Hood insulation ??

[randyt77]

What is the purpose of hood insulation? I still have it om my vega and was told with the v8 the paint would be affected if I take it of but it's god awful and I would love to rip it off but I don't want to damage the paint on the hood.
Any thoughts?
Thanx
Randy T.

[72 SS PNL]

the insulator blanket on the hood was to help put fires out , the plastic on the tabs melts and drops it over in case of a fire

but its something that really isnt needed

[cjbiagi]

I never heard of the fire reason before. However, besides that I think it is for sound deadening and heat protection. I have seen a lot of cars without it though so if you want to remove it you can try. I generally replace mine every few years when it gets a little unsightly. While the original one was molded those are long gone. I use a nice gray GM type "waffle pattern" and cut it to fit. To me it really makes the engine compartment look nice, the underside of the hood is no very attractive. I use my old one as a template and you can do it in a half hour or so.

[fyrftr50]

I suppose it could affect the paint long-term. I know with a V8 there isn't a lot of room for heat to be bled off and out. Dave (spyderfrommarz) has Spyder decals on his hood of his V8 Spyder that are curled and faded due to the heat built up under his hood and he does not have the insulator, which would probably make a big difference. I don't either but I have the 231 so there is plenty of room for heat to be drawn out under the car.

Never heard of the fire theory before either and from my experince putting out more than a few car fires over the years, the hood insulation does little to nothing to stop a good engine fire from burning out a car or at the very least cooking the entire engine bay.

[randyt77]

Thanx to all

cjbiagi, I really like your thoughts here. Think I'll replace it with the nicer looking shinny stuff. Ive seen it done a lot but for some reason it never registered in my skull Thanx

[Len]

I really believe the reason for the hood insulation is a mixture of sound deflection and heat absorption and dissipation on a slow duration .
There is no doubt that a hot running eng will curl the paint on a hood if it sits and idles to long with out the insulation and proper ventilation.
Also for us Northern boys in the winter it also holds the heat in the eng compartment for those cold days after running and parked for a couple of hrs in the frozen temps keeping the carb and motor hot for a bit. making for an easer start, And thus the kitty cat under the hood .
I am also thinking that if you run the shiny side down of any insulation towards the eng you are just reflecting the heat back down to the eng rather than absorbing and dissipating it through the cowl with the hood insulation. Based on the bbq theory wrap it up with the shinny side in and the the forest fire boys when they have to dig in the shiny side up or your emergency blanket shinning side in to reflect the heat in the direction you want . Oh yea the hot water blanket shiny side
toward the heater to save you money , Good ventilation along with proper insulation will save save paint and engs. And chrome .
Just thinking
Len

[cjbiagi]

Personally I think the gray GM type looks better but that's a personal thing. It's a little less obtrusive drawing your attention to the actual engine compartment rather than the underside of the hood. I like the philosophy of Chip Foose where he said the opening the hood should be like opening a jewel box, you want the focus on the engine (or the jewelery) not the box.

[hammerdown7]

Just thought I would mention the CVOA had the stock pad re-molded for the Cosworth and have them on hand. The difficult part is to purchase the parts you have to be a member because of the non-profit status of the Club, have to keep the feds off our back!

Dick

[EagleFish]

Interesting comment on the underhood pad purpose is for putting out enigne fires.
Auto manufacturers used underhood insulation way back before they used the plastic buttons to hold them up.
They used glue, wire and metal clips - hardly a combo for assisting in engine fires.
Since I first got interested in cars back in the 1950s, nowhere has it ever been stated that the underhood pad's purpose is to put out engine fires.
Uh, how many vehicles suffer from engine fires? Not many.
The underhood pad is to insulate against engine noise, keep the heat of the engine from baking the paint and some inulating factors to assist the engine to stay cool and warm depending on weather conditions.

John (John and Richard)

[BillB1210]

I need to agree with John. Before any of the retainers melted, there would be a devastating fire that would destroy the wiring and most of the components. Why stop a fire that starts on it's own? Isn't that what comprehensive insurance is for? Make sure you insure high enough for a total loss. I would say, don't rely on a collapsing hood pad to save your car, although it is an interesting concept?

Bill

[marz]

I suppose it could affect the paint long-term. I know with a V8 there isn't a lot of room for heat to be bled off and out. Dave (spyderfrommarz) has Spyder decals on his hood of his V8 Spyder that are curled and faded due to the heat built up under his hood and he does not have the insulator, which would probably make a big difference.

HEY you said you woudn't tell!

[ShovelHeadShawn]

Here is what i have used in past projects. I put it under the carpet and in the doors. it comes in different sizes and some of it has a stickey back. i bet it would work well under the hood, if you take youre time with it you can relly make it look good.
http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Mater ... ogId=10053

[stage169]

Personally I think the gray GM type looks better but that's a personal thing.

Clyde would you post a picture?

Just thought I would mention the CVOA had the stock pad re-molded for the Cosworth and have them on hand. The difficult part is to purchase the parts you have to be a member because of the non-profit status of the Club, have to keep the feds off our back!
Dick

Dick is it possible to get the stock material? I bet the Cosworth hood is not the same as my Skyhawk but if it is possible to get the stock material I might go that direction. Most people probably wouldn't know what original material was used anyway.

Brian

[cjbiagi]

Here's an older pic from several years ago, the new stuff I can get now is looks similar except it is solid gray so it does not have the yellow insulation underneath it. The pattern may be slightly different but for all practical purposes you get the idea. So it probably looks a little better than this. (It's also doesn't have the tear in it like this one )

[hammerdown7]

Just thought I would mention the CVOA had the stock pad re-molded for the Cosworth and have them on hand. The difficult part is to purchase the parts you have to be a member because of the non-profit status of the Club, have to keep the feds off our back!
Dick

Dick is it possible to get the stock material? I bet the Cosworth hood is not the same as my Skyhawk but if it is possible to get the stock material I might go that direction. Most people probably wouldn't know what original material was used anyway.

Brian[/quote]

Brian, The Club doesn't have any loose material, the pads were molded just like the originals which I believe were the same as the standard Vega. You might be able to put it on an H-special but the contours would make it look out of place.

Dick