cheaply Fixed My Hollow Sounding Driver's Door

The early Fds tended to have a driver's door that would not close as easy as the passenger's door. It also had a non solid sound to it. That is how it was for my March 1992 R1.
Even re-aligning the latch did not totally fix the problem.

A while back the door also started rattling at speed. I purchased a can of window/door insulation spray foam from Home Depot.

Checking the door interior showed that some of the glue attaching the outer skin to the vertical support had cracked and was no longer attaching the two parts together.
The horizontal side impact beam is not attached to the outer skin.

I filled the void bwtween them and the outer skin completely with foam.

Now my left door closes perfectly and has a solid sound like the right door.

God Bless Spray Foam!
Old 11-04-11, 07:02 PM
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Yes!

I did exactly the same thing several years ago. I recomend the low-expansion great stuff, so you dont deform the thin skin, right where cew recommended it; between the horizontal crash bar and door skin.

But, take it a step further....

1) Buy undercoating/bedliner spray
2) remove speaker and moisture barrier
3) Go to town spraying the inside of the door...all around
4) replace barrier and mid
5) enjoy much less transmitted road noise and tinny cheap sounds.
Old 11-04-11, 07:59 PM
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you wouldn't happen to have any photos of the process?
Old 11-04-11, 08:39 PM
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I just added some Second Skin sound deadener. Also resolved the issue.
Old 11-05-11, 04:42 PM
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Originally Posted by theorie
you wouldn't happen to have any photos of the process?
No. The FSM shows how to remove the door inner liner and the rest was pure
mechanical diagnosis and repair.
Old 11-05-11, 10:22 PM
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heh...i used to have a ford escort that was at least 25% spray foam by the time I got rid of it...
Old 11-06-11, 08:25 PM
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Did this a few years ago on my sons FD.

I used windshield urethane from the local auto store to attach the skin and crash bar. I followed a thread I found on here...

L8R
Old 11-06-11, 09:08 PM
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What you need is some 3M automotive seam sealer. I bought it off Ebay, it's clear and it what manufacturers use to "caulk" all over the place in cars. The door skin has these little rubber "gum drops" that isolate the vibrating of the door skin and the horizontal reinforcement bar. These little rubber nubs have either shrunk or just become unglued so the door metal is able to vibrate and it sounds like a garbage can lid. Once you have the interior panel off and the clear plastic pulled away you can just put globs of the seam sealer between the metal door skin and the horizontal reinforcing bar. There are areas where the door skin is too far away from the crash bad and you just can't apply the 3M sealer thick enough to bridge the gap. You can feel along the inside for the rubber gun-drops and re-seal between them and the skin. I've done this to both of my doors and it was the solution. Leave the panels off and your doors open in your garage for at least 24 hours so the stuff can cure. It is solvent based and will need to vent.

Here is a good thread regarding the hollow sounding door...

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=door+noise
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