How did all the sound dampening materials end up working out in the end?

Was it a crazy huge improvement on road noise inside of the vehicle as perceived by the driver?

Oh yeah. When I hit bumps, I hear deep thuds that sound like rubber hitting concrete and does not reverberate like metallic clanging from body panels.
Most of what I hear now is wind noise along the windows and the purr of the 22RE (said in the tone of the Dos Equis Man - LOL!).
I have already applied sound-deadening on all accessible parts of the firewall inside cabin. Someday I'll apply some on engine compartment side. Need to research thermal insulating sound-proofing material for that.

Spotted a pair just offshore of La Jolla Cove..


Interesting that they actually come this close to shore. This sighting means that they do not follow a straight line from point of land to point of land. Quite possibly, they're attracted to prey that abound near and within the kelp bed.







Ruby Tuesday heads home after contributing to a successful whale watching paddle...

Is there any tar/ chemical smell from the Peel n Seal? I'm planning to do this to my truck when I get a vinyl floor kit. Looks like you did a great job btw!

Thank you, Sir!

No smell in cabin. However, IF on a hot day you open the body panel (i.e., storage compartment in rear quarter panel) there would be a faint smell. I looked at MSDS of Peel & Seal. The worst effect could be skin irritation from direct contact. We get more health hazards from food we eat made or farmed in China that from P&S.

I peeled and sealed with the frost king brand from Home cheapo and used p and s from mcmaster carr. Never smelt an odor. Guess summer heat and Ga sun will be the test this summer. I can smell the new carpet!

Thanks guys!

More whale sightings this weekend...

Hey, me again. Whale sightings look sweet, I didn't even get that close off Newfoundland.
So my intermittent no start issue became constant, and I'm camped out in the parking lot beside a o'reilly auto parts, bout 50 miles from the north end of Death Valley (made it through just to get a flat in the last mile...d'uh!).
Starter works, replaced the batt to starter cable because I thought that was it, redid the grounds, still no go.
I did your starter relay fix, but the pin 4 wire to the relay is currently disconnected for several reasons, let's go with I couldn't find terminal 3 of the FL - when I remove the FL, the white wires are all still hot. Go figure. Well, actually, yes please, if you know what I'm doing wrong, that would be fantastic.
So in the process, I noticed that sometimes, let's make it 99 times out of 100, NONE of the wires to the starter relay are hot. Doesn't matter what position the key is in. It worked once, then not again. So I ran a wire from the starter into the cab, and I touch it to the cig lighter to start the truck. Crude but it should get me back home. My wiring schematic is from a 85, is there any chance you could send me the one you have ([email protected])? The 85 doesn't have the starter relay, and I'd like to trace the problem.
Dual battery w isolator and all the rear window switches work great, btw

Problem:
Non-power whip antenna gets in the way of loading 13-foot kayak on roof and is one more thing to worry about in the car wash.
I do not want a power antenna because it's one more thing to break. I want minimal moving parts, simple, reliable, inexpensive - same reason I picked the 22RE MoreFunner.

Solution:
NOTE: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TRUCKS WITH METAL ROOF. Metal roof will suppress radio signal

Got this Hidden Antenna from Amazon.

FM Reception was poor when antenna is placed on dash. AM reception; NADA. Too close to metal/ground, so...

I ran the cable through through the opening in body / pinchweld above the topliner near dome light...


Mounted on Fiberglas cap topliner (I will eventually move it so it is sandwiched between Fiberglas cap and topliner mat).



Ran it in the channel above the door. I had to correct mistake I made of running it through opening where the rib goes in.


I added a 48-inch extension cable ($5.61 at OReillys) here...


Ran it inside the A-pillar to an opening behind the ECU, then eventually to the radio...

Sandwiched antenna between roof and diamond-plate pattern headliner. Brown material below is original headliner foam.
Grey material is the close-cell, diamond-plate pattern anti-fatigue mat I'm using as headliner.


Antenna now hidden above the foam headliner:


Note Orange Cord attached to wire clamps secured by roof rack mounting screws:



Results:
Good FM Reception, Decent AM reception.
No more antenna rod sticking out of the fender....


Will eventually remove and seal opening to make more room for snorkel after battery-intake swap.

NOTE: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TRUCKS WITH METAL ROOF. Metal roof will suppress radio signal

Updated windshield chrome trim delete project because original implementation with silicone sealant failed.

Final solution here.

BTW, in the past few weeks...
Took Ruby Tuesday on a road trip to Point Reyes...


Slurp-slurp!
...


Slurp-slurp!


Slurp-slurp!

No bottle opener? No problem...
http://youtu.be/BiIIySjIKsY


... Then back to So Cal to dayhike Mount San Jacinto Peak from Humber Park in a snowstorm

@RAD4Runner Man thanks so much for all your hard work and the detailed write ups! I love reading through your thread and learning something new! Truck looks clean and awesome! I plan on doing the rear window switch mod and following your insulation and sound dampening write up for my 86! Super clean. How long did it take to complete the sound dampening and insulation job? I also would like to deal with some of the noise coming from the wind when highway driving. Is the only way to do that by doing the engine bay like you said? Do you think insulting the front doors and adding new seals around the windows would also help? Cheers!

Always a pleasure to share/help; the least I could do to give back to the community that helped me find and restore/maintain my ideal no-frills minimalist, simple but reliable utility vehicle.

I think total would have taken a whole weekend. However, it spread out over several days because I also took care of details that needed attention (i.e., surface rust where clutch master cylinder dripped brake fluid) while I had the panels off. The job did not keep me from daily-driving the truck. Some days, I drove the truck with only the driver seat installed
Before hand, you also need to spend time researching and shopping for materials.
IIRC, I used:
5 rolls of Peel and Seal. Good for total coverage, including firewall and tailgate (which I haven't done, yet)
One roll of thermal insulation from Pep Boys. Used it on firewall, tranny hump, and left side of floor (above exhaust pipe).
A $20 roll of diamond-plate anti-fatigue mat, although I think heavy-density exercise mat would do a better sound insulating job. Anyway, just find out which would cover the floor & firewall for best price.

Some of the wind noise is from wind on windows and windshield so nothing we can do about that.

However, a couple of things I'm considering:
1) Some noise is from leaks around the door weatherstripping that had probably lost some of its loft. Replacing that with new one should help, although not sure if still available. An option that I'm considering is an eight of an inch thickness of rubber/foam on door frame where the weather stripping contacts it. That would make the fit/seal tighter. You must have noticed that some newer cars have weatherstripping on both the door and the door frame itself.


Because some wind noise also comes from the roof..

2) Remove headliner and existing foam insulation from roof, replace insulation with something denser, like the exercise mat. Re-install headliner. AND

3) Since there's plenty of space between head and headliner, Id like to install a storage compartment there. It would be a semi-rigid (foam backed) modified version of the hanging pocket storage like this. Sleeping pads would be stored there, and during road-trips soft articles like clothes as well to conserve space. Even when empty that additional material between ceiling and head would help insulate. Would do same under the Fiberglas cap.

Your thoughts?

The down side to living in Canada is getting parts and supplies. Not sure how much it will be for me to get all the supplies on that list for me in Canada, gonna look into it. Thanks for letting me know the amount of time it took, could be a decent weekend project once the weather warms up a bit! I also think when I do it I'll shampoo my carpets for the heck of it to clean the interior up even more. Did you shampoo your carpets when you had them out?

I think putting the rubber stripping on the door frame is a good idea. That might take away the classic/old vehicle door closing sound that I love haha. I'd be willing to sacrifice if it worked. Would need to find a effective way to mount the rubber also...

Do you think there is a way to insulate the removable top effectively? I just bought my 86 but I actually slept in it on the drive back home from California when I stopped in Oregon and it was stupid cold. I felt that the truck did not hold the heat in well at all. I also think a big issue causing this is the amount of windows in the removable top.

I would also insulate the headliner when I do this project. My thoughts on the upper semi rigid storage...I think that it's a good idea if you really feel you need the storage. Personally I like having as much head room as possible even though I'm not that big of a guy (5'9). I just feel that it may feel too crowded for me.

I noticed you don't have a sleeping platform. What do you do when you go camping? Tent? Remove rear seats?

(Did this a couple of years ago and have been happy with it so sharing...)

Zuk Mod Using 12-INCH, 125-Pound/Inch Black Magic Springs

Bump Stops Cut to 0.75 inch from frame.


Needed spring pads to eliminate any metal on metal (spring to frame, spring to lower bumpstop bracket). Originally wanted to use durometer 75A urethane (same material as suspension bushings & skateboard wheels), but too expensive. Ended up using rubber pads from Marshall Industrial Hardware. Pad is 1/8-inch thick.


Use 3M double-sided adhesive tape stick to frame.



I put this pad on bottom bumpstop bracket but spring & bracket cut it. (A modified bottom perch that captures/cups the spring, if I could fab one, would be ideal.)



Capture Screws:
Drill and tapped for 1/4-20 screws (ideal would be 6-mm), 0.5 inch from frame @ 6 places per bumpstop for capture screws This is for more flexibility where to place capture screws where they would get the least stress.

Capture screw threads centered 1/2 inch from frame.


Just right for 1/8-inch thick rubber spring pad plus 3/8-inch dia spring material.


Using Black Magic springs rated 12-inch, 125 pounds/inch.


No Noticeable Rake!

Wheel rim to wheel well rim in front: 14"
Wheel rim to wheel well rim in rear: 12.5"

Frame to Leaf Pack:

Before (7.75 Inches, on both sides):
After: 9.25" (As of 22Mar2013)

Thanks to Yotatech members for all their earlier inputs, especially Chef's, regarding the 12-inchers.