Heat shield redux

[geekdaddy]

The heat shields on my X were pretty bang'd up, covered in undercoating and corroded-away in some areas. The factory fiber and paper insulation had also become a sponge for water which resulted in some (fortunately) minor corrosion in the trunk floor and trunk well areas which I treated/repaired.

I decided to build a system that would provide some minor insulation capability, minimal moisture retention, and would provide "layers" of heat reflection and air gaps.

I used a reflecting and insulating material which is very similar to the boom mat tunnel shield but costs less. Here are links to the boom mat product and the ebay dealer where I purchased mine:
http://www.designengineering.com/ca.../floor-tunnel-shield-ii-heat-sound-insulation
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230727441410?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

The adhesive is rated at 450 degrees and the material sits behind the main aluminum heat shields, and I don't have a CAT so I think I'll be ok.
I applied it to the underside of the trunk floor insert, the trunk floor, and to the sides of the trunk wells with reflective surfaces "aimed" towards the exhaust area. I've included some photos below. The material is all applied, and I will also use some high-temp reflective tape to "seal" a few of the exposed edges. I noticed the trunk area seems to be designed to "drain" when it gets moisture inside so I'm not completely sealing all the joints, and I left a drain area exposed in the rear corner of the trunk.

I also cut new shields for the top and sides of the exhaust area from thick plate aluminum that I purchased from Home Depot. I've bent the top/center section and hope to have the side pieces bent soon. I'm using a sheet metal bender that the paint shop owner is giving me access to. These shields are slightly thicker than the original ones. I noticed that the shields are fitted into position in the rear and sides in a manner where the edges can press on the inside of the body, so I purchased some inexpensive kapton tape to apply over the raw edges. Kapton has very high temp characteristics and is also applied with a silicon adhesive rated at 450 degrees.

Hope to have all this completed in a week or so. Just need to seal a few seems, bend the side shields and install them. I don't expect this will completely eliminate moisture issues (the insulating material is fiber-based) but should be better than the original config. Since I'm relying on less overall insulation and greater air gaps plus reflective foil, I hope the insulating capability is the same or better than what I had. Will know how well it works when I have the X back on the road in a few weeks.

Total cost of the job including the plate aluminum, insulation, and tapes wasn't cheap -- nearly $150. More than I wanted to spend but not too bad IMO. Hope this is helpful and/or inspirational for someone!

 

[Pete Whitstone]

Very nice work!

Looks good.

Pete

 

[bbrown]

Hey Greg, I like it -

I'd like to make that up for the 2 X's I'm working on.
Did you have to buy enough for 2 X's? If so, I'll buy the rest from you.
If no, I'll just get it on my own.

Very neatly done, BTW. :headbang:

 

[geekdaddy]

Have some material leftover

But not enough for a complete job. Probably 1/3 or a 1/4 of the insulation required and 1/3 of the aluminum plate required for one.
Still -- might save you a bit so I'll keep it for you, Bob, and deliver next time I see you.

 

[bbrown]

Thanks Greg

We'll catch up.
Are you going to FFO this year? It won't get much closer to us than this.

 

[geekdaddy]

Side shields are bent!

Hope they fit properly.
Need to kapton tape the edges and fit them into place after my foil tape arrives (to seal the insulation open edges). Pics below of the shiny new shields and the crusty old ones. More later...

 

[bbrown]

Greg, you're doing such a great job..

with all that cutting, you should be making 2 SETS to save me the time! :grin:

Nice work! :clap:

 

[Dan Sarandrea (Phila)]

Looks better than new!:geek::shock2:

 

[Red Bull 78]

Like I Use to Say,

Back in my Rock Band Daze when I saw an awesome Drummer,
"Well, back to the Practice Pad." :woot:
I wish I had some of the skills you guys have. My talents are pretty much limited too "Wrenches & Rattle Cans". That's why "Ruby's" paint job was a big selling point to me.
I get frustrated painting 1/25th scale models.



Don't think I could survive doing a real car.

 

[geekdaddy]

ALL DONE!

Finished up the shields and reattached the muffler today. Overall went well but had to make a few adjustments and improvised a bit as well. took the X for a spin (first time this year -- nice!) and then let her idle in the driveway until the radiator fan cycled on/off a few times. Shut down, let her sit for a few minutes and then checked the trunk. The trunk floor was not warm nor hot. The sides of the wells were a slightly warm but not nearly hot. Overall I'm happy with the result. If I were to do it again, I might put two layers of heat barrier on the sides of the wells. I think there's just enough room for another layer. Not sure I'd tape the edges with kapton tape either. Hoping it well keep the heat shield edges from scraping against other surfaces, but not sure it was necessary.

Back to construction... First surprise was I forgot that the side shields needed access holes for the muffler brackets. So I opened up the original holes with some drill bits (for the corners) and a chisel which I used to punch strait lines between the drilled holes.

I tapped around the shields during assembly, and they rattled a bit. So I used some of the heat barrier material to attach the top and side shields together at the seams. I covered the heat barrier edges with tape to keep moisture out and hopefully promote better adhesion. You can see it in the final photos below. With the heat shield material bonded and in place, the shields were very quiet -- no rattling despite where/how I tapped/bang'd them. Some concern that the material could lose it's grip over time with heat/vibration but I hope/expect it won't since the adhesive seems very strong. I'll keep an eye on it.

Heat barrier material in place with edges taped with foil.

Closeup of the barrier material on the trunk well sides. Noticed after the photo that the foil sealing tape wasn't pressed down evenly near the top so I took care of that.

Top heat shield installed.

Top and side heat shields and muffler brackets installed. Also used heat barrier material to connect the heat shield seams and keep them quiet.

 

[Dan Sarandrea (Phila)]

I have a feeling getting those side panels bent correctly was the real trick.....you gotta have a 3-dimensional "brain" to wrap your head around the task

Like I wrote previously, looks better than new, although I'm sure any local mechanic who looks at it on the lift is immediately going to think, "Hey, when does the lunch truck get here?"

 

[geekdaddy]

LOL -- yeah, I can see that. ...and you're right, cutting and bending the side shields is a 3-dimensional nightmare.

Anyhow I hope clean shiny aluminum shields means more heat reflected down and out. Went for another spin tonight and the trunk was nice and cool!

I have a feeling getting those side panels bent correctly was the real trick.....you gotta have a 3-dimensional "brain" to wrap your head around the task

Like I wrote previously, looks better than new, although I'm sure any local mechanic who looks at it on the lift is immediately going to think, "Hey, when does the lunch truck get here?"

 

[geekdaddy]

Re-posting photos since the old hosting site removed 'em.
FWIW my X1/9 gets a lot of special treatment. Rarely driven in rain and only ~2KU miles/year. But going on year 4 and they are still secure, not holding moisture, don't rattle, and keep the trunk relatively cool. On a hot summer day after a spirited drive the trunk is warm but not hot.

 

[lookforjoe]

Nice work!