Hanging a heat shield

October 1, 2018 | By Staff

Question:

I found new front & rear motor mounts at “Bob’s Automobilia dot com” as you suggested. Do you have any articles onreplacement of firewall heat barriers for a 1938 Buick?

Answer:

Original-style molded firewall heat barriers are available for your 1938 Buick from Quiet Ride Solutions in Stockton, California, and they are simple to install.

First remove the pedals from your car and disconnect any cables that run through the firewall. In some cases you may need to disconnect some dash wiring as well, either from the dash or the items the wiring goes to, if the firewall barrier doesn’t have slots to allow you to slip it over the wiring.

Removing the old barrier by straightening the tines of the attaching buttons where they come out on the firewall under the hood in the engine compartment. Only straighten them enough to ease them out because you will need to re-bend them to put in your new pad. If you do break one or more of them, you can order them from Quiet Ride Solutions as well.

Next, get inside and pull out the attaching buttons and set them aside. You may be able to pop the old panel away quite easily; however if it is stuck to the firewall, you can scrape it away using a sturdy putty knife. Make sure the firewall is clean and smooth, and then shoot on 3M Super Duty trim cement. While that is getting tacky, shoot a coat on the firewall side of the heat barrier too. I like to use the cement to keep the heat barrier firmly and smoothly in place and to flatten any bulges, but it is probably not a necessity.

Position the pad in place carefully and press out any bumps or irregularities. You can use an ice pick or small Phillips screwdriver to help align the holes for the buttons, and then press them into place. Finally, go around to the engine compartment and flatten or bend the attaching tines of the buttons as required. Custom molded firewall heat barriers are available for your Buick as well as any Buick built from 1931 from:

Quiet Ride Solutions

6507 Pacific Ave. Suite 334

Stockton,CA 95207

Orders:

Tech help:

www.quietride.com