Muffler shield under the floor boards???

Fred K-OR

Fred K-OR

Well-known member
Have a question about these shields that you put over the muffler to shield the floor boards from getting hot. The question is: Do they do any good???

We took about a 75 mile trip in the huckster last weekend. Had some energy bars in a sack on the floor boards by my wife's feet. Well we ended up with melted energy when we tried to use the bars. So do these things help to keep the floor boards cooler or are they just a sales push by the vendors.
 
i would imagine they would work to some degree. lots of modern cars have heat shields on the catalytic converter and sometimes on the muffler. i mean if ford gm dodge etc could save a nickle by not putting them on they would.
 
We had one of the less expensive ones on our Tudor and didn't notice any difference. The high-dollar ones may be better.
 
i tried one a yr ago from a reputable supplier and it was a piece of junk....too thin and vibrated like crazy, i threw it away
 
aparently i was wrong haha. speaking of melted food DONT put a package of fudge in a cooler in front of the floor vent then drive 2.5 hrs to a relatives house for Christmas with the heater on...end up with a saran wrap sack of blob fudge...refrigerate it and ate it - tasted the same...
 
With the temps we've had the past few days, the energy bars would have melted even if they were in a cooler.:mad: My cooler top blew off the other day while on a return trip from a small town celebration.:mad: I found an old metal cooler at a local garage sale today to replace it.:)

I would think any heat shield would be a benefit. One of our club members works sheet metal in his HVAC shop, so some of the guys made their own shields.:)
 
My engine splash pans work very well to reduce heat from the engine compartment and muffler. Insulation would do doubt help even more.

Fred, I sent you an email.
 
The 'heat sheild' is a layman's term for a 'radiant energy shield'. They do stop radiant heat. To prove this, you need to use a piece of aluminum foil. Hold your hand approximately 6 inches fron a burner on your kitchen stove. Then, hold the aluminum foil between your hand and the burner. you will feel the difference. No guess work, no old wives tale, just pure science.
 
that may or may not be the one i got from a reputable A supplier, but it looks similar. It was made from sheet metal that was way too thin and flimsy and vibrated like crazy. I threw it in the trash.

I went with floorboard insulation with good results
 
There are two shields out there for purchase. One is just a metal shield and the other is some type of insulation sandwiched between two pieces of metal. The latter works better IMO on the cars I have seen. I have the plain metal type and on longer drives it reaches critical mass as to what it can deflect.
 
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You can make your own sheild . Do a search for instructions . A little sheet metal and two large radiator type clamps .
 
The good one is made by Leslie Pam in California and costs about $100 after shipping. I have one and believe that it helps--also, supported by actual test data. I have only heard bad things about the cheaper one sold by the parts suppliers. Perhaps it is news to some that even the reputable suppliers occasionally sell junk. Leslie advertises in the mags; calls it Kool-feet or some such.

Steve
 
The shield that I mentioned previously with the link to Aries Muffler, is in fact, the Dr Leslie Pam heat shield which I purchased directly from him. It is well made, with two layers of galvanized steel with a sandwiched layer of some kind of heat resistant cloth in between the steel outer layers. It also comes with well-made U brackets and nuts/lockwashers.
 
Fred K-OR said:
Have a question about these shields that you put over the muffler to shield the floor boards from getting hot. The question is: Do they do any good???

We took about a 75 mile trip in the huckster last weekend. Had some energy bars in a sack on the floor boards by my wife's feet. Well we ended up with melted energy when we tried to use the bars. So do these things help to keep the floor boards cooler or are they just a sales push by the vendors.
Click to expand...

Fred, The common shield will let you know when you are going 35 MPH, it rattles about then until the brackets fatigue and break. I have a solution that works for me. Wrap the muffler with a piece of corrugated barn siding and secure with large hose clamps. That's it, you are done! The air washes down the 5/8 corrugations and carries the heat out the back. It helps to position the siding about 3 inches ahead of the muffler to catch the air.
Rainmaker Ron
 
It helps. Paired with insulation, it keeps you much cooler. I made my own from an old street sign I got at a junk store. Here are some instructions..


Cut to roughly this shape..

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Get these hose clamps at Home Depot in the Air Condictioning duct work isle if I remember.

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Bend your sheet of metal

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Made these little clamps...

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assemble

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Installed

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I made one similar to Jason's. However, I mounted it by bolting it on top of the bottom frame rail using the forward bolt of the brake cross shaft bracket and the hole in the frame about 14 inches forward of the brake cross shaft. I also insulated the under side and the top side of the floor board. It works great. No complaints from the passenger..
 
I've got the insulation and sheet metal sandwich. Works great until you cut the floorboard to install the transmission dipstick and metal cover!
 
I tried a shield and it was snug up against the brake shaft. I jiggered things around until I got some space between, but the rattle drove me crazy, so I took the whole outfit off. As I said up above, the engine pans seem to do a lot for cooling.
 
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