Better seal for doghouse

[JeffM]

The doghouse engine cover in my 76 Dodge 21' 440 does not fit tight into the floor insulation in some places. Some air and heat comes through these small gaps. Has anyone dealt with this and developed a fix/remedy for it?

I have considered cutting a thin rubber hose lengthwise to create a thin insulation to fit along the edges of the doghouse to fit better into the insulation in the floor. The other option would be to replace the strip of insulation in the floor with something a little thicker.

[JerryT]

Jeff
My 78/440 was doing the same thing, the floor gasket/rubber was good so I did two things. First I added a floor clamp on the passenger side using one of the heat shield bolts. I pop riveted the side bracket on that I got from a junk yard, second I took my floor jack and a 2x2 and reshaped the floor in the low areas. This cut out 95% of the hot wind but I still have heat down there. I would also consider using a thin strip of fiberglass insulation to set the cover into and then trim off the excess inside. Tips on removing the dog house cover, I ALWAYS remove the pass seat first! I got the four nuts cleaned up so they come off easy. I first ground the tips off the trim screws that stick in and threaded on short pieces of rubber tubing, so as not to tear up my hands. By removing the seat first you wont tear up the insulation that's on the inside of the cover. (I had to fix mine) These 440 vans are hot son of a bucks, I have done a few things to mitigate the heat. My 440 did not have the correct thermostat, it had the car one so I changed that with the 160 deg. one from the club. I also upgraded to the 3 core radiator and a heavy duty fan clutch. I also connected the air cleaner snorkel to one end of some 3" flex tubing and the other to the cowl/vent box, now the 440 gets the cooler out side air. I also increased all of the exhaust to 3" starting at the Y on the exhaust crossover. I feel that all this has helped keep the temps down, my heat guage stays low on the dial even at 75 mph on a 95 deg. day with the AC on, less heat under the hood= less heat inside. The last thing I did that made the biggest change was to add front air scoops that are ducted to the under side of the dog house. This added air flow, blows out the trapped heat and keeps the dog house almost cool to the touch. Before I did all this my wife could hardly ride up front, now she can sit there bare foot.
JerryT

[JerryT]

3" exhaust pics

[JerryT]

Air cleaner duct pics

[clockwork]

Jerry;
Really nice work! I am excited to try the air scoops mod- on a trip to SC in June the dog house got hot enough to soften the sole of my right sneaker! Have you had any problem with the wire ties you used to attach the duct(s) deteriorating from the heat?
dave

[JerryT]

Dave
Thanks! To anwser your question, no, not yet. It's just not hot enough that far from the engine to melt them. I keep bailing/tie wire around the shop but I have become more trusting of the tie wraps over time. I used three things in making my vents, 4" muffler clamps, 3" alum flex dryer vent and 3"?pipe to gutter/downspout adapters. I camp with a man that has a 360 dodge and he has room for 4" pipe but 3" is all I can see fiting in the 440 van. The flex just sticks in the adapter and gets tied up/out of the way and I pointed it at the motor/exhaust area, strech it out a bit and it stays. When I did the air cleaner to cowl pipe I drilled a few small (3/8) drain holes in the bottom of the air cleaner housing if water was to get in and also to allow the cooler out side air access to the top of my motor for cooling. You can push a lot of air around at highway speeds. On the way home from the home center poke one end of the 3" dryer vent out the window, and point the other end  at your face, it will make you smile.
JerryT

[Horst]

Very nice mod - I'm doing it asap!
Thanks for the pics and details!
I have an Edelbrock air cleaner (no snorkel on that baby) - so just getting the cold air up in there is going to help a lot.

[fly-boy]

Installed the vents, only I drilled thought the down spouts using the screws under the bumpers. Sealed the vents with rtv, took it for a little ride with my wife and she only had sandals on and was comfortable.