I am tired of struggling to do repairs in that confined area between the front of the engine and the radiator shroud. I modified the top of my fan shroud and now the work area is very accessible - I should have done this a long time ago! 

 

The belt tensioner, water pump, and fan clutch are now very accessible, in fact I removed the belt and then the fan clutch assembly just so I could clean and inspect the fan blades.  The work was very easy.  I know that someone has probably already done this, but here are some photos anyway.

I made the cut in a specific manner so there would not be any sharp corners when you reached into the work area.  I used two zip ties on each side for easy removal and installation of the modified shroud top.  Note that in the photo with the shroud top installed, the zip ties are not very conspicuous.

- John

Edited November 13, 20177 yr by Tractorman

Interesting, what's the deal with the valve cover cover. 

57 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

Interesting, what's the deal with the valve cover cover. 

The valve cover cover is a heat blanket developed by Advanced Thermal Products in Irvine, CA. It is custom fitted to the valve cover.   I also so have the exhaust manifold, turbo charger (exhaust side), exhaust down pipe, and oil pan covered with the same material.  This heat blanket is designed to easily withstand temperatures well above 2,000 degrees F., so the material does not deteriorate. 

 

The engine compartment runs considerably cooler, the seals in the exhaust brake vacuum cylinder don't get scorched, and the passenger side floor now stays cool when pulling a long grade on a hot day.  My wife likes that. 

 

There are noise reduction benefits, as well.  The raucous idle clatter is subdued when standing outside of the vehicle as well as when sitting inside or driving down the road with the windows up or down.  My wife likes that, too. 

 

The purpose for covering the valve cover and oil pan was for engine noise reduction only.  The purpose for covering the exhaust components was for heat reduction in the engine compartment.  There was some noise reduction benefit, as well.

 

- John

Edited November 13, 20177 yr by Tractorman

Since there has been some interest in the heat blanket, here are more photos.  All the pieces were installed in October, 2015 and have 42,000 miles of operation with no signs of deterioration.  This product was expensive, but since I am keeping the truck for a long time, the decision was a good one.

 

- John