Ford F550 Super Duty - Silencing A Super Duty

The clatter and rumble of a big diesel has always been part of the excitement of driving our oil burners. It subtly advertises that we just might have something that the gas rigs don't. Those of us with an ear for diesel power can close our eyes and say, "There goes a Cummins," or "That's a Power Stroke."

NoiseMaker
It's true diesel engines have gotten much quieter over the years, but they still have a unique sound that makes them distinguishable. Yet after hundreds, if not thousands of miles on the road, sounds that were cool around town can become downright annoying. Our own F-550-with its big Michelin XZL tires, MagnaFlow performance exhaust, and a thin coating of Rhino Lining on the floor-was obnoxious at 65 mph, and to our disappointment, the Rhino Lining did little to keep heat out from below.

It was time to do something about this. The road noise problem had been greatly improved on our older F-350 diesel by installing a full Dynamat noise reduction kit. We called Tim Cox, owner of QuietRide Solutions in Stockton, California, for some suggestions. He had just finished the Acoustishield kit for the F-350 Super Duty, and we figured the F-550 must be close to the same. As the saying goes, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

Sound-Silencing Kit
While the basic floor of our F-550 was similar, the transmission hump with a manual transmission and 4x4 was a little different than the automatic transmission the kit was designed for. Cox welcomed the opportunity to make a pattern for this truck. QuietRide Solutions has over 600 mail-order Acoustishield kits for cars, trucks, over-the-road semis, boats, and airplanes.

The first step was to remove everything from the cab-seats, center console, fire extinguishers, CD changer, GPS, and so on-and carefully mark all the screw and bolt holes. Cox set about making a pattern of an insulation material he uses called Heat Shield. All the holes for the seats and the center console were punched. Cutouts for the transmission and transfer case levers were fitted under the shift boots. Since we have a standard cab, the side panels and the rear wall were also custom-tailored.

With the pattern made, it was sent off to the cutting room to be duplicated for future kits. While that was being done, we laid out strips of Dynamat, which is a thin, flexible, easy-to-cut-and-mold sheet that actually stops noise-causing resonance and vibration by using viscoelastic qualities that promote vibro-acoustic energy conversion. In short, that means noise becomes silent energy. Sound confusing? Well, imagine rapping a drum with a stick. Now put your hand on the drum and hit it again. No vibrations! That's what Dynamat strips do to the thin sheet metal panels on your truck.

Peeling off the backing of the Dynamat, each strip was placed on the floor and pressed with a wallpaper seam roller for maximum surface contact. Cox first laid out all the Dynamat strips faceup for photos. Each Acoustishield kit comes with detailed instructions, pictures of how to install the Dynamat strips, the Heat Shield pre-cut pieces, and the necessary tape, glue, and seam roller.

Now the new panels of Heat Shield were ready, and we started the process of spraying each section with quick-drying contact glue and pressing them into place. Then, all seams were sealed with aluminum tape to further isolate heat and keep any moisture from getting under the Heat Shield. We did not remove the headliner. Cox advised that it was easy to damage and expensive to replace. He said that very little noise comes from above, and we weren't installing a $5,000 sound system. It was more important to treat the hood, cab floor, and doors.