Date:         Sun, 04 May 1997 15:05:27 EDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         georgejoann@juno.com (George Jannini)
Subject:      Re: Heat in the footwells modification

Clark:

You wrote:
<<  Greetings.  Someone recently wrote that they had performed some kind
of modification to a Westie that diverted heat from the foot wells...This
last weekend I was driving for a short period barefoot and I realized
that the floorboards in the front of my   Westie actually get really hot.
 I think this must be heat from the radiator or the coolant hoses running
under the floor.  >>

   Pertinent pages in Bentley :19.20, 19.21, 19.22.

   I found that the passenger side was really susceptible to
"Vanagon Hotfoot" and that the hot footwell modification had already been
performed on my '89 Westy, so I turned to
JC Whitney and purchased a couple of rolls of heat shield insulation. 
It's an aluminum foil on fiber padding 48"x72" sheet,
on sale for $18.95  in the 591J catalog, item #25KB0705N.
Their phone number is:  312-431-6102.

   I removed all the carpet and underlayment from the aisle
forward, and put the material down paying extra attention to the
area by the driver's right foot and passenger's left foot rest,
where hot air flowing through the radiator passes.  If you feel
around with your hand in those areas after a long drive, it's
easy to figure out where the stuff's needed the most.

   In addition, I dropped the spare tire, and glued some more
of the material on the other side of that hot air tunnel near the
radiator.  I'm not sure it's worth it to do this, since it's tough
to get at, and a good deal of the aluminum foil has been blown
off the backing by the air flow under there.

   I took the other roll of material and used it in the cargo area,
extending it from the rear hatch, right on down behind the seat.
I can't say for sure  if doing the rear has made any great
difference, but up front, it's significantly more comfortable.

George
'89 Westy, "Wernher"
102K miles & counting