ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is

[clay68c10]

I wanted to add some heat shield on the cab to work with the heat shield treatment on the frame. Mainly for the lower header and collector area where the other shield wasn’t covering.
I got the DEI floor and tunnel shield. It sticks to the exterior of the surface you’re working with. I did the toe kick of the firewall first, then to the sides of the tunnel hump area under the floor (no pic, sorry). I also lined the floor hump.
I could have run it up the firewall further, but I don’t love how I thought it would look so I stopped at the bodyline.
It’s pretty easy to work with, but you definitely want to make a template before you cut it. Once it’s stuck, you’re not moving it without destroying it. I used cardboard like what cereal boxes are made from for my templates. It’s flexible enough to give an idea how it will go over uneven or curved surfaces.

[clay68c10]

Time for a trip. Having a winch is a good thing. Having a sloped driveway however isn’t. I used some big wood scraps under the trailer jack to get it level so I didn’t have to worry about gravity.

[clay68c10]

We used a lift to put the cab back on the frame. I didn’t want to risk any damage by using my engine hoist lift because the doors were already fitted and I didn’t want to take them back off to lift it on the pinch weld.
It was uneventful, which is a good thing. Lift cab, move frame, install mounts/bolts, load back up.
It sure does look good now. That 516 really pops in the sunlight.

[clay68c10]

For unloading, the Jeep earned its keep again. I backed it into the garage and left the trailer sloped. Worked like a charm, which is good because a quick rain shower was coming thru.
Here she is, back home.

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks great!!!

[SCOTI]

Nice progress update.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Looks great!!!

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Nice progress update.

Thanks
It's exciting to have some color. I keep chipping away at it. There's a zillion little things to do still.
I'll post up some more when I have time to put in some pics.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

Thanks
It's exciting to have some color. I keep chipping away at it. There's a zillion little things to do still.
I'll post up some more when I have time to put in some pics.

I like the detail stuff like the heat shielding/sound deadening/exhaust considerations. 'Old' like 'new' experience in the end.

[clay68c10]

I figure there’s no reason to not add the heat shielding. It definitely works or the OEMs wouldn’t do it. I’ll definitely report back after I have it up and running.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

I figure there’s no reason to not add the heat shielding. It definitely works or the OEMs wouldn’t do it. I’ll definitely report back after I have it up and running.

Exactly.

[loudchevy]

Wow, That looks great! Love the heat shielding as well. That is some motivating progress. Congrats

[wpsharpshooter]

Any concerns with that heat shield getting wet and holding water?

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by loudchevy

Wow, That looks great! Love the heat shielding as well. That is some motivating progress. Congrats

Thanks, the core support will be done soon and I have door parts coming from GMC Paul’s. Work work work.

Originally Posted by wpsharpshooter

Any concerns with that heat shield getting wet and holding water?

Yes, I’m wondering if it will absorb, and if so how long it stays wet. I’ll update on that too.

[hewittca]

Amazing updates, that fresh 516 paint is stunning! I'm looking forward to seeing this thing come together.

[SCOTI]

Deleted.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by hewittca

Amazing updates, that fresh 516 paint is stunning! I'm looking forward to seeing this thing come together.

Thanks. I was surprised by how it really brightened up in the sun.

[clay68c10]

It’s been a while, but still chipping away between busy summer activities.
Lots of sound deadening to start with. First layer is 80mil siless kilmat and the second is the siless thin foam.
It was not a bad job. It’s made a huge difference in the tinny sound of the bare cab. The biggest surprise was how much quieter closing the doors was after doing the rear cab wall.
Sharp heavy scissors are a must and making paper templates for the weird shapes and contours was helpful.
After I had it done I found that the tar like layer wanted to come thru the joints. Not a big amount, but enough to stick to you and then get around to other surfaces. A strip of masking tape on the joints took care of that.

[clay68c10]

Then I put in the pedals. I did add the upper and lower clutch switches. The PCM does use these inputs and I want all those features to work.
I just used momentary switches since these really don’t have much load, just signals to the PCM.

[SCOTI]

What info does the PCM require from/for the pedal position?

[PowerdbyChevy79]

Look's great..subscribed.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

What info does the PCM require from/for the pedal position?

The top of pedal travel switch has influence over the throttle during shifts. I think the throttle cracker table and maybe others. It also disengages the cruise control.
The bottom travel allows the starter to engage if you have the pcm control the starter like the factory. Maybe it has other uses in the tune.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by PowerdbyChevy79

Look's great..subscribed.

Thanks!

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

The top of pedal travel switch has influence over the throttle during shifts. I think the throttle cracker table and maybe others. It also disengages the cruise control.
The bottom travel allows the starter to engage if you have the pcm control the starter like the factory. Maybe it has other uses in the tune.

Start & cruise control were the only things I could think of but wasn't sure otherwise.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Start & cruise control were the only things I could think of but wasn't sure otherwise.

The more I looked into it, the more it seemed to make a difference.

I'll be starting my tune with a manual transmission BIN file vs doing a segment swap on the auto one I already have. It seems there's more than just the transmission tables that change between the 2.
I went fairly deep into the rabbit hole on the usual tuning message boards and decided it was worth it to save me chasing driveability problems down the road.

If anyone needs a 2004 6.0 manual BIN, I can send it out. I don't have the full version of HPtuners now, so it'll be in the TunerPro/PCM Hammer/Universal Patcher version. If I end up getting the full HP version I can convert it to that .HPT format too.

[clay68c10]

When I first got the truck, it had the front end trim. When I got it painted in 91-92, the trim wasn't available per the body shop. Modern me says they didn't look hard enough and I'll go find it myself, but then me said ok weld up the holes and don't worry about it.
Well I like that trim and the 2-tone look so now it was time to un-do that.

My first attempt on the l/f fender worked out but it wasn't easy. I just used a drill bit in the right spots. Should be easy, right?
No
Behind the smooth-ish exterior was a bunch of weld chunks and wire pieces. Anyone that has ever filled a hole knows what I'm talking about. It's not necessarily a bad repair, that's just what the back side of a filled hole is unless you go in and grind it smooth.
As a result, the drill bit flutes wanted to catch and tear the metal. Very easy to have the nice hole turn into a curlicue mess that then required more welding to reshape. Of course this is a repaired hole where the margins aren't a consistent thickness. So more blow thru and such. Not fun but I got it done.

Did I take pics of the mess? No. I was pretty frustrated and just wanted to get it over with.

So now I'm looking at my hood edge. Lots of holes on a sharp point that is super visible. Not something I want to have go poorly.
Time to really think and not just rush into it...... because I'm not the 91-92 guy anymore.