With the End in Sight, We Detail the Pros and Cons of Our Cascade Audio Install by JAMES MILES • PHOTOGRAPHY by PATRICK HILL and the AUTHOR

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PART SALE 3 With the end in sight, we detail the pros and cons of our Cascade Audio install BY JAMES MILES • PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK HILL AND THE AUTHOR

L In our last L This month we got rolling report on this sub- with a spray-in sound deaden- ject, we had just er called VB-1X. Using the finished spraying SG-1 gun (available from Cascade Audio’s Cascade Audio, see photo ThermaGuard into above) the installation was the interior of our as easy—and as simple to C4 project car, The clean up—as last month’s Son of Zombie. For ThermaGuard application. more on this job, see the July issue.

We sprayed the rear hatch area first, followed by the floor, transmission tunnel, and firewall. L 3

60 VETTE MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2006 www.vetteweb.com the July issue, we lined the inside of our project ’87 with Cascade Audio’s ThermaGuard to help keep the heat out of Inthe cockpit. This month, we took the install to the next level, with Cascade’s VB-1X, a spray-on sound deadener that’s similar to a truck-bed coat- ing. The volume differences were instantly notice- able, and thanks to a Radio Shack-issue decibel meter and the Neil Peart drum solo “Der Trommler,” we know the extent of the changes. Following the final coat of VB-1X, we went a step further and added some of Cascade’s V-Max material to the trouble areas inside the C4— namely, the transmission tunnel, rear hatch, and B-pillar. Measuring 12x32 inches, the V-Max sheets are made from rubber-backed flexible aluminum and stick in place after being cut to size. The sound-deadening results from these pieces were just as dramatic, and after we lined our car with a carpet kit from Corvette Central (an install we will cover in the future), The Son of Zombie was as soundproof as it’s going to get. But while this upgrade may sound like a sure thing, we discovered a few problems with the VB- 1X that remain unaddressed. For example, according to the instructions, the liner should be waterproof after seven days of cure time. After nearly three times that span, however, we discovered that the material had not developed the desired water-repelling properties. In fact, the affected areas had actually become less effective, the material having changed composition from soft and rubbery to hard and flat. Was our partic- ular batch of VB-1X defective? We’re unsure, but the material’s inability to withstand just a few drops of water is troubling. We’ll let you know how things work out in the months ahead. Our final noise-attenuation readings will have to wait until we finish final assembly. Keep in mind that the car is still pretty “open air” at the moment. For now, just follow along for more information on what Cascade Audio can do for your Corvette. Results Condition Readings Difference Bare Floor 82 dB Max NA VB-1X 78 dB Max –4 db V-Max 74 dB Max –4 db Carpet 71 dB Max –3 db Total: –11 dB*

(*With car partially disassembled) SALEPART 3

Each coat was allowed to cure fully before the next, leaving the final product to look like this. All those red spots represent holes for screws and other hardware. We had covered them with tape to keep the spray from clogging them.

Nearly a month later (we got a little busy), we returned to replace our firewall pad. A big thanks goes to the Tampa- based Corvette Shop and Supplies for finding this little- requested piece of OEM equip- ment for us. It slipped in place as the original did and was secured via two plastic retain- ing tabs, which are available at most auto-parts stores. M PART 3

With the firewall finished, we moved on to the V-Max sheeting.

Measuring 12x30 inches, these “cut to size” sheets are of a rubber-backed flexible- aluminum material that sticks in place.

The trans tunnel was first…

…followed by a few strategic spots in the flooring... …and, lastly, the hatch.

At each step we measured our progress with a little help from this Radio Shack–issued decibel meter. SALE PART 3 S O U R C E S Cascade Audio Engineering 19135 Kiowa Rd., Dept. VM Bend, OR 97702 (541) 389-6821 www.cascadeaudio.com Corvette Central P.O. Box 16 Sawyer, MI 49125 (800) 345-4122 www.corvettecentral.com Corvette Shop & Supplies 609 N. Dale Mabry, Dept. VM Tampa, FL 33609 (813) 872-6907 www.corvetteshoponline.com Alltrade Tools 1431 Via Plata, Dept. VM Long Beach, CA 90810 (310) 522-9008 [email protected] Rush “Der Trommler,” from the album R30 Courtesy of Atlantic Records www.rush.com

Neil Peart of Rush bangs away on the skins in his drum solo “Der Trommler.” We got our results by playing the music through a set of laptop speakers posi- tioned underneath the floorpan. Once the car is fully assembled, we will provide final numbers and compare them with the readings taken before the C4 died of heart fail- ure. For now, you can at least see there was a difference—an 11db difference to

be precise. L