V11 LeMans fuel tank removal...?

[Speedfrog]

6 hours ago, docc said:

Perhaps someone with the later, internal pump/filter long tank can confirm the heat shielding was still being applied?

Yes, the heat shield is present on the long tanks as well and like you said, it has a tendency to loose adhesion and come off at the edges. I’d actually be curious to know what kind of glue anyone has used to stick it back on and how well it held up.

And if anyone has ever replaced it, what type of material was used for it.

[al_roethlisberger]

32 minutes ago, Speedfrog said:

Yes, the heat shield is present on the long tanks as well and like you said, it has a tendency to loose adhesion and come off at the edges. I’d actually be curious to know what kind of glue anyone has used to stick it back on and how well it held up.

And if anyone has ever replaced it, what type of material was used for it.

 

Same here.  My heat shielding that I put on 15+ years ago is now falling off... no surprise really, and that's actually a pretty good track record.  But it would be great to hear about any "forever" glue for that application.

 

To be honest I think all of that heat shielding is now rotten and brittle anyway.  So I probably need to replace it with something newer and maybe better.

[MartyNZ]

3 hours ago, Speedfrog said:

Yes, the heat shield is present on the long tanks as well and like you said, it has a tendency to loose adhesion and come off at the edges. I’d actually be curious to know what kind of glue anyone has used to stick it back on and how well it held up.

And if anyone has ever replaced it, what type of material was used for it.

I got some aluminium foil faced self-adhesive fiberglass insulation sheet that is 1.5mm thick. 

It looks like it will work well, as it has some insulation against both convection heat and infra-red radiation, and if I can make a 1 piece panel, it should stay in place, and continue to do its job even if the adhesive fails.

[Speedfrog]

24 minutes ago, MartyNZ said:

I got some aluminium foil faced self-adhesive fiberglass insulation sheet that is 1.5mm thick.

That looks like a good replacement for the original heat shield. Does it have a product name/brand and where did you source it?

[LaGrasta]

After mine fell off, I threw it away and forgot all about it. Must I replace it?

[audiomick]

27 minutes ago, LaGrasta said:

 Must I replace it?

I would, as I assume it is there for a reason. I don't know for sure, however, how critical it is.

 

As far as replacing it goes: When we moved into the apartment we are in now, I "built" the kitchen cupboards, workbench and so on out of second hand stuff. I decided to put the oven above the bench, and built a cabinet for it out of 18mm "built up" oak, i.e. glued together slats about 8 inches long and 1 1/2 wide. Cheap substitute for solid oak panels. Anyway, it was obvious that the inside of the cabinet had to be insulated, so I went looking. Turns out the most readily available source is shops who sell stuff to people who hot-rod and custom build cars. It seems there is a need for that sort of insulation foil to cater for blokes who put silly turbo chargers in inappropriate places and what have you, to shield against exhaust heat and such.

So if anyone is looking for a source, start at your local hot-rod tuning shop, or search the same in the Net. I very quickly found any number of sources for self-adheshive foil in various thicknesses and for various temperature ranges. If I remember correctly, the stuff I used for the oven was rated at something like 850°C.

[MartyNZ]

49 minutes ago, Speedfrog said:

That looks like a good replacement for the original heat shield. Does it have a product name/brand and where did you source it?

I would search for "Heat Protection Film Self-adhesive Auto 1.4 mm Insulation" or similar. Aliexpress sells this: Car Heat Protection Film Fireproof Heat Insulation Mat Self-adhesive Aluminum Foil Glass Fiber High Temperature Resistant Cloth - Sound & Heat Insulation Cotton - AliExpress

Or follow audiomick's advice above.

 

[MartyNZ]

On 5/4/2023 at 10:56 AM, LaGrasta said:

After mine fell off, I threw it away and forgot all about it. Must I replace it?

If you are ever idling in traffic, then heat can rise quickly under the tank. The result is hot fuel, which is bad. Insulation on the tank lower surface, external pump, and filter are valuable to avoid vapor lick. You can get a snort during a hot start that can pop the throttle bodies off. Don't ask how I know this.

If you always go fast, then you don't need to replace it. 

[audiomick]

6 minutes ago, MartyNZ said:

..vapor lick...

I'm fairly sure that Marty meant "vapour lock" there... 

[leroysch]

https://www.designengineering.com/

I've used material from these guys to protect the radiator hose on my Pan Am from header proximity. Lots of good stuff for gearheads.

[Speedfrog]

42 minutes ago, audiomick said:

So if anyone is looking for a source, start at your local hot-rod tuning shop.

Yes, I already knew about heat shields being used by the Muscle Car/Hot Rod crowd to insulate blowers in turbocharged engine and keep air intake cool, and we used to have a couple of independent shops around here that were great resources for everything automotive. Unfortunately they went the way of the dodo as everything can now be found with a couple of clicks on a keyboard. The trouble with that is you don't get to talk to anyone with any knowledge of - and even less get to see/touch - the product you're buying. 

That's why I find personal hands-on experience with a particular product highly valuable.

[billgreenman1]

I did my tank after seeing how bad the original material was, cutting multiple templates and modifying the shape for a better fit.  I don't remember exactly where I got the stuff, but it pretty much matches what everyone else seems to have. One thing is for sure: simply taking the time to fit the pieces correctly will be immensely better than what I found under my tank! ( figured it must have been a five vino  lunch break on a Friday when mine was done in Italy)...🤪

[guzziart]

FWIW, I purchased my heat resistant foil tape at Autozone.  The tape is distributed by https://www.designengineering.com/  they also sell other types of heat & sound proof materials.

Art

[Speedfrog]

That makes 2 for Design Engineering, Inc.

They seem to have some good products. Two of them look like they would be appropriate for the replacement of the heat shield under the fuel tank.

Reflect-A-Cool:  https://www.designengineering.com/reflect-a-cool-24-x-24/

Heat Screen:  https://www.designengineering.com/heat-screen-36-x-20/

They both have high-temp self-adhesive backing, come in different sizes, but "Heat Screen" seems a bit thicker and made with higher quality materials.

A little pricey of course when compared to anything one might find on Aliexpress and such but this is a task that you would not want to undertake too often and effectiveness and durability should be high priority me-think. And even though, brand name and price alone does not guarantee product quality, the lack of information - and incomprehensibility thereof sometimes - associated with products out of Aliexpress make me a tad leery of buying there. On the other hand, these DEI products have good descriptions and even SDS sheets.

I shall take a trip to Autozone and see what I can get my hands on...

 

[guzziart]

Hey Speedfrog,

Yeah, the foil tape was pricey ($20) but I think everything is expensive no matter how inexpensive it is.  Luckily, the cloth/fabric type insulation on my tank is in good condition and just needed fresh foil tape on the seams & gaps.

Art