Big Blue's Transformation

[85lebaront2]

Sorry - You hit a sore spot. Eastwood was my go-to place when we lived in PA as they were only 20 miles away. Then when they moved I'd still go up there even though they were twice as far. Then I moved and still bought from them, but their shipping was very slow.

Then came Amazon and quick delivery, meaning it went out the door quickly and appeared a couple of days later. And now I get an Amazon delivery sometimes in 12 hours and usually in 18 hours. But Eastwood is still slow, even if you buy through Amazon, and in spite of their statement online and in their advertising a year or so ago of turning their shipping issue around. And in spite of a telephone call I had with them wherein they vowed to change.

But you are right, the Eastwood strip caulk is probably 3M's strip calk. Eastwood tells you how many feet of caulk you get, and 3M tells you how heavy the box is - almost like Eastwood doesn't want you to be able to compare. But Eastwood doesn't make anything, so someone makes it for them and potentially it is 3M.

And everything I've read says that theirs and 3M's is STICKY! And reusable. And excellent for holding vapor barriers down, which is one of the next steps on the truck.

Gary, I'll have to remember the 3M strip calk for T2K-CAR, Chrysler changed from tar paper type vapor barriers to plastic in 1986 and since none of that stuff is still available and the K27 body was a 4 year only run, there is very little aftermarket support. I plan on cutting up some heavy contractor's trash bags to make the vapor barriers. Good information!

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, I'll have to remember the 3M strip calk for T2K-CAR, Chrysler changed from tar paper type vapor barriers to plastic in 1986 and since none of that stuff is still available and the K27 body was a 4 year only run, there is very little aftermarket support. I plan on cutting up some heavy contractor's trash bags to make the vapor barriers. Good information!

Bill - I'm going to use heavy contractor's bags as well. I find that the black bags hold up a lot better to UV than clear plastic does, just like black vs white/natural zip ties. And you wouldn't think there's much UV in a door, but I suspect it comes down the glass and goes everywhere.

Anyway, glad you found that info useful. Would be nice if we could come up with a neat way to catalog such info. Like those "christmas trees". I did a lot of searching but couldn't come up with what I thought the right ones were for the longest time.

Any suggestions on how to catalog?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Bill - I'm going to use heavy contractor's bags as well. I find that the black bags hold up a lot better to UV than clear plastic does, just like black vs white/natural zip ties. And you wouldn't think there's much UV in a door, but I suspect it comes down the glass and goes everywhere.

Anyway, glad you found that info useful. Would be nice if we could come up with a neat way to catalog such info. Like those "christmas trees". I did a lot of searching but couldn't come up with what I thought the right ones were for the longest time.

Any suggestions on how to catalog?

Gary,

You seem to have found a way to catalog the screw, nut and bolt fasteners.

Is there any reason to reinvent the wheel?

Perhaps just the door illustration with footnotes or hyperlinks to the items???

[Gary Lewis]

Gary,

You seem to have found a way to catalog the screw, nut and bolt fasteners.

Is there any reason to reinvent the wheel?

Perhaps just the door illustration with footnotes or hyperlinks to the items???

Jim - The door illustration doesn't show them, at least not that I can find. Maybe I should add a little picture of one of them and use that as a hyperlink? That would work.

As for Big Blue, we took him on a 160 mile trip to NE OK today. This was a shakedown run for the cooling system, and it did just fine. And, it was also to see what all leaks I have that need to be corrected. I have "diapers" around several things and hope to check things out tomorrow to see what leaked.

Also, it was a test of the stereo system. And, what we learned is that it is adequate. It doesn't seem to have much bass at all, but as it turns out there's so much noise in the cab that it takes a lot of volume on the music to be able to hear it, regardless of how "accurate" it is. This was demonstrated when I turned the volume up enough to enjoy the music while doing 65 MPH, and when we we slowed down we were surprised at how low the music was.

And the noise isn't anything that can be easily reduced. It is tire noise, wind noise, and at certain speeds, exhaust noise. The tires are a major contributor, so there's not anything that can be done about that w/o replacing them, and that's not going to happen for many thousands of mile.

And the wind noise is probably due to the squareness of the vehicle, although Big Blue does have "wind deflectors", like shown below, and it is possible they create some noise. Does anyone know?

But given the noise I don't think I want to invest anything more at the moment in the stereo system. So I think I'll move on to other things. Like fixing the leaks. And tuning the carb. And the speedometer cable that continues to cause the speedo to bounce and the speed control to waiver. And installing the MeterMatch. And, painting and installing all the trim. And installing the new LRC regulator that Jim sent so the belt doesn't squeal on startup. And installing the inverter. And, installing the control to the OX locker. And, and, and....

Speaking of the carb, Bill was right - as the engine is breaking in the AFR is going leaner. It now cruises in the mid 15's and doesn't have much throttle response until the vacuum drops and the needles pop up. So once the changes appear to be over I need to address that.

[Sac79]

Jim - The door illustration doesn't show them, at least not that I can find. Maybe I should add a little picture of one of them and use that as a hyperlink? That would work.

As for Big Blue, we took him on a 160 mile trip to NE OK today. This was a shakedown run for the cooling system, and it did just fine. And, it was also to see what all leaks I have that need to be corrected. I have "diapers" around several things and hope to check things out tomorrow to see what leaked.

Also, it was a test of the stereo system. And, what we learned is that it is adequate. It doesn't seem to have much bass at all, but as it turns out there's so much noise in the cab that it takes a lot of volume on the music to be able to hear it, regardless of how "accurate" it is. This was demonstrated when I turned the volume up enough to enjoy the music while doing 65 MPH, and when we we slowed down we were surprised at how low the music was.

And the noise isn't anything that can be easily reduced. It is tire noise, wind noise, and at certain speeds, exhaust noise. The tires are a major contributor, so there's not anything that can be done about that w/o replacing them, and that's not going to happen for many thousands of mile.

And the wind noise is probably due to the squareness of the vehicle, although Big Blue does have "wind deflectors", like shown below, and it is possible they create some noise. Does anyone know?

But given the noise I don't think I want to invest anything more at the moment in the stereo system. So I think I'll move on to other things. Like fixing the leaks. And tuning the carb. And the speedometer cable that continues to cause the speedo to bounce and the speed control to waiver. And installing the MeterMatch. And, painting and installing all the trim. And installing the new LRC regulator that Jim sent so the belt doesn't squeal on startup. And installing the inverter. And, installing the control to the OX locker. And, and, and....

Speaking of the carb, Bill was right - as the engine is breaking in the AFR is going leaner. It now cruises in the mid 15's and doesn't have much throttle response until the vacuum drops and the needles pop up. So once the changes appear to be over I need to address that.

Gary, I've added the 'wind deflectors' to Eddy and found that they improve the noise level significantly. Mostly since for me the biggest issue is wind noise through I believe the vent window weatherstripping. So I doubt yours would be making it worse.

I can also tell you that with the Highliner speakers inches from your ears, you don't hear much else if you turn the volume up. But it's not a pleasant sound, not with the cheap speakers anyway. So I tend to keep the volume at medium levels and normally crack a window to drown out hissing sounds.

I'm actually looking at changing my exhaust so that I can hear it! And road and tire noise is almost nonexistent. I'm sure once you've buttoned up your interior yours will be similar, except maybe for the beast in front of your firewall... And your tires as you say. The carpet behind the seat makes a big difference I think.

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, I've added the 'wind deflectors' to Eddy and found that they improve the noise level significantly. Mostly since for me the biggest issue is wind noise through I believe the vent window weatherstripping. So I doubt yours would be making it worse.

I can also tell you that with the Highliner speakers inches from your ears, you don't hear much else if you turn the volume up. But it's not a pleasant sound, not with the cheap speakers anyway. So I tend to keep the volume at medium levels and normally crack a window to drown out hissing sounds.

I'm actually looking at changing my exhaust so that I can hear it! And road and tire noise is almost nonexistent. I'm sure once you've buttoned up your interior yours will be similar, except maybe for the beast in front of your firewall... And your tires as you say. The carpet behind the seat makes a big difference I think.

Rob - Glad you commented about the wind deflectors. Guess I'll leave them on.

As for buttoning Big Blue up, here's what I've done so far:

• New door weather stripping

• New window runs

• New window scrapers

• New additional weather stripping on the tops of the doors

• Two layers of sound deadening in the doors, and one layer on the roof, floor, and the back wall

• One layer of foam insulation on the floor and back wall

What I have left to do is to put insulation in the door panels, but not until I paint them. But I don't know that I'm going to put carpet on the back wall as I'm getting a storage unit to go back there and I don't know if there's enough room to do that. But we shall see.

As for the Highliner, I have some really nice Alpine 4" speakers that will go on the driver's side, but I'll use the "cheap ones" on the passenger's side. And they'll be on the rear channel so I can balance things out to my taste/hearing.

[Sac79]

Rob - Glad you commented about the wind deflectors. Guess I'll leave them on.

As for buttoning Big Blue up, here's what I've done so far:

• New door weather stripping

• New window runs

• New window scrapers

• New additional weather stripping on the tops of the doors

• Two layers of sound deadening in the doors, and one layer on the roof, floor, and the back wall

• One layer of foam insulation on the floor and back wall

What I have left to do is to put insulation in the door panels, but not until I paint them. But I don't know that I'm going to put carpet on the back wall as I'm getting a storage unit to go back there and I don't know if there's enough room to do that. But we shall see.

As for the Highliner, I have some really nice Alpine 4" speakers that will go on the driver's side, but I'll use the "cheap ones" on the passenger's side. And they'll be on the rear channel so I can balance things out to my taste/hearing.

Aren't you still missing some trim pieces, like the kickpanels? Or did you replace them for the drive? Sounds like you've done all the insulating, doubt carpet on the back will improve much more over what you have. But might be worth a thought.

I went to grab the "brace/bracket that protects the wiring underneath the carpet behind the seat"(wish I knew what to call it) at the junkyard today and that truck had the door weatherstripping as well. Made me think it might be a good idea, but I can't see how it would help with wind noise. Unless wind gets in past the screws holding the vent window... Worth a try I think.

[kramttocs]

I went to grab the "brace/bracket that protects the wiring underneath the carpet behind the seat"(wish I knew what to call it)

Good question! Also, I've wondered what determined whether the truck got it or not. Does your truck have any wiring there besides the seat belt?

Gary - Crazy how some tires definitely 'sing' more than others. More incentive to drive the wheels off it . With the wind noise can you narrow down where it's coming from? Does it sound like it's coming into the cab or just general exterior 'pushing a wall down the road' sound? Your door panels are still off, right? I know you mentioned insulating them and picked up new retainers but couldn't recall if you temporarily installed them or not. Even with the exterior soundproofing, having the interior panels on will make a difference. It gives you another insulating air pocket plus I could see those drains at the bottom causing some whistling under the right conditions.

 

[Gary Lewis]

I went to grab the "brace/bracket that protects the wiring underneath the carpet behind the seat"(wish I knew what to call it)

Good question! Also, I've wondered what determined whether the truck got it or not. Does your truck have any wiring there besides the seat belt?

Gary - Crazy how some tires definitely 'sing' more than others. More incentive to drive the wheels off it . With the wind noise can you narrow down where it's coming from? Does it sound like it's coming into the cab or just general exterior 'pushing a wall down the road' sound? Your door panels are still off, right? I know you mentioned insulating them and picked up new retainers but couldn't recall if you temporarily installed them or not. Even with the exterior soundproofing, having the interior panels on will make a difference. It gives you another insulating air pocket plus I could see those drains at the bottom causing some whistling under the right conditions.

I did put the old door panels on for the trip, but they don't have any insulation in them as it has been stripped out. And, they have the cutout for the 6x9 speakers on the rear. So the new door panels will make a difference as they'll have insulation in them and no gaping hole.

But I don't have any of the other interior trim on. And I'll probably put insulation on or behind some of it, so that will help a bit as well. Nor do I have the Highliner yet, so there's no headliner, although I do have a layer of sound deadening on the roof. And I may add more sound deadening and certainly insulation as I install the Highliner, but I need to see how much I can get away with.

However, Janey and I agree that the wind noise was at the window level, not lower door as they seemed very quiet. And the air wasn't coming in. It was just that we were pushing a square brick through the air at 70 MPH at the same time Mother Nature was pushing the air north at 20 - 30 MPH. And that made for a lot of noise.

But even when we were going north with the wind there was still a lot of noise. Tire noise. In fact, as you come to a stop you can not only hear the tires but you can feel them - right down to 0 MPH.

So perhaps I will reduce the noise somewhat when I add the trim panels. But I think it is the nature of the beast. In any event, it is far better than it used to be, so we believe we can drive the thing 7 hours/420 miles each day for two days to get to Ouray and still be able to function on the 3rd day.

[86 12 Brutus]

I did put the old door panels on for the trip, but they don't have any insulation in them as it has been stripped out. And, they have the cutout for the 6x9 speakers on the rear. So the new door panels will make a difference as they'll have insulation in them and no gaping hole.

But I don't have any of the other interior trim on. And I'll probably put insulation on or behind some of it, so that will help a bit as well. Nor do I have the Highliner yet, so there's no headliner, although I do have a layer of sound deadening on the roof. And I may add more sound deadening and certainly insulation as I install the Highliner, but I need to see how much I can get away with.

However, Janey and I agree that the wind noise was at the window level, not lower door as they seemed very quiet. And the air wasn't coming in. It was just that we were pushing a square brick through the air at 70 MPH at the same time Mother Nature was pushing the air north at 20 - 30 MPH. And that made for a lot of noise.

But even when we were going north with the wind there was still a lot of noise. Tire noise. In fact, as you come to a stop you can not only hear the tires but you can feel them - right down to 0 MPH.

So perhaps I will reduce the noise somewhat when I add the trim panels. But I think it is the nature of the beast. In any event, it is far better than it used to be, so we believe we can drive the thing 7 hours/420 miles each day for two days to get to Ouray and still be able to function on the 3rd day.

You are probably right about the trim panels for a while, we drove around in the crown vic with no front door panels, those cars are notorious for breaking door panels because the door hinge pin bushings break and the doors drop and become hard to close. lots of wind noise and air leakage. i bought some grand marquis panels and it quietend down back to a nice quiet vic. I'm kind of thinking once you put the new panels, big blue shoud quieten down. I'm guessing whoever put those 6x9's in that crazy location also pulled the insulation off the door panel.