4.3LXJ
07-28-2013, 10:42 PM
We all get them sooner or later, hot spots especially when crawling those long slow trails. In my case, it is my muffler. It gets hot enough to make my carpet stink. I know of another XJ that has the same problem. The solution, make a heat shield. There are lots of things you could use, but the best and cheapest I have found is my wife's worn out aluminum cookie sheets. They are double walled and made not to transfer too much heat through and burn the bottom of the cookies. You can see from the construction, the bottom of this one is dimpled, holding the two layers apart and making a good all metal insulator.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0451_zps1a2b27c0.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0450_zpsc2804440.jpg
I also chose to use self tapping sheet metal screws at the dimples to secure it.
The next little trick is to use a spacer, in this case a 1/4" nut to space the cookie sheet away from the floor thus making another layer with air between it and the shield
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0453_zpsf92f7da0.jpg
I had other goodies to shield on this side of the frame too, so I bent it. I used a sheet metal brake, but they are soft and easy to bend with hand tools
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0456_zps287e07f1.jpg
After putting the muffler back in place (red mud and all) it looked like this.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0457_zps7e19e808.jpg
So did it work? Absolutely. I wheeled all day in very warm weather with the windows up and AC going without that hot carpet smell. I am looking forward to more cookie sheets from the kitchen
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0451_zps1a2b27c0.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0450_zpsc2804440.jpg
I also chose to use self tapping sheet metal screws at the dimples to secure it.
The next little trick is to use a spacer, in this case a 1/4" nut to space the cookie sheet away from the floor thus making another layer with air between it and the shield
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0453_zpsf92f7da0.jpg
I had other goodies to shield on this side of the frame too, so I bent it. I used a sheet metal brake, but they are soft and easy to bend with hand tools
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0456_zps287e07f1.jpg
After putting the muffler back in place (red mud and all) it looked like this.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0457_zps7e19e808.jpg
So did it work? Absolutely. I wheeled all day in very warm weather with the windows up and AC going without that hot carpet smell. I am looking forward to more cookie sheets from the kitchen