1955 Tbird cabin heaty problem

[marcbeau40]

Hi All,

Any good ideas, sources, etc. for solving the cabin heat bui;ldup in the '55's ?

 

[mc56bird]

When I replaced my carpet and cabin firewall material, I modernized everything with the best insulation available. The heat is notorious, and quite a few manufacturers provide insulation material to fit. It helped to a degree, but the interior is still hotter than other cars. Pay particular attention to the floorboards, as the mufflers are right under the seat. Hope this helps!

 

[marcbeau40]

RE: 1955 Thunderbird cabin heat problem

Thanks mc56bird, those are great solutions worth looking into, not to mention they don't affect appearance in any way.

I was also wondering if in addition to the above solutions anyone can comment on the effectiveness of adding an air conditioning unit.

In addition, has anyone tried fabricating heat shields between the mufflers and floor pans and what was the result?

 

[Dale Leonard]

In my work around steam pipes in the paper industry, I have used paint with ceramic powder in it. I have painted it on steam pipes that ran at 400 degrees F. You could put your hand on them and hold your body weight as long as you wanted to and not get burnt. I think that you could mix the ceramic powder with your paint and paint the area above the pipes and you would eliminate most of the heat. You can do a search on the net for ceramic powder to mix with paint and you will see what I am talking about. Their was a place in Florida on the east coast that use to sell it to mix with paint. They reported excellent results.

 

[fp tbird]

I have the same concern with my 56. I plan to use modern insulation products such as Dynamat and others, as well as trying to have someone fabricate heat shields to protect it from the heat of the eshaust. I'm hoping it helps.

 

[fp tbird]

Please tell me I'm not the only one with this issue. I hope to have it resolved with the new insulation.

 

[RKD]

Has anyone solved this problem? Love my 56 with AC but it sure has a lot of heat entering the cockpit.

 

[fordrodsteven]

Thunderbirds are notoriously hot! As regarding your question about muffler deflectors (heat shields), Hill's sells them (pg 42) P/N 5230-HS for $69.00. Casco sells them P/N5230HS for $69.00. Concours Parts sells them P/N 5230-HS for $65.00

 

[SWinner]

[QUOTE="Dale Leonard[/QUOTE]

There is a premixed product called Lizard Skin. They make a Ceramic and a sound deadening product. I sprayed inside from the top of the firewall all the way behind the front seat. In addition, I got some 1/4" aluminum coated cellular plastic that I cut to fit over the Lizard Skin Ceramic. I glued the aluminum to the firewall and the center hump. The remaining floorboard I just laid it in. This allowed me to remove these sections when the floor gets wet. Then install your carpet with the jute insulation.

I removed the seat, heater box, wiper and moved some of the wiring to get compete coverage. Nice upgrade to my 56 T-Bird.

Works great, Good luck

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CQ53SF6/?tag=thunderbirdforum-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G653KPM/?tag=thunderbirdforum-20

 

[Douglemmo]

Hi,
When I first put my 57 on the road, I noticed that the floor was very hot. Hot enough that I wondered if the carpet would catch on fire. Since I was lucky to be working in a power plant at the time, I had the insulating contractor fabricate two rectangular "pillows" a couple of inches wider and longer than my two mufflers and a half-inch thicker than the distance from the top of the muffler to the floor.. It was made of industrial-grade insulation with an outside covering that is waterproof and very tough, identical to what we were using on the steam turbine. Given the geometry of the space between the "X" frame and the outside frame rail, I just slid (stuffed) the insulating pillow in place - no retaining wires needed. The floor heating problem disappeared and unless you climb under the car and look for the "pillow", you can't see it. I have had it in place for over 25 years now - still works great and never had to replace it.

Hope this helps.
Doug

 

[CSPIDY]

Classic Air makes a very nice kit for the small birds, put one in mine and it works great. you will still have to insulate the floor to get rid of the heat.

 

[55birdman]

Hi All,

Any good ideas, sources, etc. for solving the cabin heat bui;ldup in the '55's ?

I’m going to try these heat shields that I had cut from stainless. I’m hoping this will keep the muffler/exhaust heat off the floor.

 

[jim1954]

I have noticed that my 57 engine compartment is significantly hotter on the the drivers side then on the passenger side. The hood after a run or cruise is almost too hot to touch. Is this common?

 

[zeroroadkill]

Strange! Do you have a laser temperature gun? I’d measure the manifold, head, block & header temperatures on both sides. You’d think if there was a blockage causing excessive heat buildup you would see your temperature gauge go up or some performance issue?

 

[sylvurhfox]

Hi All,

Any good ideas, sources, etc. for solving the cabin heat bui;ldup in the '55's ?

I am installing the heat insulation kit from Concours Parts. It only covers in front of the seat so I purchased extra material to put under the seat to keep the heat out.

 

[Dale Leonard]

I'm going to reroute my exhaust to the outside of the frame, so that the heat does not come right up under the floorboard. Also i bought enough insulation to put in the floorboard that I feel that the heat will never reach me. Wish me luck. Especially since I am installing a High performance 390 with dual quads and a C6 automatic transmission.