What can be done to reduce heat in the foot box?

[MJJ]

Has anybody has success in reducing the heat in the foot box?

I have heard of titanium header wrap, dynamat and ceramic coating of the headers.

I would be interested in what you all have done and what kind of outcome did you get.

Thank You,

Tag

[ERA 778]

On my ERA, I did everything I could: ceramic coated headers, dynamat in the inside, aluminum skinned insulation on the outside, and extra venting on the inner fender panels (an option from ERA). I think it did a good job, but can't compare very well since I did it as I built the car. For me, the majority of the heat I can't handle comes from the sun beaming down on the black interior! Sitting at a red light in the summer at mid-day is a killer!

[lippy]

I'm building my ERA now, so I don't know how effective this will be. But I had ERA install the heat barrier on the front and sides of the footboxes. I also ordered the optional heat shields and vents. Since there is no insulation on the top of the foot boxes, I installed Cool-it (similar to Dynamat) on the inside/tops of the foot boxes, and on the back of the firewall. Lastly, I ceramic coated the headers. I considered putting Cool-it on the inside sides and bottom of the footboxes, but I didn't want to overdo it as Cool-it is heavy and makes the carpet installation more difficult.

[Trouble1]

I have used the gold thermal tape on my foot boxes and it has helped some, with the temp being 99 - 103f in So. Texas it is helping some. Before the foot boxes were about 130f now around 100f with just the tape. Doesn't sound like much but I can tell the difference. Thinking about building and installing alum heat shields to help. The tape is expensive and you can use up a $30.00-$80.00 roll pretty quick. Speedway has it and there are several other suppliers.

[MJJ]

thanks for the replies. a 30 degree reduction from the tape is huge.

[windy]

Dynomat on the inside and stainless steel panel on top of inner front footwell with layer of header wrap between the two in the engine bay. Nobody can even tell it is there. Have not had any head problems since.

[LMH]

Originally Posted by MJJ

Has anybody has success in reducing the heat in the foot box?

I have heard of titanium header wrap, dynamat and ceramic coating of the headers.

I would be interested in what you all have done and what kind of outcome did you get.

Thank You,

Tag

Do you have fresh air vents on the foot boxes?
Larry

[mickmate]

Depending on how your car is constructed it makes a big difference on sealing the firewall, door hinges and the sides of the footboxes. Any gaps between the engine bay and the cockpit force huge amounts of heat in the cockpit with the under hood air pressure. I also like the foot box vents to get a little cool air around mine and my passengers feet when you're moving.

[fordracing65]

Originally Posted by mickmate

Depending on how your car is constructed it makes a big difference on sealing the firewall, door hinges and the sides of the footboxes. Any gaps between the engine bay and the cockpit force huge amounts of heat in the cockpit with the under hood air pressure. I also like the foot box vents to get a little cool air around mine and my passengers feet when you're moving.

I will be sealing the firewall, side of footboxes, etc, but that's all I will do for heat. I actually like a little heat coming through, I don't have a heater and the LADIES are always too cold, so they will appreciate the 600hp fireplace for their feet. I usually drive when there is a little nip in the air anyway...

[Bill Bess]

The secret is keeping the heat out...heat shields, header wrap, insulating foam to seal all gaps and places hot air can enter. You can also install venting bringing cool air into the foot area.
Good luck, Bill

[twobjshelbys]

I had a big problem with this and researched it. You can cut holes into the footboxes and run the same venting as brake vent tubing.

[601HP]

When my car arrived as a roller many years ago, the mild steel primary pipes had been Jet-Hot coated.

I installed sheets of Thermo Tec aluminized heat barrier on: the engine-side of the foot boxes, the entire under side of the transmission tunnel, and the street side of the floor.

During subsequent drives there were many times Peggy and I thought the soles of our shoes may have begun to melt.

I ducted the air from the front of car oval ports, to the foot boxes. That helped some but the level of foot box heat was still uncomfortable.

The last remedial action provided the most substantial heat relief. I wrapped the primary pipes with 2" wide Thermo Tec woven tape. What a tremendous reduction in foot box heat and a big gain in comfort.

Its probably very important that my pipes had been ceramic-coated prior to being wrapped. I've read that un-coated mild steel pipes that are wrapped are likely to prematurely deteriorate.

My pipes have been wrapped and re-wrapped several times over a period of 18 years. I last saw them bare 3 years ago. They still appear to be unaffected by the wrap. There wasn't any indication of rust. I couldn't detect evidence of metal fatigue. That's a good thing because I intend to always use header wrap.

David

[Trouble1]

My son told me about the gold thermal tape and I wasn't sure it would do anything but it sure seems to help. I like the fresh air duct idea also, need to see about that.

[dallas_]

Not sure you could do this on a completed car, but I added some aluminum heat shields to the outside of the footboxes before the engine was installed. They have about a 3/16" air gap and it really helps keep the heat off the footboxes.

[pats401]

I Did Two Coats Of Lizard Skin,And A Layer Of Dynamat.Worked Great,Had A Healey Years Ago,Was Determined Not Suffer Like That In The Cobra.

[DanEC]

I used B-Cool mats on my aluminum panels, mostly for dampening but some heat reduction. On my fiberglass foot boxes, in addition to the facotry ERA foil surfaced insulation on the firewall side - I added more to the underside of the foot box (I have undercar exhaust) and the fender side (I assembled the car so I had access). On the inside I used EZ-Cool on the inside of the foot boxes including the top area. EZ-Cool is principally for temperature protection and not primarily a dampening product. It's also very light so using as much as you need isn't going to add by a couple pounds to the car.

My car isn't on the road yet so I don't know the final results but anyway - another suggestion and 2 cents worth.

[Don]

While I have not no personal experience, past Threads on the subject has also mentioned Duct insulation that can be purchased at Lowe's, Home Depot etc

[Rick Parker]

This works great:

http://

[Eljaro]

it is also very important that you plug ALL the holes in the firewall and make them airtight. I had heat coming into the foot well until I discovered that the hole through which the gas pedal linkage went up into the engine bay was letting lots of hot air in. Finally installed a small rubber bellow over the shaft and problem solved.

[Roush #1]

Tag,
To answer your original question, the answer would be to initially buy a Lone Star. I am not aware of anyone ever having excessive foot box heat problems with them.