Posted by Alan Bowes on October 06, 1997 at 15:27:51:
In Reply to: firewall insulation for M37 posted by hugh on October 06, 1997 at 07:55:05:
: looking for new firewall insulation for M37, does anyone have this new? Does anyone have a pattern so I can make it myself? I would probally make it out of something other than that cardboard stuff, rubber or plastic,any suggestions would be appreciated. Hugh.
Mine is mostly intact, but a bit ragged here and there, and I will be replacing it before too long. When I do so, I'll be happy to send you an outline tracing. I was wondering if it might contain asbestos, but when I touched a match to a chunk of it, it burned quite readily, leaving only ash behind (still no guarantee I suppose, but I kind of doubt that they would have put asbestos in a flammable material.) Still, I'll pretend that it is hazardous while I work on it.
There are a lot of possible substitute materials, but I'd like to find something that has a cardboard-like stiffness like the original, while providing a heat/fire and noise barrier. Any ideas as to materials? One interesting material is a silicone foam sheet, backed with woven fiberglass cloth. It's not as stiff as the cardboard, but it could be siliconed to some thin sheet aluminum, possibly one foam sheet on each side of the aluminum sheet. It is available in very thin sheets and the sandwich wouldn't be much thicker than the original cardboard. It would make a great heat/fire shield and provide some sound deadening as well. I've seen this material in the McMasters catalog, plus some aviation supply houses may carry it.
Another possibility would be to use cardboard that has been sprayed with some kind of resin to make it water resistant. Perhaps some fire-resistant spray treatment could also be used.
Let me know if you can wait a bit for the pattern. I'm trying to finish a complete brake system overhaul and get my wheels sandblasted and repainted in the next couple of weeks so that I can get it into my garage before the snow starts falling.
Alan Bowes
(Salt Lake City, Utah)