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Best heat shield material?
Hi everyone,
Is there a consensus on the best heat shield material for the footwells and tunnel on the inside?
I'm not going to spray Lizard skin, mostly because I am working in an unheated Canadian garage through the winter and it needs a 60 to 70 degree setting temperature.
Siless? Dynamat? Something else?
I'm not worried about sound so much because my understanding is that there is no point really.
Chris
Gen 3 Coupe
Coyote Gen 3
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Senior Member
If you're not interested in sound deadening, Dynamat might not be your best option. It's a sound-damping product. You might look at Thermo-Tec Cool-It, available thru Amazon. It is used frequently by folks here on the forum. I used Thermo-Tec in my MkIV, and I've used Dynamat a ton in cars to lower the noise floor for competition sound systems. They are similar products from a look and feel, but Thermo-Tec claims to be both a sound damper and a heat shield. Some folks have also simply used the foil-like bubble wrap available at Lowes and Home Depot, typically used to wrap hot water heaters. I used it in my MKIII, and it definitely helped with heat, but I didn't like the sound or feel of it. It "krinkled" when you'd put your feet in the car or your elbow on the trans tunnel. It felt and sounded cheap.
Last edited by gbranham; 01-08-2025 at 09:46 PM.
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV
Build Thread Here Partners: Levy Racing, Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, ReplicaParts
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
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I used both the Dynamat and Dynaliner covered by carpet. Have no issues with footbox heat. Make sure you close off the hinge area between the body and the engine compartment. Any hole there will allow the hot air from the engine bay/exhaust to flow right into the cockpit.
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The most important item is to make sure every opening is sealed tight. Even a small gap around a frame tube will allow a huge amount of hot air to blow into the car.
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While there are many sources of noise that you can't do anything about (engine, exhaust, tire noise etc.) I disagree that sound dampening is pointless. Unless some sort of sound dampening is applied, all your aluminum panels will resonate and create a droning noise. Unless you're building a dedicated race car where weight is important, IMO you will notice a benefit from applying sound deadening. What you use is largely up to you. There are lots of solutions out there, and I think that pound-for-pound they're all pretty equivalent. The more mass you add, the more damping you'll get. Same with heat insulation. Lots of brands out there, and they all seem to work pretty well from what I hear. As was already said, make sure you seal up all the gaps between the cockpit and engine bay. That's the biggest source of heat.
MkIV Roadster build: Gen 2 Coyote, IRS, TKO600. Ordered 10/24/18. Delivered 1/29/19. Engine installed 8/8/21. First start 9/12/21. First go-kart 9/17/21. Off to paint 4/11/22. Back from paint 12/30/22.
Build thread here.
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The other big heat source is the sun on the back window, I had mine tinted and it helps but still it gets hot.
David W
Mkll 4874 built in 2004
Gen 3 coupe #16 registered 2018 painted 2019
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Senior Member
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On a F-700 conversion to RV camper I used a bunch of dynamat to make the cab livable on long trips.
The stuff really works. I got it at a really good price. all of the brands I looked at were VERY CLOSE on specs. I just bought a Box of Jegs brand sound deadner. opened the box when i got home and saw "Hushmat" on every sheet.
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/70515/10002/-1 This the one i bought. looks identical to the daynamat i used before.
Jegs also sells hushmat for about 30% more money.
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Hi Chris,
My uncle and I are in the process of a ground up re-build. We just began installing dynamat. It's new to me but as a retired pro racer and builder, my uncle swears by it.
Godspeed.
David