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Hot topic...floorboard insulation

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by GreenKaiser, Jul 16, 2007.

  1. Jul 16, 2007
    GreenKaiser

    GreenKaiser Flamed out again....

    Nashville, TN
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2005
    Messages:
    47
    After moving my muffler outside the frame rail under the tool box and then trail riding in 93F heat my wife let me know that we needed some insulation to keep the heat out. :oops: Searching here shows some pix of bodies that appear to have been insulated during a complete rebuild, when the body was off the chassis and stripped down. That would be the best way to insulated but that isn't an option for me this summer.

    I got some heat mat from Summit and installed it all the way from the vertical section of the toe board down under the floor to within about 4" of the rear wheel well. It goes from about 3" inside the frame rail out to the edge of the body. Also insulated the tailpipe with wrap. After yesterdays ride in the park it appears that the vertical section of the firewall (which isn't insulated) picks up enough heat so that the metal conducts heat into the insulated area, so our feet are still hot.

    My next idea is to try some kind of floor mat on the inside. Also looking for ideas on what to do on the curved transmission hump. Spray on something? Asbestos boots?

    Thanks,
    Dan
     
  2. Jul 16, 2007
    Chilly

    Chilly Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2007
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    1,486
    My 73 has some snap-in floor covers. They're made of material that look a heck of a lot like thick black wool cloth. I suppose they were probably a dealer installed option but don't know for sure. I'll bet you could make up something similar for the floorpans. Cut templates from thin cardboard, then copy them to some carpet remnants.
     
  3. Jul 16, 2007
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    The snap-in carpets were usually made of charcoal colored indoor-outdoor carpeting.

    When we had this problem on our '59 Dodge station wagon (long ago), my Dad bought a rectangle of 3/8" thick asbestos board to go between the muffler and the floor. You can't use asbestos today, but you can make a heat shield from steel that stands off from the floor about 1/2-1" - that will reduce the heat a lot. It will trap a lot of mud and debris though.

    Check with a plumbing and heating supply - they must have something to replace rigid asbestos insulation - maybe rigid fiberglass?
     
  4. Jul 16, 2007
    farfle

    farfle old dog

    Mariposa, CA
    Joined:
    May 14, 2007
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    430
    Dan, I've got the same problem, with both the jeep and the wife. Those headers get hot! First thing I did was replace all the rubber on the firewall. That helped some. I've considered going the insulation route, but I'm really concerned about that stuff holding moisture and the resulting rust. I'm just gonna get some thick rubber removable floor mats, and that'll be it for the jeep. As for the wife, I told her she's just gonna have to find some stilettos with really thick soles, and man up a little!
     
  5. Jul 16, 2007
    bkd

    bkd Moderator Supreme Staff Member 2022 Sponsor

    K-Town Tenn.
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    Apr 29, 2007
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    3,294

    R) my wife would smack me:)
    Jim S.
     
  6. Jul 16, 2007
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Dan, if you have a TSC near you, they sell rubber mats for horse stall floors that should be just the ticket for Jeep floor mats. The ones I saw were about 1/2" thick, made of recycled rubber.
     
  7. Jul 16, 2007
    Warloch

    Warloch Did you say Flattie??? Staff Member

    Falcon, CO
    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2003
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    5,466
    I have added vents in the inner fender well to help move some of the heat out. It seems to work. Air flow is your friend when it comes to reducing heat.
     
  8. Jul 16, 2007
    lynn

    lynn Time machine / Early CJ5 HR Rep Staff Member

    Huntingdon PA
    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2002
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    3,437
    Here is a source for louvers that could be used on the inner fender well...
    http://www.raceace.com/products.html

    You could add vent doors on the cowl to bring outside air in to your feet

    [​IMG]
     
  9. Jul 16, 2007
    farfle

    farfle old dog

    Mariposa, CA
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    May 14, 2007
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    Jim, fear not. I'm very lucky, my wife has probably the best sense of humor on the planet.
    The stilettos were a joke. She really wears hiking boots when jeepin, always a different pair of what seems like 250 different pairs in her closet. Very fashionable in the bushes. She needs to because she collects rocks, lotsa rocks, little ones, big ones, doesen't matter. There is always lotsa rocks rolling around in the back of the jeep when we wheel. I can justify doing just about anything I want to the jeep as long as I explain it will help to obtain more rocks.
    It's a marrige made in heaven. No Joke.
     
  10. Jul 16, 2007
    Strider380

    Strider380 Can I have a zip tie?

    New England
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    Jan 12, 2006
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    R)R)R) Thats great. Congrats.

    I get a ton of heat too, I can't believe it. But face it, Jeep men were born to suffer. Plus I can go from having tad poles swimming by my feet, to dry floors again in less then 2 minutes! Maybe thats why I have no rust on my unpainted floor panels? Theres no moisture
     
  11. Jul 16, 2007
    farfle

    farfle old dog

    Mariposa, CA
    Joined:
    May 14, 2007
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    430
    You've got a point about floorboard rust Strider. I don't have any either, and I've got my fair share elsewhere. In all seriousness, fixing the firewall penetrations helped quite a bit. I saw some really thick rubber mats (3/8"+) during my monthly trip to the big city yesterday. I've decided to give them a shot, I think they'll help keep the shoe bottm temp down enough to make the heat a non issue. During the summer it's 100* outside anyway, for me, the problem is mostly from contact heat transfer...
     
  12. Jul 16, 2007
    GreenKaiser

    GreenKaiser Flamed out again....

    Nashville, TN
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2005
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    Exactly. I like the rubber mat ideas on the inside. Also like the vents - wonder if they would work better at slow speed with some 12V component fans... thanks for the ideas.
     
  13. Jul 17, 2007
    grannyscj

    grannyscj Headed to the Yukon

    Anchorage, AK
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    All good ideas. One thing I would add is good for summer or winter. The better the cab seal the less of the offending cold or hot air getting in. In the winter that means everything incl the top. In the summer that means all the firewall holes, the holes in the floor pans, seams at the tranny cover, heater box (fresh air duct in place and no holes), and hot water to heater core. Radiant heat (I suspect this is what's heating up the floor) is another issue. I imagine you guys w/ headers pay a big price here. The heat shield and header wrap is probably the only help, but you should probably run both all the way to the heads (shield obviously behind heads on firewall).:v6:
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2007
  14. Jul 17, 2007
    66cj5

    66cj5 Jeep with no name

    NorthWest Indiana
    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2003
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    2,084
    I've been thinking of making heat shields from 4" exhaust pipe cut in half. I did paint the under side white which seemed to help alot as well.
     
  15. Jul 17, 2007
    CJ-X

    CJ-X Member

    Ohio
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    Aug 6, 2006
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    816
    I recommend the flat sheetmetal heat shield mounted to the underside of the floor. Just leave an air gap between the shield and the floorboard.
     
  16. Jul 17, 2007
    speedbuggy

    speedbuggy Looking for a Jeep now

    Living the Good...
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  17. Jul 18, 2007
    67CJ5/JabeepII

    67CJ5/JabeepII New Member

    Hayden Colorado
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    Oct 26, 2005
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    I found some floormat material that we used for soundproofing on a drill rig at a mine. It's layers were: heavy vinyl floor mat, thin foam, thin layer of lead sheet (bendable) and finally thick foam. It worked great, but the downside was that it held moisture and promoted rust on the floorboards. Removable is the key, so they can dry out.
    Check with a heavy equipment dealer, they usually have a source for cab soundproofing. You may have to buy a package size, but can share the cost with your buddies.

    67 cj5, 225v6, warn o/d, almost finished rebuilding after stupid son's wreck...
     
  18. Jul 18, 2007
    nickwarchol

    nickwarchol New Member

    Littleton, MA
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    Feb 12, 2007
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  19. Jul 18, 2007
    junkfood

    junkfood Member

    Casa Grande,Az.
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    Oct 23, 2005
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    222
    I haven't tried it myself but several of the TJ guys around here have used the aluminum looking windshield cover. They spray glue it to the underside of the jeep. It's cheap and they say it works good. Tried to find the writeup but no luck. If I can find it I'll post the link.
    Keith
     
  20. Jul 31, 2007
    gopher_6_9

    gopher_6_9 Member

    Lawrenceburg, tn
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    Dec 17, 2006
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    Lynn, where did those vent doors come from? anybody know a good source, they look good and would be great for those 120* trail rides.
     
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