Engine heat affecting clamshell??
- Thread starter bob700
- Start date
MR2Race
FGT The Velvet Hammer
tmctguer
GT Owner
following Bob700's lead, i also used some heat shield material to protect the underside of my clamshell. here is the product i used:
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=1828
it purports to be able to withstand radiant heat of 2,000 degrees and continuous temperatures of 400 degrees. i am not sure what the surface temperature of the muffler is, but i am going to watch carefully for the first few drives i take, especially in stop-and-go traffic where no airflow is occurring in the engine compartment. obviously i don't want the material to flame up and burn up my car !
here is a photo of the material i placed under the clamshell.
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=1828
it purports to be able to withstand radiant heat of 2,000 degrees and continuous temperatures of 400 degrees. i am not sure what the surface temperature of the muffler is, but i am going to watch carefully for the first few drives i take, especially in stop-and-go traffic where no airflow is occurring in the engine compartment. obviously i don't want the material to flame up and burn up my car !
here is a photo of the material i placed under the clamshell.
Attachments
Last edited:
2112
Blue/white 06'
tmctguer
GT Owner
yes, i had the clamshell on. for the larger pieces (e.g., right above the muffler), i used thin poster board material to measure and mark on as a template. for smaller pieces, i just used a tape measure and a straight edge and trimmed the pieces to fit.
i just took it for a ride and the material stayed firmly in place, and it did not catch fire. so far, so good. only time will tell if it really makes a difference on the longevity of the clamshell. but it sure seemed like a good idea after reading many posts and observing the car for a few days.
one thing i do, though, is open the clamshell when i garage the car to let all that heat escape.
and on a related note, i put some 1" nylon spacers between my license plate and the rear of the car, along with some longer license plate bolts so that i could use that huge hole behind the plate to get more hot air out of the rear of the car while it is moving.
i just took it for a ride and the material stayed firmly in place, and it did not catch fire. so far, so good. only time will tell if it really makes a difference on the longevity of the clamshell. but it sure seemed like a good idea after reading many posts and observing the car for a few days.
one thing i do, though, is open the clamshell when i garage the car to let all that heat escape.
and on a related note, i put some 1" nylon spacers between my license plate and the rear of the car, along with some longer license plate bolts so that i could use that huge hole behind the plate to get more hot air out of the rear of the car while it is moving.
Howard
GT Owner
tmctguer
GT Owner
I bought part number:
1828-24X48 Aluminized Heat Barrier, Adhesive Backed, 24" x 48" sheet $77.99
and used approx. 1/2 of it. i was careful to cut as many long pieces along the same long lines as possible. then i used some of the smaller "scrap" pieces for filling in any odd shaped sections that needed coverage after applying the long pieces.
1828-24X48 Aluminized Heat Barrier, Adhesive Backed, 24" x 48" sheet $77.99
and used approx. 1/2 of it. i was careful to cut as many long pieces along the same long lines as possible. then i used some of the smaller "scrap" pieces for filling in any odd shaped sections that needed coverage after applying the long pieces.
Howard
GT Owner
tmctguer
GT Owner
i went through the trash can in my garage and pulled out the backing material of the heatshield sections i cut. later today, i will measure them all and post a copy of them for your use as templates when/if you buy the material. it will probably save you some time.
tmctguer
GT Owner
tmctguer
GT Owner
tmctguer
GT Owner
tmctguer
GT Owner
i suggest that you get thin poster board material (the kind you & your wife use to do your kid's science projects) and draw the templates on the post board. cut out the poster board templates and hold them up to the clamshell. this will give you an idea of how the pieces fit together. it will also allow you to make any slight adjustments on the poster board template to make the best fit possible.
then, using your finalized template, trace the shape on the back of the heatshield material. trim the heatshield material using ordinary scissors. keep in mind that a few pieces require you to create a "mirror image" of the companion piece (e.g., the right section is a mirror image of the left section). for such pieces, make sure you flip the template over when drawing on the back of the heatshield material.
peel away the protective backing to expose the adhesive on the back of the heatshield material. for some of the LONG pieces, you may wish to only peel away part of the backing to make it easier to handle when bent over the engine bay. carefully, but loosely, apply the heatshield to one end of the clamshell and make sure you align it properly on both ends. after making sure the piece fits, press the piece firmly in place. if you get any air bubbles, press them out pushing towards the edge of the material. after you have installed the material, you may have to trim some of the edges a bit to get the cleanest fit possible.
for pieces that have to conform to a curved surface, you may have to cut a 1/2" to 1" slice into the corner of that piece so that you can mold it into the curved shape. this might cause a small section of the clamshell to be exposed, but you can cut a few small pieces to fill in these small gaps in coverage. the same applies to some of the short sections of the clamshell that interconnect between the large sections of material.
please let me know if you have any questions (or corrections) to my drawings. i have them in a PowerPoint file in case anyone wants to get the templates in that format. email me at [email protected] if interested.
then, using your finalized template, trace the shape on the back of the heatshield material. trim the heatshield material using ordinary scissors. keep in mind that a few pieces require you to create a "mirror image" of the companion piece (e.g., the right section is a mirror image of the left section). for such pieces, make sure you flip the template over when drawing on the back of the heatshield material.
peel away the protective backing to expose the adhesive on the back of the heatshield material. for some of the LONG pieces, you may wish to only peel away part of the backing to make it easier to handle when bent over the engine bay. carefully, but loosely, apply the heatshield to one end of the clamshell and make sure you align it properly on both ends. after making sure the piece fits, press the piece firmly in place. if you get any air bubbles, press them out pushing towards the edge of the material. after you have installed the material, you may have to trim some of the edges a bit to get the cleanest fit possible.
for pieces that have to conform to a curved surface, you may have to cut a 1/2" to 1" slice into the corner of that piece so that you can mold it into the curved shape. this might cause a small section of the clamshell to be exposed, but you can cut a few small pieces to fill in these small gaps in coverage. the same applies to some of the short sections of the clamshell that interconnect between the large sections of material.
please let me know if you have any questions (or corrections) to my drawings. i have them in a PowerPoint file in case anyone wants to get the templates in that format. email me at [email protected] if interested.
Last edited:
2112
Blue/white 06'
Again, wow. It is easier to see why your end result was so sanitary and OEM looking. Thank you for sharing the design templates :thumbsup
.
.
GEE-TEE
GT Owner
This is a very good point. I recall when I was shopping for my GT, there was a clean one in FL and the rear facia plastic had slightly warped near one edge. Although, it was not a big deal it just turned me off. After speaking to Shelby and a few guys, I understood what that was and now kind of wish I had bought tat car since it had much less miles. But since I bought my car; knowing how hot it gets under there I always make sure to leave the CS open after a long drive for at least 30 minutes to get the real heat out before closing at home. Actually even when arriving at some places after a longer ride when appropriate, I do this for at least 10 minutes. It actually draws more spectators which is cool and also ensures my car is being closeley watched by car enthusiasts!!! 
Kingman
GT Owner
I would recommend AGAINST using nylon spacers. I think you will find that they will melt back there.
I purchased metal spacers and they get very hot to the extent that the paint bakes off my license plate where it is sandwiched between the spacers and the license plate trim.
tmctguer
GT Owner
thanks for the tip, Kingman. i will definitely swap out the nylon spacers for metal ones. my local hardware store has both in stock.
richardhead
GT Owner
- Sep 19, 2006
- 169
Spacers
I use nylon and a plastic frame. No problems at all. Stock muffler and jet hot coated Ford racing headers.
I use nylon and a plastic frame. No problems at all. Stock muffler and jet hot coated Ford racing headers.
Kingman
GT Owner
Interesting. When I was running the stock muffler system I had a plastic frame and a clear plastic cover for the license plate.....without spacers. The 2 plastic pieces melted together, warped and fused to the metal license plate.
I have since moved on to the Heffner exhaust and metal spacers.