When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have finally embarked on the sound proofing/deadening journey after over 7 years of owning this thing. I have started listening to podcasts on my long drives to and from work, and I am just tired of cranking up the volume to hear good audio over the sweet music of the single shot injectors in my 7.3L workhorse. I love the single shots for the horsepower and fuel efficiency, but the trade-off is a louder injection event times 8. So, here we go...
I stripped everything out of the X. Doesn't take long at all. I think I had everything out in under 30 mins...down to bare metal everywhere but the headliner. That stays. Not putting anything up there right now. Maybe some heat shielding later...
This is all the sound mitigation Ford put between the carpet and the up-pipes and turbo.
Wow...not impressed.
I bought this product for vibration dampening and heat reflection in the floor. It went in first covering the entire floor from front to back:
I pulled all the rubber floor plugs for the body mounts and other stuff... ...cleaned the floor really well with this stuff...and started laying the rubber/foil dampener from rear to front. I made sure to thoroughly mark all the holes/cut-outs as I went so I could come back with a razor blade... ...to do this. Then I popped the grommets and stuff back in.
This is how big a sheet of this stuff is: I peel off about 2 inches along an edge (in this case the very top edge there), and then press that exposed rubber to the metal. Then I slowly peel back the paper smoothing along the way. You cannot peel the whole paper off at once and then apply. It sticks hard to anything it touches...especially you. I believe it is butyl rubber from the smell.
Once the entire floor was covered with 80 mil butyl rubber (I barely got into the third box), I went in with a 228 mil product:
I applied this over the two front foot wells, up to the dash, then along the passenger side, back to the step up to the cargo/3rd row area. I also covered the transmission hump with it. This was to deaden the exhaust sound from the turbo and up-pipes, which can be significant in a modified 7.3L.
Once all the 228 was laid in (one box did the trick), I went in with a 170 mil product over the cargo area and the rest of the second row:
One box of the 170 mil covered the entire cargo area and the rest of the second row that did not get the 228 mil stuff. The only area I did not cover with 170 or 228 (I ran out) was the area directly under the driver's seat. It only got the rubber/foil 80 mil stuff. 228 mil coverage in front seat area...I did end up covering that exposed foil near the door with 228 mil trimmings and 170 mil product up to the door seal. 228 mil following over the exhaust into 2nd row and back to the step up for cargo area.
I'll add more pics in the morning of all the 170 mil product laid in the cargo area and second row.
*****I want to put it out there, that the B pillars produce a ton of noise. Ford did not fill them with much of anything, and they act as resonators for road and exhaust noise. I know, because I drove the truck to work with the B-pillar trim removed. The road noise and turbo whistle increased significantly with just those two trim pieces out. Carpet and all other trim was still in, but seats were removed. I covered the B-pillars with 170 mil product up to the upper seat belt anchor. Lots of holes in the sheet metal to mark as you apply the 170 mil. Before I put the 170 mil up the pillar (exterior, not interior of the pillar) Ford did put a little bit of foam in there, but it is not nearly enough. The stuff in there is really soft and pliable to the touch. The whole thing should be filled up in my opinion.
Anyway, more pics tomorrow of the final sound deadening scene before I put the interior stuff back in. I did scrub and power wash the carpet while it is out. Unbelievable how much stuff came out of that carpet...waiting on it to finish drying before re-installing.
i started like you just doing the floor and doors and realized what a difference it made. I Then tackled the roof which seemed to make the biggest difference. It’s the biggest pain because it’s one piece. I did heat shield and sound deadener at the same time on the roof- huge difference in keeping the X cool and keeping noise down as there is nothing between the headliner and metal roof. Yours is coming along nice and very neat- you will like it.
Well done!! I'll be tackling this as well very soon and ordered the same Noico product you reference. Can't wait to see (and hear) how it turns out! Seems to be about 50/50 as to whether folks say the whole process and expense it actually worth it.
Nice pictorial
Crazy your Ex doesn’t have the firewall sound deadner. My 01 had the footwell, hood and fender factory sound deadner,
i did my floors and fire wall years ago, still need to do the roof. . , from the ones I have ridden in with the roof done it seems worth the effort. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
does your Ex have the front fender and hood sound deadner ?
I had the fender deadner out once when I was working on the IDM and it is actually pretty helpful on cutting down the injector racket....if yours doesn’t have it maybe get the piece from your yard. Fwiw....in the factory ford manual under fixes for customers complaints on engine noise it list making sure the fender sound deadner is in place.
Pirate, I do not recall seeing any sound deadener in the fender next to the IDM on the occasions I have been in there. Heck, I had the whole wheel well apart for the axle conversion, and I'm sure I didn't see any. I'll have to shop for that at the Gold Mine. As far as the hood, I did get a hood liner off a truck a couple years ago. Engine temps went up enough to cause my fan to come on much more often, so I took it back out. Fan operation (read: very loud for those that don't own a 7.3) went back to normal. I did notice the engine was quieter with the hood liner in there, but just didn't like the heat retention it had. If I were up north, I would have kept it and likely had no issues with fan operation.
I got a driver's side foot-well insert from the junk yard several years ago. It goes up above the go pedal/brake pedal and wedges in there with a couple push pins. That little guy makes a big difference. I robbed it out of a V10 Excursion. No idea if mine came with one from the factory, but it was not there when I bought my X.
Well done!! I'll be tackling this as well very soon and ordered the same Noico product you reference. Can't wait to see (and hear) how it turns out! Seems to be about 50/50 as to whether folks say the whole process and expense it actually worth it.
With the carpet still out, and the sound abatement installed, it is at the same level before with the carpet AND seats in. Installing the carpet has to make it better at this point. Add in the sound absorbency of the seats, and I think I will be very happy with the result.
The grey wool lining on the back of your carpet is actually the main source of sound absorption, the butyl material you are applying is vibration dampener.
you can buy a roll of wool sound blanket ( looks like the stuff on the back of the carpet ) and install this under your carpet.
after I rode in a customers who did the Butyl mats and the additional layer of sound blanket I went out and bought a roll of it but have yet to tear mine back apart to install, keep telling myself I will do the headliner as well.
I see you have the rear wheel well plastic sides off... the wheel wheels transmit a heap of road noise so address that area.
I did the inside area of the wheel well but went a step further and did the underside with a rubberized undercoat.
I run M/T tires so went all out in my wheel wells to minimize the noise they make.
I did not know I could buy the wool blanket to add more. I was aware it was attached to the under side of the carpet, but it is inadequate for a 7.3...as I see you have deduced.
Drove it to work without the interior today, since the carpet was still a little wet. It sounds better now than it did with the carpet and seats in it before I started.
You have any pics of that insulation you mentioned by the IDM?
I do t have a pic of mine but I found this on the web, made from the same stuff as the hood liner and what is on the firewall/footwell of the later model Ex, not sure when they started adding the sound material but clearly some have it and some don’t.
If you want more sound proofing there are various products available that address diffrent hertz in the sound spectrum,
rather then add more of the felt pad like I have that is under the carpet already I think I would use #7 in this list.
( I came across my roll of the felt at a industrial garage sale, I also got a roll of cork that is another good sound barrier )
I’m glad someone posted this, recently. I’m looking to install sound deadening, same products as you actually. So its even better to hear that it works well and for the same noises you have, a turbo 7.3 with single shots.
All 228 and 170 installed. You can see the difference in color and thickness. B pillar covered in 170 mil on driver side. Still going to stuff them later this week. Also going to lay 170 under the driver seat when I get more in. Passenger B pillar While everything was apart, I found my intermittent right rear window problem. 18 years of open/close wore them out. Added heat shielding to interior of all doors today. Not hard to accomplish...just have to use smaller pieces. Roller is critical to pull this off. Right front door was much easier to access, and shielding installed above and below crash bar.
03-18-2019, 12:14 AM
