JWHA - Super Insulating Your Healey
By Jim Werner
This one started on the Internet as a quick answer to a question and generated so much response I ended up writing this dissertation.
I just finished super insulating my BJ8, and it's total overkill, but here are the steps I used. I had the interior out and cut and installed new carpet myself after doing all of this. I don't know if you need to but I started to install carpet and just got carried away with every heat prevention trick I have learned. I want it so an ice cube will not melt in July! I was fortunate to have a friend who supplies insulation products to General Electric for use in their ranges donate some products.
1. Floor - 1/2 inch High density foam product courtesy of GE. One of our members has also used a sleeping mat from a backpackers supply house as an alternative. Over that (and I warned you this is total overkill!!) I used a product that the Street Rodders use. It is a 3/8 inch Insulation Mat consisting of both sides with foil and a dense jute filler between. You get it from Street Rod suppliers and you will need 1 and a half rolls. Better than similar products sold at Pep Boys, the Street Rodders type (sorry I forget the Brand name) is denser and holds its shape better. I also made new wood strips for the seat risers out of oak to raise the seat slightly to clear the thick floor.
2. Transmission tunnel - Inside the tunnel I cleaned it perfectly and used a self adhesive aluminum foil product courtesy of GE. Stuck it on and used a Wallpaper seam roller to press it on tight. I didn't know Don Lenschow sold a similar product and I would have ordered his kit if I had known, contact Don at Drtrite@aol.com The early cars used a baffle to keep hot air from entering the Trans tunnel. Jack Summers of the Northern Indiana Club sells one for the BJ8 that many people have used for years with great success. I fitted one and you can contact Jack through the club website at http://michiana.org/MFNetClub/niahc/niahc.html . About $19 dollars as I remember.
On the outside of the tunnel I used the Street Rodders insulation material gluing it on with 3M spray adhesive. Again I used the wallpaper seam roller and the material is flexible enough to give a good fit. The Tunnel received a dense foam seal used for mounting truck toppers to pickup trucks along it's edges. On the BJ8 fiberglass transmission tunnel I found the holes where the bolts pass through the floor had crushed the fiberglass preventing a good seal. I reinforced those with new fiberglass repairs and also use a set of valve cover spacers to spread the load over a larger area
3. Firewall - Installed new grommets from Healey Surgeons. Then used the light trick, shining a light from the firewall looking for leaks and added some silicone for extra protection. Then used the Street Rodders insulation material where I could. Then used a product used by Heating and Air Conditioning Installers that is a super sticky self adhesive, 1/4" high density foam with a foil lining. It is used to wrap heating ducts as an insulation product. That foam went every where I could think of including the underside of the shroud. I then set my shop vac on a blower feature and placed it in the engine compartment and found air coming through the hood hinge pockets and wrapped those with the self adhesive duct insulation material
4. Miscellaneous - I also lined the interiors of the door with the Street Rodders insulation. Makes it quieter if nothing else. I used a tube of silicone caulk in a caulk gun to seal any possible opening I could find. Removed the rear seat pans and caulked those also. The emergency brake handle area I stuffed with 3M auto body strip caulk from an Auto Paint supplier. Stays soft. I also cut new vinyl tighter than the original. For the shifter boot, some have used the factory seal and fitted a leather shifter boot over it from Nostalgia Motorcars Ltd. / Classic Interiors at www.nostalgiaclassic.com.
I also refinished my dash and when installing found that the heater control cable was kinked preventing the heater from fully closing. Worth inspecting.
My BN4 Rally Car features a works style grill with air ducts on the side and wire mesh in the middle. The amount of air that comes through the BN4 fresh air duct with this modification is amazing compared to the BJ8. Next on the agenda is figuring out a way to improve the air flow on the BJ8 vent similar to the BN4 but retaining the stock look.
I just started out to replace the carpet and got carried away.....................
