Aftermarket flooring install
Q: Are there any special steps that need to be taken when putting down a laminate or wood-type floor? –Mike Wade, Sparks, Nev.
A: Mike, when you install the wood floor you need to put a moisture barrier under the floor. Be sure to drill pilot holes where you put in screws. We use floor from Rockwood Products. If you order one, be sure to give them all the info on your truck. They can also get you barrier, which is for sound and moisture. Take your time and it will go fine. Good luck and enjoy the new look.
– Jim Raines, S&J Truck Sales
Clear coat for dashes
Q: What type of clear coating do you recommend shooting on a polished aluminum dash panel? I want to keep it looking polished without having to hand-rub to remove the dull tarnish before every show.
– Donnie McGill, Columbus, Ohio
A: You could do either an automotive clear coat or do a clear powder coat. The clear powder coat will be a more durable finish, in my opinion. Either way you do it, the coating will make it have a little duller finish than if it was just polished, but it still looks good and holds up well.
– Andy Gobel, Outlaw Customs
Noise busters
Q: Quiet spools seem like a good idea, but I have a couple questions. Do the spools sound like factory when using an engine brake or is it somewhere between the turbo and factory muffler? Also, I’ve heard some nightmares about the spools – that they rattle around inside of the pipe and you have to have bolts on the outside to hold them from bouncing into the elbow. What’s the skinny here?
– Rus Helton, Austin, Texas
A: Quiet spools are about half as loud as straight pipes. Actually, they are closer to the muffler side of quiet than straight pipes, maybe a shade quieter than halfway. They still have a good rumble and crack, though. Quiet spools have the internal muffler welded in them, so concerns about rattling or coming loose are not right. They are also totally bolt-free, so visually a true straight pipe setup or a quiet spool setup would look exactly the same.
– Bryan Martin, 4 State Trucks
Black powder stacks
Q: I like the black stacks. What kind of powder do they use on them?
– Chris Blackmund, via Facebook
A: I can’t answer what type of powder they use. However, there’s no doubt powder-coating will be more durable than a high-temp paint. PPG offers many different types of powder-coating products. Here at First Class Services, we live and breathe PPG, and that would be my recommendation.
– Randy Stroup, First Class Services