What is the preferred heat shield product for inside the engine compartment?

[Slider]

Looking for ideas. Thanks in advance.

[jlfernan]

Me, personally, nothing. I insulated the foot boxes, tranny tunnel and behind the firewall and don't feel the need for anything else. To me it also looks better to have either powdercoated or plain aluminum in the engine compartment than a bunch of insulation. Just my opinion.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2561/jorgec.jpg (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=111)

[edwardb]

I've seen some guys insulate inside the engine compartment, but most don't. However, most insulate the cockpit side under the carpet. Many products and many threads on what brands, etc. What engine are you using? Makes a difference. A SBF has some clearance and air space away from the panels, and heat is less of an issue. BBF or mod motors are quite a bit bigger and tighter against the panels.

[Slider]

I've got the 5.0 Coyote on the way... Definitely want to insulate inside the foot boxes, and finding tons of different ideas. I just would like to find an economical way to insulate that will still do the job...

[jlfernan]

I used a product called EZ Cool from these folks: http://www.lobucrod.com/. Inexpensive, easy to work with, and does a good job. There are many more expensive products out there but I feel your just throwing your money away. Some people also insulate for noise. Now to me that's silly, you're sitting two feet away from an open sidepipe, how much noise are you really going to hear coming through your floor boards?


http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2561/jorgec.jpg (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=111)

[JeepFlyer]

I'm looking to use lizardskin. I watched the guys on Trucks (Spike TV Saturday morning) apply it, and it looks pretty simple. A gallon costs around $100 and you can get the spray gun kit for $80 from summit racing. You can watch the episode online. If it works as advertised, (I think they said 20-30% heat reduction) It should make a helluva difference. They talk about it not being a "top coat" so you'd have to paint over it, but that would give you a choice of final color. Dynamat on the passenger side and lizardskin on the engine side would probably do a pretty good job of blocking heat. I agree with the sound insulation for engine noise, kinda seems like trying to bail water on the titanic with a teacup. And besides, I want to hear the engine! The sound insulation I would go for would be to make sure the sheet metal isn't rattling, or twanging like a bent saw (not really sure if there's a name for that sound).

[Crashburndie]

I just ordered this yesterday.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00029KC2K/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

[Lynnhowlyn]

I've seen pictures where some folks have installed a separate panel (polished stainless or ???) on the engine side of the footbox aluminum - separated from the footbox surface by small "stand-off's" maybe 1/4 or 3/16's tall. Thus gives dead air-space of approx 1/4 to 3/16's inch between the engine side surfaces of the footbox and the heat shield (piece of stainless) and significantly reduces the heat onto the footbox aluminum panels, and keeps them cooler.
Sorta like the raised heat shields on the roof of older Land Rovers in Africa ..... dead air space contributes to reduced heat transfer.
I wish I had a picture to share - but alas, it's only a mental picture right now.

HTH

Lynn

[edwardb]

This isn't the space shuttle here. With decent head shielding material on the inside of the panels, plus the carpet, I think you'll find it works pretty well. All my panels are powder coated (both sides), have Lizard Skin on the inside, plus standard FF carpet. Granted I have a small block, but it's a pretty strong one, and I've never felt that heat was an issue. The car isn't airconditioned, so the ambient air is warm on a warm day, but I'm not getting a lot of radiated heat through the panels. As mentioned by someone else, clean panels on the engine side look better and are easier to keep that way.

Regarding sound, I agree with the pipes outside and the engine right in front of you, you're not going to kill a lot of sound. But what you do get is a dampening affect. I'm actually amazed at the controlled sound in mine. It just sounds solid and tight. Not tinny at all like I think it would if the aluminum panels didn't have some type of sound (and heat) insulation.

[CraigS]

I think the sound thing isn't so much to keep engine/trans sound out of the car. It's more of a reducing oil canning of the aluminum panels and generally making the car seem as more of a solid unit.

[RonnieP]

I used something like cool mat. It worked great and it took a lot of the sound from the aluminum out. The most important
thing was to seal off the fiberglass between cockpit and engine compartment. When you are driving the air will
blow up by your headers and come by your left knee. As for the sidepipe noise,I LOVE IT.

[Slider]

Thanks everyone! Great ideas. I've ordered the EZKool for inside and am going to install some panels with a 3/16" standoff on the outside of the footbox. Like just about everyone else, I'm certainly not trying to minimize the engine/side-pipe noise. That's part of the fun. The heat on the otherhand... not so much. I think that from what I've researched, this will take care of that.

[emac]

I used a thin self adhesive heat shield product I think it came from Summit (thermo- tec #13585). I put it on the engine side of the footboxes and wrapped the clutch cable where it runs near the header. I used some insulation and dynamat under the carpet. Very solid.

Before I put in the interior I could touch the inside of the footbox right next to the header and it wasnt real hot. Impressive stuff. Looks nice too. There may be some photos in my graduation thread. If you are interested I can post the product and cost. Overkill? Probably, but isnt the whole project!

Added photo....you can see the heat shield on the driver foot box.

[Slider]

Thanks for the picture and the idea to wrap the clutch cable.