soundproofing a 240, where to start? HELP please.

I love my 81 240 but it sure is noisy for long trips. If I have around a
hundred bucks and about 5 hours to spend, where should I concentrate my noise
reduction efforts to get the max dB reduction for the buck? Hood? Firewall?
Floor? Doors? I heard there are some low priced home repair materials that work
nearly as well as expensive sound deadening products. Any clues or suggestions?

 

assuming that the noise isn't from something easy to fix, like a bad muffler
or exhaust pipe, I've always thought that putting some carpeting on or in
place of the headliner would make for good soundproofing! Never tried it,
but would be cheap, relatively easy, and probably would look good if done
properly! Also, might put fabric or sheepskin seat covers on, if you have
the vinyl.

 

suggestions?

I'm afraid for a hundred bucks and five hours of work, you aren't going to
get very far, but there are ways to lessen the noise in the early 240s.
Check out the Hood Quiet Kit from IPD http://www.ipdusa.com/, specifically,
http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=103&NodeID=688&RootID=629
.. If that is too expensive, go to a bone yard and snag the hood blanket from
a turbo model. You will have to come up with some fasteners to attach it to
your hood, as the originals are usually destroyed during removal. I get them
from old SAABs.

There are also the Dynamat/Tacmat/Dynashield products that go a long way to
reducing interior noise,
http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=68&NodeID=2725&RootID=629
.. These involve removing the seats and carpet and , with experience, can be
accomplished in a relatively short time. If you have a manual transmission,
check the condition of the shifter boot. Adding the optional leather cover
can reduce tranny noise a bit, and there is a foam insert that goes between
the tranny and the shifter that will reduce noise even further.

You can always turn up the stereo ;-)