awatkins said:
I think you're wasting a lot of effort on the gasket. The original "gasket" is really very close to being a length of foam weatherstrip which you can buy at lowes. I just ran a strip all the way around and overlapped it a little where the ends met. Also, the plate is very flexible so a gasket material that is relatively rigid and thin is not appropriate. You want a thick soft gasket that can fill gaps.
Also, you didn't ask this question but in putting the plate back on consider doing so with sheet metal screws instead of rivets. It also works just fine to put the plate back on on top rather than underneath. Makes future work a lot easier.
Also regarding the bracket mounting "bolts" next to the CDL nipple, my recollection is that there are two studs there so all you supply are two 8mm nuts. Am I wrong?
Finally, I wrote quite a long posting of tips right after I did this exact same thing a few months ago, so you might want to search for that.
Yeah, I am considering the benefits and drawbacks of putting it in on top rather than underneath. I may do that. I thought about it the other day, but haven't really considered it much since then. I like the rivets better than the screws, though, even if I have to drill them out. If I ever change the hardware, I'll weld some nuts on the back side for easy access.
I had also considered that gasket, and whether the material would work properly, considering the relative flexibility of the metal plate. I think it will do fine, given the high number of rivets securing it, but I'll look more carefully before I actually install it, and I have a softer, thicker gasket material just in case. I'd love for the rubberized cork to work.
I've since cleaned the painted surface, and applied Dynamat over the top section, leaving the area around the gasket free of it. I also taped off the mating surfaces underneath and sprayed a layer of undercoating on it.
Tap that puppy with a screwdriver now and it sounds like you are hitting wood.
I'll be doing the rest of the tunnel sheet metal shortly, covering it with Dynamat Xtreme and Extremeliner. This area is a HUGE source of heat and noise in a Disco, and I mean to minimize it. If I can find the time, I'll pull the front seats and carpet and do the whole front end. I'm sick of the A/C sucking so bad in the Disco, while it's trying to fight all that heat. This will help a lot, and with a layer of Xtreme everywhere, plus a layer of Extremeliner over the firewall and floor, I'll be doing away with quite a bit of it. I can't do the back just yet, but I will, oh, I will. I've still got to put some brackets back there, and it may require welding.
As for the issue of opening it up and having a problem, I did not manage to avoid it. I need the hardware for the range selection cable, or the entire cable assembly. Nobody seems to have it. I'm going to call another company today that deals in used parts and see what I can find. This is what happens when you move several times after doing a job on your car that you should keep the hardware for. I knew I didn't have it, I don't know why I thought I might have left it on the cable. That would make sense.
You can never have enough labeled, portable, and lockable hardware cabinets! Next time I move, I'm not losing any of this stuff.
I know, I know, I could rig it. I'm NOT doing that, under any circumstances whatsoever. I'm not going through all this careful work just to rig something that's really the whole point of the job.
Cheers,
Kennith
