Project: Tow-Rat (Lil' Blue)

[lower50's]

Ya I run my 33x13.5 mud grapplers at 15psi on around town. Not saying you but a lot of people don't think about the different weight ratings on tires at max psi. Really you should match the weight of your vehicle to the psi, to the weight rating of a tire. Keep up the good work, I hope to maybe see it in person one day.

[6DoF]

after you first said that i went out and checked the 35" Nitto's on my "new" Ram ... 50 at all corners :facepalm: have started the dial in process for these and seams to have helped some. i REALLY just need to ditch the junk shocks for something adjustable.

[daddyjeep]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

after you first said that i went out and checked the 35" Nitto's on my "new" Ram ... 50 at all corners :facepalm: have started the dial in process for these and seams to have helped some. i REALLY just need to ditch the junk shocks for something adjustable.

I don't know why people think they need to run them at max PSI. When I had the tire shop mount the 35's on my Jeep a long time ago they sent me out if there at 70psi. The new Ram is a fair amount heavier than a wrangler, but 50 is excessive.

[6DoF]

well, on the other hand ... my wife drives a 2018 Grand Chero-car. that thing is sooo soft that i actually put E rated tires on it and run em pretty damn high in PSI. it drives WAY better now!!

[daddyjeep]

double post... ignore me

[6DoF]

well, between skiing in CO, being sick, and more preventative maintenance on the Ram ... progress is limited. but i had to make an update just to say i did

painted the trans! need to do the rear main seal on the 12V, install the clutch, and i can stab the engine/trans in the chassis.

[Dieselwrencher]

Hey, progress is progress! It's looking good!

[youngrodder]

The trans looks good....

Marc

[Jason 56]

Wow that trans is a beast! Looks good

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by Jason 56

Wow that trans is a beast! Looks good

this trans is an absolute MONSTER, and full cast iron yet, 360lb!. if you look there is a tab above the input that i drilled a hole in for a lift ring.

[6DoF]

ok, more stuff happening! the 12V is a loud beast, it just is, really nothing you can do about it. in my research though most ppl say that most of the noise escapes thru the valve covers, tappet cover, and oil pan. so here's my experiment to see what happens ... will the LizardSkin sound control help kill some of that noise? i laid it on a bit thick, and so it will clean easier i'll still have to paint it all later.

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

ok, more stuff happening! the 12V is a loud beast, it just is, really nothing you can do about it. in my research though most ppl say that most of the noise escapes thru the valve covers, tappet cover, and oil pan. so here's my experiment to see what happens ... will the LizardSkin sound control help kill some of that noise? i laid it on a bit thick, and so it will clean easier i'll still have to paint it all later.

Will be interesting to see what effect that has.

[Dieselwrencher]

A lot of nose definitely comes from the tappet cover area. That's why the dodge engines have that insulation cover bolted to them. The injection pump develops some noise as well. I've used blankets on the oil pan, valve covers, and tappet cover before. They are a pain years later to deal with. I can't remember how much of a difference those made now. The guy bought them and I put them on for him.

[6DoF]

i guess we'll find out, but it didn't seam to dull the "tink" when tapping the parts as much as their little video add does. if it does anything it's good, if nothing it's not a bad thing.

i also had a nice adhesion issue ... probably forgot to clean the oil off that side. but also had 3 valve covers peal some too. maybe i put it on too thick, maybe i didn't clean em, but another layer on the entire oil pan probably isn't a bad thing.

[duramax55]

hi i noticed on the oil pan that it dosent seem to have been sanded and that is part of the problem. I would make sure to scuff it hard with 40 or 80 grit sand paper so it has something to bite to

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by duramax55

hi i noticed on the oil pan that it dosent seem to have been sanded and that is part of the problem. I would make sure to scuff it hard with 40 or 80 grit sand paper so it has something to bite to

i had just grabbed 200 off the shelf n half-ass'd it, paper kept getting clogged ... 40 or 80 sounds like a much better plan for next time!

[dsraven]

on an oil pan or other steel sheet metal stuff I have had good luck cleaning parts with oven cleaner to get rid of anything that will limit paint adhesion. super clean from castrol is another good degreaser but some products that degrease well aften leave a residue that needs to be removed after before painting. another thing I have done is to heat the steel a bit with a propane torch to see if anything other than condesnsation comes to the surface. that trick works pretty good for aluminum stuff as oven cleaner and aluminum are not the best of friends. then the wax and grease remover and a clean rag to wipe that off. even the rags tough, I find if the wife has laundered my dirty rags she has used an anti static sheet in the dryer to "help them smell better" and then they have some kind of stuff in them that must get on the surface when wiping and the paint won't stick there. I use paper towels with the wax and grease remover or some painting rags that I buy as paper towels tend to leave their own little fluff tags behind if the surface isn't really smooth. sometimes on little things I will spray some gun cleaner on the part and simply blow dry before painting. i always leave a bit of time after doing that or wax and grease remover so the parts are actually dried off. spraying too soon after the wipe down can sometimes show where the wiping rags were used so the solvents must not have totally dried. that causes craters, nobody likes those after all that prep work.

[dsraven]

in a shop I worked at long time ago we had a new fleet of diesel delivery vans to outfit, like the UPS style of delivery vans. the diesel engines were so loud the drivers complained constantly and the company asked us to spend some time (and money) on sound deadening. we ended up doing rubber curtains on each side of the engine, hung on rods that removed for easy access to the engine like an inner fender sort of, and used some hot water tank insulation on the firewall and hood. it is a foil backed (or fronted) material that seemed to work pretty well. a lot like the firewall insulation found on newer vehicles. some thick felt underlay under the carpet also works well. one old ford truck I rebuilt for a guy we sprayed the inner part of the cab with box liner, the kind that is sprayed commercially. we asked the sprayer to do several coats on the floor and under the dash so it would have a smoother floor because the truck was intended to be used for muddy off roading as well as daily driving and the guy wanted to hose out the interior. that was a really quiet truck inside and I have to think it was due to the thick layer of box liner inside the truck. the smooth floor was really quite nice too without any carpet. he thrwe down a carpet floor mat under his feet and it stayed put pretty well and was easily taken out if going into the bog.
just some ideas, sorry for the short novel. haha

[6DoF]

haha, i read the entire novel :thumbsup:

always nice to hear a success story to know it's possible. i don't want to get too intrusive, but i figure if i do a bunch of little things i can probably make a noticeable difference.

the plan:
-coating valve covers, oil pan, and tappet cover with LizardSkin Sound Control
-coated outside of firewall n floor with LizardSkin Heat Control
-coating inside of firewall, floor, and lower rear cab wall with LS SC
-coating underside of hood, and engine bay side of fender skirts with LS SC
-coating inside fenders with Raptor Liner bed liner
-exhaust manifold TI wrap + heat blanket for sound and heat retention
-probably LS SC on roof skin and inside doors.

Extras for the full Monty:
-maybe carpet? would have to be pretty custom for the huge tunnel/doghouse
-oil pan and valve cover thermal/sound blankets

[dsraven]

somebode prolly makes a thermal blanket or cover for the engine since it a pretty popular engine. some that I have seen in the colder climates where I am from look like they could easily be made in a home shop. use some 2 sided studs on the oil pan to bolt up the brackets that hold it in place. should be pretty easy with your skills and tools at hand. nice work so far.

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by dsraven

somebode prolly makes a thermal blanket or cover for the engine since it a pretty popular engine. some that I have seen in the colder climates where I am from look like they could easily be made in a home shop. use some 2 sided studs on the oil pan to bolt up the brackets that hold it in place. should be pretty easy with your skills and tools at hand. nice work so far.

maybe i'll try n find some thermal sheets n talk the wife into stitching something up. i need to get her involved in this somehow anyways.

[dsraven]

Maybe look at the foil backed hot water tank insulation. I think it is a fiberglass insulation with a foil sheet on 1 side. That way if it gets wet it doesn't take forever to dry and drip dirty water all over. Fiberglass is also not really affected by heat.
Good idea to get the wife involved, some skin in the game can help the budget maybe, haha.

[Tempest67]

I did not find out about this stuff (Flex Seal) till after I did my interior, but I think it would be good for a noise damper inside the cab.

[6DoF]

found some sheets to custom cut/stitch!

the real stuff from DEI:
https://www.designengineering.com/he...esive-36-x-40/

the DIY Harbor Freight welding blanket option:
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-ft-x...ket-63484.html

[lower50's]

I have the solution to your potential noise issue...........
sell the truck to me and buy a Prius.
But really, just own that you are going to drive a wicked truck with an old diesel in it. I have been told several times over the years that people thought a old diesel transport was coming down the road with my truck. But really when driving it around the turbo and wind noise are louder than the clack of my 7.3L idi diesel.
I do agree with what you are doing though, the lizard skin is great stuff to keep sound out, but when I had the custom carpet made it soaked up the sound that was inside already.
Hope that makes sense.
I too am interested to see how coating motor parts will work.