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MG MGA - Isulation / heat sheilds

Gentlemen, Is there any significant value to the expensive insulating products for the bulkhead shelf and the underside of the carpet? Especially for just a Sunday drive.
Thanks!
Bill r

I find that the majority of the heat comes from the fresh air vent even when closed. I don't have any issues with burning floorboards or other such myths. If it get's that hot then there must be something wrong with the way the exhaust is routed.

j
JohnB

If you bypass (loop the hot water hose from the valve to the copper pipe) the heater box during the summer, I find it really cuts the cockpit heat. The valve doesn't totally cut off hot water from the box.
Tyler
Tyler

The heater valve will shut off when properly adjusted. otherwise it is faulty and needs to be replaced. I never shut off the vent air, using heated air in cool weather and cool vent air in warm weather, with the fan almost always running.

Insulation under carpet helps a LOT, in both hot and cold weather, especially insulating the sheet metal tunnel in the area ahead of the seats (which can otherwise scald your leg on the exhaust side in hot conditions). Be sure to pad under the floor carpet, especially on the exhaust side. It also helps to install the carpet insulation on the sheet metal frame closure panel below the heater shelf Above your toes). All of that is pretty easy when you are installing new carpet.

You also need to close/seal all air leak opportunities in the bulkhead, normal grommets and any space between the bulkhead panel and top body cowl. At night or in a dark garage place a bright light in the engine bay, look under the dash for light infiltration, and seal every spot that admits light.

To eliminate cold drafts in cold weather also remove the kick panels ahead of the doors and install snap plugs to close the access holes for the windscreen mounting bolts.

Having done all that the cockpit temperature can be "tolerable" in both hot and cold weather, and you may never feel the incentive to go the next step.

For the closed Coupe in particular, it will be of great benefit to also insulate the heater shelf and the bulkhead above the heater shelf. This also helps noticeably for the Roadster (if anyone ever actually gets around to it). The heater shelf and upper bulkhead are a single layer of sheet metal which can conduct a considerable amount of heat front to back in hot weather and back to front in cold weather. You can dress warmly in winter, but it may not be prudent to drive naked in Summer, so insulating the bulkhead as well can be a good idea.

Once you have done everything else mentioned above, then insulating the heater shelf and upper bulkead does make a nice reduction of hot weather heat infiltration and helps the effectiveness of the heater in cold weather. If you don't do the rest first, then insulating the heater shelf and upper bulkhead would be insignificant.

Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
http://MGAguru.com
Barney Gaylord

Also note, if the cowl seal (between the underside of the body cowl sheet metal and the top of the firewal is missing, you can also receive quite a blast of hot engine heat into the cockpit (along with some other less desirable aromatic hydrocarbons). Some such seals were never reinstalled during a "restoration", some disintegrated, and some simply fell out on unrestored cars. Just another source of heat sometimes not accounted for.
Bob Muenchausen

Why did I add that, Barney, of course, already covered it. No wonder he is the guru.
Bob Muenchausen

Regarding the seal between the top of the frame goalpost and the underside of the heater shelf (I think this is the cowl seal mentioned above), my coupe had the cork packing on that surface when I removed the body per the diagrams, but there was also a piece of squashed rubbery material about 1 inch wide for the full length of the goalpost near the interior side. I can't imagine a PO being able to push this in place, and I'm sure the body had not been removed before. Has anyone else had this rubbery stuff in that location?

George
G Goeppner

Yes that rubber one inch foam strip is the same type of material that runs along the frame rails.Barney has a diagram of the body packing mounting that he will soon be putting up on his site.
Gordon Harrison

Gordon, -- Thanks for reminding me. That Moss instruction sheet was buried on my desk and I had nearly forgotton about it. I just dug it out, scanned it, cleaned up some text, and have posted it here: http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/rt103.htm

Note that the original packing material was cork and felt. I highly recommend replacing the felt with closed cell foam rubber (except for concours show) to avoid trapping moisture which can promote rust. For my car I have caulked the tunnel and floorboard parts to completely seal against miosture. I use the foam rubber between body and frame to allow easier future removal of the body. Cork is still used in all original locations for accurate alignment of the body to frame.
Barney Gaylord

I also re-routed my heater hose together and it helped but insulating insulation on just the tunnel cover pretty much eliminated the heat.
Kris
Kris Sorensen

This thread was discussed between 20/09/2006 and 22/09/2006

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