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Topic: Is interior heat shield worth it?

in Forum: C3 Interior

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (1/21)
7/6/07 1:16pm

Adam Wartell

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Eagleville, PA - USA

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Used to own a 1979 Corvette now owned by JB79

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This is to those of you that installed a heat insulation blanket under their carpet...

Is it worth it? Did you notice a difference enough to justify the cost and work involved?

Thanks!

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-Adam Wartell
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Is interior heat shield worth it? (2/21)
7/6/07 1:49pm

lukesvette

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HOWELL, NJ - USA

Vette(s):
1979, Targa Blue (72 Color), Pace Car rear spoiler, L88 hood, Dark blue factory interior, 525HP 406, HD 700R4, 370 gears,Steeroids, composite rear spring, TT IIs wrapped in T/A Radials.

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I bought a roll of insulation from Autozone for $20. I can tell you that heat was reduced quite a bit phew

A little more tedious cutting the pieces to fit, however saved a few sheckles. Tongue

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (3/21)
7/6/07 2:08pm

mbarney
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Davie, FL - USA

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1980 l48

Joined: 2/29/2004
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Bought the stuff from Home Depot thats used as a Hot water heater blanket. Cut down on some of the noise and a bunch of the heat.

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (4/21)
7/6/07 7:23pm

Adams' Apple

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Duncanville, TX - USA

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YES!!!!
It's a bit of a job to do it, but the results are well worth it.

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (5/21)
7/7/07 11:27am

gurtz
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baton rouge, LA - USA

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1981 dark metallic blue, dark doeskin leather interior, mirrored glass T Tops, 330hp/350ci GMPP crate engine, billeted aluminum serpentine system, Dewitts with dual spalls

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Bought reflectix sheet roll of aluminum faced insulation and A/C tape from Lowe's and works GREAT! Serioooooous noise and heat reduction.

Is interior heat shield worth it? (6/21)
7/7/07 12:32pm

JimG

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Gloucester, VA - USA

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1979 T-Top, Metallic Green ZZ4 350/355 hp 405 ft/lbs torque Dual Spal Fans 700R4 4 Spd O/D Transmission 2004 Z06 Commemorative Edition

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Yes but I'll caveat it and say it's equally important to isolate the heater coil lines by putting in the shut off valves.

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (7/21)
7/7/07 5:28pm

Adam Wartell

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Eagleville, PA - USA

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[QUOTE=JimG]Yes but I'll caveat it and say it's equally important to isolate the heater coil lines by putting in the shut off valves. [/QUOTE]

Actually, I think I have one of those. When summer hit, I turned it, and it did make quite a difference.

Not to get off topic, but why the hell would I need that? Why would the car have been built to allow that much heat in the cabin when it isn't needed?

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-Adam Wartell
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Is interior heat shield worth it? (8/21)
7/7/07 5:36pm

ranger3

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North Charleston, SC - USA

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1975 L48 AT AC T-top

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It's a lousy design. Rather than designing a hot water shutoff they chose to use ducting to "stop" the heat from entering the cabin. It doesn't work very well. A shutoff valve on both lines works even better.

Scott

Is interior heat shield worth it? (9/21)
7/8/07 2:21pm

aceinthehole

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Manteca, CA - USA

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1978,two tone,Metalic Rootbeer & gold 1975 L48 4 speed

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It's true Adam. The wifes vette had a new factory shut-off valve in hers, so I didn't install the valves, and when we were cruisin'up in Nevada, you would have sworn we had the heater on. The hot air seemed to be blasting from down below, good thing we were having such a good time that we could bear about anything. Guess what's next on my list of to do's.

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (10/21)
7/9/07 12:57pm

2 cruzn

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Poquoson, VA - USA

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73 Conv, Blue-Green/White Top - 454, M21 - Dark Saddle Leather, Power Windows, A/C, Tilt/Tele, AM/FM St. (orig. and sounds like it too).#2 -- 2007 Coupe,3 LT package, Z51 option, Victory Red, Ebony Int. Clear Top.

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I got the foil backed bubble wrap from Lowes... pretty inexp. Also pretty easy to install... i was skeptical so i didn't do the complete job... I will be trying to get some installed further up on the firewall (in the cab) this winter and will also be pulling the console out to go over that area too. What I did so far has cut the heat in half for sure.. Before you couldn'y put your feet on the floor. I believe the Big Block is the worst for this problem... At 6-8 MPG there is a whole lot of heat going out the exhaust... I'm not sure how much better the $$$ stuff is you see advertised... I'm pleased with what I got... Also make sure the boot for your shifter is good... if that is torn it's a good source of heat also... cheap fix there...

I bypass my hetaer completely by runnig the heater hose from the manifold to the water pump... I very rarely need heat until the late fall.. then I put it back to the heater...

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (11/21)
7/9/07 1:23pm

Adam Wartell

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Eagleville, PA - USA

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Mid America sells a complete set that they say "We even improve your ride quality because we include, at no extra cost, the industry's only foil-backed, heat shield and sound deadening underlayment."

And at $329, doesn't sound all that bad for my 79.

Anyone have any experience with the Mid America sets I'm speaking of?

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-Adam Wartell
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Is interior heat shield worth it? (12/21)
7/9/07 1:31pm

Adam Wartell

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Eagleville, PA - USA

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Used to own a 1979 Corvette now owned by JB79

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Maybe I'm easily intimidated, but the install sounds complex:
http://content.madirect.com/pdf/666511.pdf

Is it as complex as it sounds? Could I do this myself without help and without the aide of someone that has done it before?

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-Adam Wartell
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Is interior heat shield worth it? (13/21)
7/9/07 4:31pm

manget1

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Indianapolis, IN - USA

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I'll admit it gets hot in the 74, but I've never had a real issue with noise. The wife would probably appreciate the heat barrier though. She has been known to have me turn the A/C on with the top down...

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (14/21)
7/9/07 8:44pm

aceinthehole

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Manteca, CA - USA

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It's not as bad as it sounds. It's impressive that they want to cover every little detail, and necessary if you hadn't a clue and had all winter to do it ( you could reread it over and over 'til it made sense). It doesn't all fall right in to place, but the big suprise is the rear compartment doors. If you choose to go this far, you're expected to remove the hinge pin, and the fragile plastic door trim to replace the carpet. I ended up replacing all the door trim and the hinge wire reinsertion was a big stinker (if there is a trick to this, I wish some one would tell me). But then, you guys have all winter for these projects, don'cha ?

aceinthehole2007-07-09 20:56:02

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Jimmy B.
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Is interior heat shield worth it? (15/21)
7/10/07 5:11pm

Sarge81

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WEST SENECA, NY - USA

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1981 Blue Ice Met. w/pearl ghost flames TKO500 5speed. LS1 Swap 3.45 Dana 44.

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Yes it is worth it IMO.

I went the Dynamat Extreme. It is pricey. So if the budget is a little tight (which it does get for some of us) you can go with the Autozone or Lowes insulation.

I removed the seats, seat belt anchor bolts, storage/battery compartment doors, left, right & rear carpeting, console side skirts, door sill trim. It's not hard at all, just time consuming.

Clean up the bare floors real good. While I was cleaning the floors, I had found a crack in my driverside floor at one of the bolt holes. So I welded that up and gave it a shot of rustoleum paint. Then commenced to cutting and fitting the Dynamat to cover from the firewall back to the rear panel including covering the rear wheelwells.

Michele noticed that her shins aren't roasting anymore on her side. Both catalytic converters are under there so she gets the worst of it. My side was much cooler too. And it did dampen out quite a bit of road noise. Plus, the A/C doesn't need to be on MAX all the time either.

Good luck!

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (16/21)
8/3/07 6:25am

1969 L46
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Jefferson City, MO - USA

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1969 L46 4 Speed Roadster

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The factory installed a vacuum controlled water shut off valve in the heater hose which opened when you moved your controls to heat and hot. Most of these valves rusted or sprang leaks over the years and people removed them. If you want to keep a little more heat out of the car. I recommend replacing it. You will feel a big difference when you add under carpet insulation. Make sure you run it up the sides of the trans tunnel. I also recommend putting it in the rear compartment to reduce the road noise from behind your head. Two more pieces to install to reduce heat and noise are the under side trans tunnel insulation and the foam seal that installs at the edge of the trans tunnel and seals against the bell housing.

Is interior heat shield worth it? (17/21)
8/3/07 9:14am

spielman5

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ANCHORAGE, AK - USA

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1965-327 coupe, 1968-small block coupe, 1969-427, 1971-454 coupe and currently a 1976-ZZ4 coupe reborn again,and hotter than ever.. Add a 1996 CE LT-4 for backup

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New Idea..

When I go out into the woods, I take a space blanket, you can buy them at a sporting goods store. They are very thin, you can fold them up and put in your pocket, easy to cut and handle. cheap, I think I paid $2.50 for a 10'X10'sheet. Last year I sent some fish to my uncle in France. The fish was sent cargo plane from Anchorage to France and then trucked to his home on the coast, my point, it took 8 days to get there. I used a space blanket to cover the fish in and you know what..It stayed frozen..My uncle could not believe it..If I needed to insulate the cab, this has the same benefit but easy to work with.. Just an idea..

spielman52007-08-03 09:17:17

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Is interior heat shield worth it? (18/21)
8/7/07 5:05pm

VetteSpecialties
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Mounds View, MN - USA

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There is a very good quality form fit heat barrier available. It is very thin and easy to install. We carry it at Corvette Specialties - 763-784-8577

Is interior heat shield worth it? (19/21)
8/8/07 8:23pm

nevadabo

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Carson City, NV - USA

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Powder Blue 1981 Corvette-350 cubic inch fuel injected 400 horsepower

Joined: 4/20/2007
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when we had the interior redone, had the heat shield put in and it made a huge difference. Sue's legs and feet would burn from the heat, not anymore. It is defiently worth the money.

Is interior heat shield worth it? (20/21)
8/9/07 9:13am

BlueX2

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Adam, the advice I got from someone on here was to warm up the carpet first to make it easier to mold into place. (Over the humps etc.) This can be done by placing the carpet out in the sun, or in the attic. I plan on replacing mine this winter and I probably will use Mid America too.

Is interior heat shield worth it? (21/21)
8/9/07 11:59pm

79rebuild
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Yelm, WA - USA

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1979 L82 4 speed Scat 383 crank 190 cc Procomp Aluminum Heads 202 160 stainless valves GM Powder metal rods Speedpro H860CP Hypereutectic pistons 280 cam hydralic HEI Pro comp 1.6 roller rockers Mighty Demon 750 Sanderson CC1AP Hedders.

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I love this site. I just bought a carpet set from corvette america and I wanted to buy the heat insulation too but the guy at the corvette store talked me out of it saying I would have problems fitting the carpet. All these posts made me think back to how my feet would start cooking after driving for about an hour. I like the autozone and space blanket that's awesome. It's so worth it, I'm going to try the shutoff valve as well.

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