I've got a 92 Firebird with 80k miles and it creaks and rattles and squeaks if the road is even a little bit rough. Would adding SFC's and/or a wonder bar help at all to quiet things down on such an old car? I had a 99SS that had them from when it was new and it stayed tight and quiet forever. Would there be a significant gain at this point?

 

They will help, they wont be a "cure all", but they should help

 

Yep, the squeaks and rattles are caused by the body flexing, and maybe old worn out parts and the old interior. Unless the body has been significantly weakened by a crash or structural rust, it shouldn't be much weaker than when it was new and SFC's will help.

 

Like others have said the SFC & WB will make a difference; as will tracking down any worn out bushings.

A lot of your squeaks and rattles are probably coming from your interior; am I right? If so then I will suggest buying this stuff:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281157324004...84.m1439.l2649

On my car the plastic on plastic squeaking was very obnoxious. There were some rattles that were consistent whether I was on a smooth road or on a rough road.

I used the felt soft side and put the Velcro side away.
I had a friend ride with me for about 20 minutes around town so that he could source every squeak and rattle; and in doing so I knew exactly where to put the felt strips.

I used the felt on the underside (where you cant see) of every mounting point in my vehicles dash & console; among a few other areas that were squeaking. I just trimmed the felt to size, scoured the plastic (sanded with 80 grit) when I could to help the adhesive stick, and then poked a hole in the felt with a knife/screwdriver so the mounting screws could go through without obstruction. It was used on the foot well under-dash, under the dash pad, every plastic trim piece of the middle console & and in a few other areas. I tightened everything up and you can not tell AT ALL that the felt is under there. The felt is so thin that it does not lift your interior trim pieces at all.

Another area where I cut the felt strips to size was on the dash vents. Mine would flop around over every bump. The factory actualy had a felt piece on the vents but they had worn off. Here is an article on how to fix your vents:
https://www.thirdgen.org/ventfix


Here is a great thread to help fix door rattles and A-pillar squeaks:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...servation.html

After doing everything I listed above (including fixing suspension) my car does not rattle/squeak at all. Keep in mind I havent even installed SFC yet; but I do have a hard top (I've heard T-tops tend to rattle more). I also have not installed my Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pack yet either; which will help out even more.

Hope this helps...

 

^Very good info.
Just to throw this in, I have an MR2 and it squeaks and rattles as much (if not more) than the third gen and they aren't known for being especially flexy (though I don't think it's quite as stiff as a third gen with SFC's and a wonder bar ). Older cars interiors just weren't as tight to begin with as the cars of today, and after years of freezing and baking through the seasons, humidity, being torn apart and reassembled... definitely not a bad idea to take it all apart and give it some love like noshowallgo recommended.

 

Your right; it is defintley not a 3rd gen specific thing. My 4th gen Formula & my old M3 had similar squeak's & rattles. It's just a matter of tracking them down so you can make them stop.

 

A lot of your squeaks and rattles are probably coming from your interior; am I right? If so then I will suggest buying this stuff:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281157324004...84.m1439.l2649

You are exactly right! It sounds like every panel is loose and ready to fall off. The car itself looks and drives like new so all the squeaking and ticking really lessen the fun of driving it. I ordered SFC's and a wonder bar today and I'll definitely try the Velcro stuff too. Thanks guys!

 

I've driven a 20,000 mile C4 Corvette and the thing had more squeaks and rattles than my 75k mile T/A w/o sfcs. Those are supposed to be pretty stiff, so I don't think that's whats causing it.

When I put sfcs in my car, everything but a T-top rattle I had went away. If you had a hard top, I'm sure sfcs would make it like a new car. Tight like a tiger.

 

I put SFCs on at 312,000 miles. Any age/mile 3rd gen can benefit from SFCs

The velcro fix is excellent for quieting the interior

 

I'm going to agree as well. My car was 'new' to me with 150k on the body. Once I drove it out of the garage - after SFC installation - it was like what a push-up bra does; everything was higher and straighter. Performance wise, the car drove better too. Plus, my t-tops and suspension got much quieter.

 

**Update**
Got the SFC's installed and all the squeaks, groans, and rattling are gone. What an amazing difference for just a couple hundred bucks!

 

After applying the felt between interior plastic pieces use 3M weatherstrip adhesive on all the screws when reassembling.

Lon

 

strut braces help too.