The Firewall forward panel comes with a seal to close the gap between it and the driver side inner footbox panel. I am thinking it will be better to make some aluminium angles to join them and seal the gap instead. Any thoughts?
When I go my Firewall forward I also go a new inner footbox panel and top panel. Is that still an option?
Have no idea, didn't know there were such a thing. My Firewall came with a bulb seal on the driver side end, which will somewhat seal against the side of the footbox side panel.
Have no idea, didn't know there were such a thing. My Firewall came with a bulb seal on the driver side end, which will somewhat seal against the side of the footbox side panel.
Maybe I'm confused. You said "Firewall Forward" so I assumed you meant an aftermarket product sold by FFMetal.
FFR 5369 Pin Drive, IRS, Trigos, Torsen, Wilwoods, FMS BOSS 302 "B" cam , Mass-flo. CA SB100 (SPCN) Registered
Delivered 4/23/06. "Finished" 4/2012 (still not done!)
I have this option and love it
So much more room. I am currently using the bulb seal. I do like your idea of adding some angle aluminum there. Let me know what you decide.
Martin
FFMetal changed the design of the Firewall Forward kit to accommodate the Coyote aluminum. It's likely that David's Firewall Forward is a different configuration than Oystein's.
FFMetal changed the design of the Firewall Forward kit to accommodate the Coyote aluminum. It's likely that David's Firewall Forward is a different configuration than Oystein's.
The Firewall forward panel comes with a seal to close the gap between it and the driver side inner footbox panel. I am thinking it will be better to make some aluminium angles to join them and seal the gap instead. Any thoughts?
I like the new design with the bulb seal. It looks great. The FFMetal website mentions the forward piece is twice as thick as the original firewall piece. That's nice.
I think that bulb seal will be plenty to seal, and am not sure how the angle would help. The same bulb seal will be used over the top of the firewall to seal against the body. Carry on.
Dave
Mk 3.1 - #6882 - 5.0L 302 - FiTech EFI - 3-Link - 3.08 Ratio - 15" Wheels
Greenhorn and doing the best I can
My photos are at: My Flickr acct
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I like the new design with the bulb seal. It looks great. The FFMetal website mentions the forward piece is twice as thick as the original firewall piece. That's nice.
I think that bulb seal will be plenty to seal, and am not sure how the angle would help. The same bulb seal will be used over the top of the firewall to seal against the body. Carry on.
Yes the Firewall forward is very thick and sturdy. I think the original design with the bulb seal is plenty Ok, but I think I will try this mod anyway. If I can't make it look good, I'll just not install it.
Guys, yes, back in the MK3 days, the Firewall Forward kit came with several other panels, I have them in my car. When FFmetal changed hands (to me), I wanted to offer a firewall forward but FFR wasn't consistent enough with their foot box panels, different panels for different engines. So I thought long and hard about the best was to get it done and keep it simple. The version I sell now is just that, simple and effective. The stock aluminum is .040 thick, mine is .090! Nice and sturdy for heaters, mechanical throttle linkages, and such. I have them in stock and ready to ship at www.ffmetal.com.
Guys, yes, back in the MK3 days, the Firewall Forward kit came with several other panels, I have them in my car. When FFmetal changed hands (to me), I wanted to offer a firewall forward but FFR wasn't consistent enough with their foot box panels, different panels for different engines. So I thought long and hard about the best was to get it done and keep it simple. The version I sell now is just that, simple and effective. The stock aluminum is .040 thick, mine is .090! Nice and sturdy for heaters, mechanical throttle linkages, and such. I have them in stock and ready to ship at www.ffmetal.com.
The fit of ‘this panel is perfect, and loads more sturdy than the stock panel. I got it for more space behind the dash and rigidity to support the Forte mechanical throttle linkage. I grabbed a beer and went to the garage last night to contemplate this mod. I am not so sure anymore.
I got either the first or second of Bill's new firewall forward pieces and I'm very happy with it.
JR
Mk4 complete kit #9059 ordered 1/19/17 delivered 3/23/17, 2015 IRS, Fortes/DART347,TKO 600, hyd clutch, P/S, 12.88 wilwood brakes front and rear, heater/defrost and vintage gauges
First start and go-cart 4/11/18. Taken To Whitby Motorcars Greensboro, N.C. 2/5/21 for body/paint
Update: I mocked up some aluminium before i installed the firewall, and decided it didn't look any better that the bulb seal, and since it is really nice and thick, didn't see a problem with rigidity either, so i ended up using the bulb seal that was provided with the panel. One thing i did do was cutting away the bottom part of the "grip area" of the bulb seal where it went under the firewall panel, as it prevented it from laying completely flat on the frame. I then cut a small strip of aluminium that i riveted on top of the bulb seal in that spot to keep it in place.
I'm sure that will function just fine. No negative I can think of. I have the earlier version in my MK III chassis and it remains one of the mods I'm most grateful for. Whether just a little more space for heater/glovebox clearance or extra room for serviceable access to behind the dash components, the Firewall Forward concept remains a smart idea to recapture otherwise wasted real estate.
Sean
MK 3.5 roadster (MK IV body retrofit to MK III chassis) 396W stroker, 4 bbl mass air EFI, QH (self-tuned), AFR 195CC Renegade, XE274HR, GP 4-1-4 SS headers, 3link, 3.73, 15" Halibrand replicas, SAI mod, bumpers, 2 X roll bars, I² electronics, PS, hydroboosted brakes: 95 GT front, custom MK VIII calipers/Cobra discs rear, FFR front, Levy rear LCA's, Forte front, VPM rear bars, CF dash, mod comp layout w/Auto Meter Ultra-Lites, Lucas tri-bar headlights, coupe taillights, painted by SRP (again!)
Update: I mocked up some aluminium before i installed the firewall, and decided it didn't look any better that the bulb seal, and since it is really nice and thick, didn't see a problem with rigidity either, so i ended up using the bulb seal that was provided with the panel. One thing i did do was cutting away the bottom part of the "grip area" of the bulb seal where it went under the firewall panel, as it prevented it from laying completely flat on the frame. I then cut a small strip of aluminium that i riveted on top of the bulb seal in that spot to keep it in place.
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Originally Posted by David Hodgkins
