

| Subject: | Re: Heat in the footwells modification |
| Date: | Sun, 04 May 1997 15:05:27 EDT |
Clark: You wrote: << Greetings. Someone recently wrote that they had performed some kind of modification to a Westie that diverted heat from the foot wells...This last weekend I was driving for a short period barefoot and I realized that the floorboards in the front of my Westie actually get really hot. I think this must be heat from the radiator or the coolant hoses running under the floor. >> Pertinent pages in Bentley :19.20, 19.21, 19.22. I found that the passenger side was really susceptible to "Vanagon Hotfoot" and that the hot footwell modification had already been performed on my '89 Westy, so I turned to JC Whitney and purchased a couple of rolls of heat shield insulation. It's an aluminum foil on fiber padding 48"x72" sheet, on sale for $18.95 in the 591J catalog, item #25KB0705N. Their phone number is: 312-431-6102. I removed all the carpet and underlayment from the aisle forward, and put the material down paying extra attention to the area by the driver's right foot and passenger's left foot rest, where hot air flowing through the radiator passes. If you feel around with your hand in those areas after a long drive, it's easy to figure out where the stuff's needed the most. In addition, I dropped the spare tire, and glued some more of the material on the other side of that hot air tunnel near the radiator. I'm not sure it's worth it to do this, since it's tough to get at, and a good deal of the aluminum foil has been blown off the backing by the air flow under there. I took the other roll of material and used it in the cargo area, extending it from the rear hatch, right on down behind the seat. I can't say for sure if doing the rear has made any great difference, but up front, it's significantly more comfortable. George '89 Westy, "Wernher" 102K miles & counting
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