Firewall Insulation, WTF is this stuff?

[GP403]

I'm pretty sure they only put this junk on the Broughams and whatnot, as a sound and heat barrier, but I'm trying to figure out what this junk is. It's almost a plastic, and in some places it looks sprayed on and in others 'molded' on, but right now I'm losing chunks of it practically to the touch. Seriously, if you put the slightest bit of pressure on it it cracks. It's about 1/8" thick and black.

Underneath that is a fiber pad sort of like what's under the hood. If I lose too much of the 'plastic' junk, I'm probably going to have to pull it all off and go down to the metal.

WTF is this junk and can it be restored or anything done with it?

 

[85t5mcss]

Hmm, never seen it. Can't help. Sorry.

 

[El-Fantasma]

take it off.
it works better if you have an after market air-intake anyways.

basically what its original purposes were for was a sound barrier. even though there wasnt that much sound to begin with. but as luck would have it it also doubled as a "fire retardent". another thing which is really of no use.

alot of guys i know take it off and replace it with mirrors, if the engine is chromed up of course.
take a look at this site to see what im talking about;
http://mdctinc.com/mi.htm

 

[GP403]

alot of guys i know take it off and replace it with mirrors, if the engine is chromed up of course.

um.

no.

 

[El-Fantasma]

indeed.
im not partial to it either. i simply did that to prove a point. :wink:


however, i am going to be mirroring up my trunk. 8)

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

You are talking about the stuff under the dash and behind the A/C equipment, right? It's made of two different materials-one is a rebonded scrap material that is then glued to the black rubber backing that is coming apart on your car. If you look around at companies that deal with older car restorations in Hemmings, you may be able to find a generic pad made of this material that you could cut to fit. I would advise against removing it entirely unless the car is just a toy and not daily driven. I removed all of the sound and heat insulation from my 1979 AMC Spirit for weight reduction and the car is very uncomfortable in the summer. My feet roast in the foot wells as they are very close to the long tube headers. I have considered using old G body catalytic convertor heat shields in this area just to cut down the heat. I drive 50-150 miles a day, so your needs may be different than mine, but in rush hour traffic the car is a horror to be in.