Trying to beat the heat...

[Chas]

can those heat shield insulators that go behind the carpet ect....really help the heat problems in the cockpit of my vette?does installing a 160' thermostat help the problem?or does it degrade the performance to try to run cooler?
i have the same problems others have battled with ,.... i have headers , (no cats), flowmasers at the end.... im in the process of tearing my interior out for the winter project , im re-installing it , im thinking of the idea of installing the heat shield underlayments i see in most any catalog.i also see the lower temp thermostats available also and im also thinking of adding this into the mix to help out. any thoughts or previous experience with these issues would be greatly appreciated....thanks

 

[JohnZ]

The heat-shield underlayment is quite effective - good idea to install it. A 160 thermostat won't make your engine run any cooler (except possibly in the dead of winter) - thermostats control MINIMUM temperature, not maximum operating temperature - that's controlled by the capacity of your radiator. 160 is too cold anyway - it won't let your oil get hot enough to boil off condensed moisture and blow-by contaminants, and acidic sludge will form faster.

 

[Chas]

Thanks for the tip.....im going to get the insulator and leave the stat alone now.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Are you going with pre-cut or cut your own? I just bought a roll of Reflectix, a thing 2 sided aluminum insulator, and a roll of aluminum tape at Lowes for under $30 and am going to cut my own to see if I can get coverage in areas that the pre-cut doesn't cover for less money.

Bob

 

[resto75]

I have the foil backed insulation under the carpet of the 75. It does make a difference as it will still get warm but not nearly as hot . I didn't have it on a 69 I had years ago and it was unbearable to drive in the summer.

Another place to check is under the console. Make sure that the rubber shifter boot( lower boot under the leather boot if its a 4sp) is not ripped. If its in poor condition replace it as it is a direct source of hot air blowing into the interior. While your messing around under the console make sure you put some insulation under there too.

You can also disconnect your hot water hoses to and from the heater core to keep hot water from going thru the heater core. If you live in a cold area you might want to install a good shut off valve instead so you can get heat in the winter.

If you cut your own get the right thickness,,,1/8" I think so not to make a lump under the carpet.

Roy

I just saw you live near Detroit,,,better go with the heater hose valve

 

[sscam69]

Vettedude 73

I am with resto75. Check that shifter boot. The interior heat was killing me. Even in the coldest months I did not have to turn on the heater and even had to crack the windows. Seriously!!

Sure enough I removed the console and there was a half torn lower shifter boot. I replaced it and the interior heat is defintely less. Now that I think about it I don't even remember the last time I worried about interior heat. And I have headers with true duals.

I also don't have the heater hooked up as resto stated. That helped a lot. My fiance was burning her feet everytime we went for a cruise. After cutting off that flow to the heater core there was also significantly less heat.

You also might want to check if there is a piece of foam that is nudged in between the firewall and the top the transmission. This prevents heat from traveling down the tranny tunnel.

Frank

 

[resto75]

Yeah thats another thing. As SS Cam said about the foam piece it will keep a lot of heat out of the tunnel. There is also a heat shield that can be purchased for the tunnel which goes between the transmission and the tunnel. This and the foam strip help also.

There are a bunch of interior heat remedies available and if you have your car apart I would do them all. I have everything known to reduce heat on my 75 and it still gets a little warm

You can also check you firewall and make sure ALL the rubber grommets for wires, clutch rods, hoses etc are in place and not torn. Plug up any open unused holes with a solid plug or fill in the small holes with black RTV. Go out to the vette in the dark and put a bright shop light inside the engine compartment, then look under the dash for light. You can then do the opposite and put the light under the dash and look for light in the engine compartment. Even small screw holes need to be plugged.

After that you can go out and buy a after market A/C system that really blows cold air and you should be about set.

 

[Chas]

i was going to go to ramchargers race shop and try to get a sheet to cut my own.....looks like im going to lowes.....i do have the dash out(except for the drivers side gauge panel), so i will be able to do the fire wall also....i will probably disconnect the hoses in the spring.....will it effect the heater core to let it dry out....stupid me....it got a leak this summer and i went to the trouble of changing it , only to dis it now, owell as long as it helps. thanks for the input and the time .