Sealing the Engine compartment????

I have a CMC Speedster C, the engine is just sitting in the back, there is no metal or sealing strip from the Engine tin to the Rear frame. What have you guys fabed up to make this correct, because VW does not like hot recirculated air. I was thinking about using some aluminum sheet from the bottom of the frame would work or not. Anybody have some good ideas????


Thanks
Tom

Guys here have everything from rubber electrical safety matting to aluminum siding in their cars. As long as it doesn't interfere with the go parts, you can pretty much use anything.
The right answer is probably to use aluminum or steel tins, and close the gap with the rubberized seal from a VW Bus. If you know someone (or can do it yourself, aluminum is pretty easy to work with. A template out of index card stock or cardboard is a must-have, especially if you want it to fit your particular CMC.
Alan Merklin might have a template. I think he built most of the East Coast CMC kits (lol).
My solution was aluminum with no sealer material. My sloppy jalopy is so vastly different from the stock CMC that I'm only including pictures for the visual reference of the space you'll want to fill.

You might consider checking some of the old threads on this topic (of which there are many) and contact Gordon Nichols. He used to have a set of templates for a CMC he could send you...probably for the cost of shipping (maybe $10).

I used diamond al plating and sealed up my cmc with only a few cm's of space. worked like a charmed and bent with ease too. I got a piece of 48" x 24" plate from lowes... plenty to do the job and enough left over to use on my work bench.

Thanks for the Info. This gives me some idea of what I need to do..

Thanks

If you look in the CMC build manual in the Library you'll see that CMC came with a fiberglass U shaped piece that is a good start. Its actually about 4 pieces. If Gordon doesn't still have template I can trace mine for postage cost.

https://www.speedsterowners.com/library/cmcmanual2/images/cmc59.jpg

And we're all clear here that it's not all about aesthetics, right? Main deal is to thermally isolate the bottom parts (exhaust pipes, air off the fins) from the top part, where we need cooler air to go to the fan. Just about any material that blocks air flow and radiation at this water line will function. That said, the diamond plate looks pretty cool. I'm one of the guys w/ aluminum siding -- wood grained, very up-scale . . .

Thomas: Here ya go, y'all.
http://speedstershop.com/viewtopic.php?t=47&highlight=seal

Seems like it might be worth it to make a "sandwich" of two layers of thin metal with some kind of insualtion in between to increase the actual temperature isolation. If the "hot" side is the bottom then a steel or AL plate will still radiate quite a bit of heat into the "cool" side.

Anyone ever try it? You might even get a horse or two from lower intake temps.

Thomas:

Shoot me an email at: gnichols0414 at charter.net and I can get a set of templates to you. They are full-sized and consist of two parts: One for the top of the rear frame member that seals the rear of the engine compartment (that's the one that uses the "H" gasket from a VW bus) and another horse-shoe-shaped piece that fits around the rear of the engine and up along the sides. It seals with door weather stripping from a DIY store.

Once they're installed, they effectively seal the engine compartment as well as the original VW shields did, and they can be made from galvanized HVAC sheet metal, aluminum or what-have-you (but DON'T use Plexiglass or an acrylic plastic - it'll melt near the exhaust pipes).


gn

Gordon,

I fiberglassed the piece on the top of the frame member to the body. I think that is what the CMC manual indicates.

I plan to use the H gasket between the horse shoe piece, and others, and the engine tin.

Mike

stephen a: YES! I have this idea, especially for those w/out heater boxes, and just run their bare exhaust pipes. The double layer (don't really need an insulator material sandwichhed in there, just a bit of an air gap) will be an excellent radiation shield. If they are cut right, and snugged to limit the air flow from top to bottom, this would be about as good as it could get. Any shiny metal will be a good choice. Dull metal or painted material will not work as well blocking the radiation. I mentioned heater boxes. The ones I have run the length of the engine and do a fine job of limiting radiation back to the cylinders/heads. All powder coated. w/o the heater boxes, one might imagine using a double layered shield in this location too.

Gordan... I sent ya an email... Thank so much

Tom

Hey Gordon,

Howizit going? looks like I need to tighten the gaps in my engine compartment could you send the template to me? Cabanaboy ~ Mahalo