we fitted the a new fire wall to the engine bay of our bug, the black tar one, from micks motors , BNE, so it's what is should be...

it was secured in place by the the claw things in the body work but started sloughing off, we just presume it will settle and mould in to place eventuallty...... but our mechanic ripped it out today as he reckoned it was a fire risk and should be inside the the car behind the passenger seat!!!

please advie what we are doing wrong???

you need to glue it on from memory - someone will know the specific glue but its sticky as - like tar

and it goes where you have it - not inside the car.

nick

ive seen 1 or 2 glued but most were just held by the little hooks bent over
ive got a stainless firewall kit over the top of mine
main problem u have to watch for is if the claws let go the fan can suck it over the intake and ur engines toast b4 u realise

Joel

some of these go really soft with the heat of the engine, cant remember what make they were, but I saw a few do it.
Making sure its flat and glueing should solve your problems.
Dont know about a fire risk, but if it covers the fan intake it wont help your engine temps!

so anyone have any clues for me for when i go shopping for glue.....

as a blonde i need all ther details i can find so i don't get no patronising....

the steel claws are there to hold it in place - not glue - BUT as mentioned, the panel can come loose from these clips and get sucked over the fan inlet, blocking the airflow and overheating the engine.

I'd leave it off.

get a contact adhesive. you brush it on each side, let it tack off (dry) a little then fit it again. Probably not necessary to paint the whole thing with it, just enough to make sure it sticks...
That along with the clips and you will be all set.

ripe it out n leave it out

Put up with the noise better than over heating the engine

so function of firewall is purely noise reduction not heat reduction?

is this right? if so i don't care weather she's noisy just wanted her engine to be protected... so if the firewall doesn't actually do this then whats the point??

It's only there to reduce noise & perhaps reduce a bit of heat transfer from engine bay into the passenger area. For sound insulation your mechanic was right when he said put insulating material under the carpet below rear window and through rear parcel area to the back seat. (maybe not that tar firewall stuff but there are plenty of sound proofing materials available) There should be a few threads on the subject. (try the ice & interior forum ) The main thing to look for is a material that doesn't trap moisture & promote rust.


Matt.

thanks Matt

i did all the sound proofing inside the car, got good info from a local VW upholstery guy, so i suppose its out with the engine bay fire wall!!!!!!!! waste of $50.....

What year model is your car

if its after 71 i would be digging all the foam insulation out of the rear pillars as well, to stop the rust

63 bug

vickie,

I also bought a tar firewall from Micks but I glued it to a sheet of aluminium then trimmed the aluminium to the shape of the tar sheet. With the majority of engine components removed I flexed the aluminum sheet into position then screwed it in place discretely. See thread "my 63 upgrade" in members rides to see what I have done. I'm not saying it's right but it's what I have done (or what am trying)

My reasons were primarily for noise reduction. For ease of installation I would go with installing sound deadening sheets in the luggage area behind the rear seat and then cover it with carpet.

Are you going to the pub on the 18th??

thanks, yes i'll be at dubs.


checked out your pix, they're great, we will have to now adapt as the engine is in.

OK so its a 63 u dont have ant foam problems so put up with the noise if u dont want origionality