Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Please let me know if you have any questions. Ask away!
I just finished sound deadening my entire truck (cab), to include the roof, and based on my recent experience, I have a few thoughts I'd like to share. The assumption is that you want to do it completely, and do it right the first time. I believe this is something you should tackle in its entirety or forget about. The job is too labor-intensive to not complete it fully while you're in there.
The #1 thing you need to understand is that the old way of sound deadening is wasteful, both of materials and money.
There are three avenues of approach for deadening your vehicle and must be addressed.
1. You must deaden the structure borne noise with a constrained layer damper (CLD) like a foil-backed butyl adhesive tile. Do not use asphalt-based materials. Not trying to rain on anyone's parade who has used these types of materials, but it has been proven time and again that those who do are asking for trouble. The old adage is very true here: use the right tool for the right job.
2. You must install a barrier the blocks airborne noise. You can use all the Dynamat you want, but you're really not doing much about the airborne noise, like road noise, etc. You might get a nice thunk when you close the door, but you've only tackled part of the problem. Mass loaded vinyl (1 lb per square foot) is probably the best SAFE material you can use for this purpose.
3. A quality closed-cell foam is needed to dampen rattles, etc. Most places in the truck call for 1/4" thick foam, while the back wall used 1/8".
The problem with a lot of the standard companies who commercially produce sound deadening materials is that they want you to line your entire vehicle with their dampening mats/tiles. This is unnecessary. Their products are of good quality and work well, but you can quickly get into the land of diminishing returns and waste a lot of money and material, and you still have done very little to address the airborne noise.
The producer of the materials I used has done studies that show there is very little to be gained by covering more than about 25% of any specific panel with the constrained layer damper. With this coverage, you have effectively deadened the structure borne noise that specific panel might produce. Don't use more than you need, and put that saved money toward materials that pay bigger dividends, like the mass loaded vinyl.
I deadened all four doors, the floor, the back wall, the roof, and under a couple of the trim panels in the foot wells. The CLD tiles I used were 6"x10" and I could cut them into smaller pieces, if needed. I placed seven tiles on the outer skin of the front doors, and then about three tiles cut into smaller pieces on the inner skin. Extruded butyl rope was placed into the crevices between the impact beams and the door sheet metal. Using adhesive backed Velcro, I then hung a sheet of mass loaded vinyl on the inner skin of the door. I trimmed the MLV to fit under the door trim, and cut holes to allow for the door trim hooks to engage the inner skin as normal. I then glued some ¼” closed cell foam to the MLV in certain places to prevent rattles against the door trim. The rear doors took five tiles on the outer skin and two tiles on the inner skin. I hung the MLV and foam the same as on the front doors. The factory plastic vapor barrier on each door is discarded.
I removed all seats, fold flat floor, disconnected seatbelt anchors, removed all carpet, and associated trim pieces as needed. I lined the floor with about 20 CLD tiles (note that there is some damper applied to the floor pan from the factory and there is nothing to be gained by placing new tiles over the factory damper). Also there is very little to be gained by applying tiles to many of the rounded edges or curves of the floor. By their very nature, they are deadened pretty well already. Concentrate on the larger flat panels that are more prone to resonate. I then layered the entire floor with ¼” closed cell foam and then a layer of the mass loaded vinyl. The back wall received eight CLD tiles and as mentioned before, a 1/8” layer of foam and then the mass loaded vinyl layer.
*Note – Since I was replacing my HVAC doors at the same time and had the dash pulled, I did line parts of the dash and HVAC ducting with small pieces of the CLD tiles. This did reduce the air noise coming from the vents. I did not do the firewall as there is a rubber-ish/foam-ish layer of material that lines the firewall from the factory. I decided that there wasn’t too much that I could gain over the factory liner and based on the amount of work that would have to be done to work around electrical harnesses, steering shaft, etc. , I decided to leave well enough alone. I don’t regret that decision at this time.
The carpet does have a good amount of what I feel is poor quality foam glued to the underside and I found it necessary to remove much of this foam to ensure the carpet and seats fit back in their appropriate places.
In the four corners of the cab (front outer trim pieces in the foot wells and corners between the rear doors and back wall), I cut some vinyl and foam pieces to fit and glued them together with HH-66 vinyl cement. I placed the pieces under the trim with the foam facing outward toward the trim to prevent any rattles.
I then replaced the entire interior and began on the roof. I removed the overhead console, visors, dome light, headliner and associated trim pieces. The headliner must be worked with and removed through one of the front doors. The roof sheet metal received fourteen CLD tiles (note that there are two- one square foot tiles placed over the driver’s and passenger’s head. Do not place CLD tiles over these factory tiles. Again, there is little to be gained and I found that the new tiles don’t stick well to the factory tiles. ) After the CLD tiles, the roof received a layer of ¼” foam, attached with self-adhesive Velcro to the metal on one side and the other half of the Velcro glued to the foam with the HH-66. I then replaced all of the roof trim pieces.
Basically, that’s it. I apologize that there are no pictures. But searches on the forums can yield pics of the interior removed, and taking pictures would have made a three-day job a five-day job, and wouldn’t necessarily provided any groundbreaking information. The job is very self explanatory once you dive into the cab. The resulting difference is night and day and road noise is minimal. My wife and I can actually have a conversation at highway speeds without waking sleeping children in the back seat now. If my wife notices the difference, let me tell you that there is a significant reduction in noise within the cab. Your wife will notice too.
Another interesting aspect is that now I hear other noises I never heard before due to the noise. The other day, I heard the cruise control vacuum pump come on at 50 mph! I also hear rattles within the dash that I never knew were there. While it is a tradeoff, the project is still a no brainer for me.
I don’t want this to get into a brand war for sound deadening materials or be accused of promoting or spamming a certain company, so I will not mention the brand I used. PM me if you are interested. I can also provide a link or two with lots of information and some videos that illustrate some of the sound deadening properties I spoke about.
My truck is such a pleasure to drive now over long distances. The noise used to wear me out over a long trip, but never again. My radio sounds better now too. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Total materials I ordered and I had some left over:
76 CLD Tiles
1 roll Extruded Butyl Rope
86. 3 ft² MLV
108. 3 ft² 1/4" CCF
13. 7 ft² 1/8" CCF
17 Velcro Patches, adhesive 2 sides
6 Velcro Patches, adhesive 1 side
1- 32 oz can HH-66 Vinyl Cement
I just finished sound deadening my entire truck (cab), to include the roof, and based on my recent experience, I have a few thoughts I'd like to share. The assumption is that you want to do it completely, and do it right the first time. I believe this is something you should tackle in its entirety or forget about. The job is too labor-intensive to not complete it fully while you're in there.
The #1 thing you need to understand is that the old way of sound deadening is wasteful, both of materials and money.
There are three avenues of approach for deadening your vehicle and must be addressed.
1. You must deaden the structure borne noise with a constrained layer damper (CLD) like a foil-backed butyl adhesive tile. Do not use asphalt-based materials. Not trying to rain on anyone's parade who has used these types of materials, but it has been proven time and again that those who do are asking for trouble. The old adage is very true here: use the right tool for the right job.
2. You must install a barrier the blocks airborne noise. You can use all the Dynamat you want, but you're really not doing much about the airborne noise, like road noise, etc. You might get a nice thunk when you close the door, but you've only tackled part of the problem. Mass loaded vinyl (1 lb per square foot) is probably the best SAFE material you can use for this purpose.
3. A quality closed-cell foam is needed to dampen rattles, etc. Most places in the truck call for 1/4" thick foam, while the back wall used 1/8".
The problem with a lot of the standard companies who commercially produce sound deadening materials is that they want you to line your entire vehicle with their dampening mats/tiles. This is unnecessary. Their products are of good quality and work well, but you can quickly get into the land of diminishing returns and waste a lot of money and material, and you still have done very little to address the airborne noise.
The producer of the materials I used has done studies that show there is very little to be gained by covering more than about 25% of any specific panel with the constrained layer damper. With this coverage, you have effectively deadened the structure borne noise that specific panel might produce. Don't use more than you need, and put that saved money toward materials that pay bigger dividends, like the mass loaded vinyl.
I deadened all four doors, the floor, the back wall, the roof, and under a couple of the trim panels in the foot wells. The CLD tiles I used were 6"x10" and I could cut them into smaller pieces, if needed. I placed seven tiles on the outer skin of the front doors, and then about three tiles cut into smaller pieces on the inner skin. Extruded butyl rope was placed into the crevices between the impact beams and the door sheet metal. Using adhesive backed Velcro, I then hung a sheet of mass loaded vinyl on the inner skin of the door. I trimmed the MLV to fit under the door trim, and cut holes to allow for the door trim hooks to engage the inner skin as normal. I then glued some ¼” closed cell foam to the MLV in certain places to prevent rattles against the door trim. The rear doors took five tiles on the outer skin and two tiles on the inner skin. I hung the MLV and foam the same as on the front doors. The factory plastic vapor barrier on each door is discarded.
I removed all seats, fold flat floor, disconnected seatbelt anchors, removed all carpet, and associated trim pieces as needed. I lined the floor with about 20 CLD tiles (note that there is some damper applied to the floor pan from the factory and there is nothing to be gained by placing new tiles over the factory damper). Also there is very little to be gained by applying tiles to many of the rounded edges or curves of the floor. By their very nature, they are deadened pretty well already. Concentrate on the larger flat panels that are more prone to resonate. I then layered the entire floor with ¼” closed cell foam and then a layer of the mass loaded vinyl. The back wall received eight CLD tiles and as mentioned before, a 1/8” layer of foam and then the mass loaded vinyl layer.
*Note – Since I was replacing my HVAC doors at the same time and had the dash pulled, I did line parts of the dash and HVAC ducting with small pieces of the CLD tiles. This did reduce the air noise coming from the vents. I did not do the firewall as there is a rubber-ish/foam-ish layer of material that lines the firewall from the factory. I decided that there wasn’t too much that I could gain over the factory liner and based on the amount of work that would have to be done to work around electrical harnesses, steering shaft, etc. , I decided to leave well enough alone. I don’t regret that decision at this time.
The carpet does have a good amount of what I feel is poor quality foam glued to the underside and I found it necessary to remove much of this foam to ensure the carpet and seats fit back in their appropriate places.
In the four corners of the cab (front outer trim pieces in the foot wells and corners between the rear doors and back wall), I cut some vinyl and foam pieces to fit and glued them together with HH-66 vinyl cement. I placed the pieces under the trim with the foam facing outward toward the trim to prevent any rattles.
I then replaced the entire interior and began on the roof. I removed the overhead console, visors, dome light, headliner and associated trim pieces. The headliner must be worked with and removed through one of the front doors. The roof sheet metal received fourteen CLD tiles (note that there are two- one square foot tiles placed over the driver’s and passenger’s head. Do not place CLD tiles over these factory tiles. Again, there is little to be gained and I found that the new tiles don’t stick well to the factory tiles. ) After the CLD tiles, the roof received a layer of ¼” foam, attached with self-adhesive Velcro to the metal on one side and the other half of the Velcro glued to the foam with the HH-66. I then replaced all of the roof trim pieces.
Basically, that’s it. I apologize that there are no pictures. But searches on the forums can yield pics of the interior removed, and taking pictures would have made a three-day job a five-day job, and wouldn’t necessarily provided any groundbreaking information. The job is very self explanatory once you dive into the cab. The resulting difference is night and day and road noise is minimal. My wife and I can actually have a conversation at highway speeds without waking sleeping children in the back seat now. If my wife notices the difference, let me tell you that there is a significant reduction in noise within the cab. Your wife will notice too.
Another interesting aspect is that now I hear other noises I never heard before due to the noise. The other day, I heard the cruise control vacuum pump come on at 50 mph! I also hear rattles within the dash that I never knew were there. While it is a tradeoff, the project is still a no brainer for me.
I don’t want this to get into a brand war for sound deadening materials or be accused of promoting or spamming a certain company, so I will not mention the brand I used. PM me if you are interested. I can also provide a link or two with lots of information and some videos that illustrate some of the sound deadening properties I spoke about.
My truck is such a pleasure to drive now over long distances. The noise used to wear me out over a long trip, but never again. My radio sounds better now too. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Total materials I ordered and I had some left over:
76 CLD Tiles
1 roll Extruded Butyl Rope
86. 3 ft² MLV
108. 3 ft² 1/4" CCF
13. 7 ft² 1/8" CCF
17 Velcro Patches, adhesive 2 sides
6 Velcro Patches, adhesive 1 side
1- 32 oz can HH-66 Vinyl Cement
