Engine Bay Fire Protection Mods

April 16, 2016, 02:22:52 pm

The pictures kinda follow the procedure:
1.) Starting with a wide metal drywall spatula, I scraped all the factory insulation off the three vertical walls, and left the factory material on the bottom "shelf".
2.) I used 6mm solid Basalt board, fibers bound in a phenolic resin. It's rated to withstand a continuous temp of 1500 degrees F
3.) Bonded the Basalt to all surfaces including the bottom "shelf" with a hi-temp red silicone sealant adhesive using a caulk gun
4.) Bought the 24"X36" Aluminum diamond-plate sheets from Home Depot. They are .025 in thickness.
5.) Using a hi-temp spray adhesive, I bonded the flat sheets to the Basalt
6.) With a rubber mallet, I formed the right angle bends over a wood 2"X4" -- for the bottom shelf sections, and bonded them to the Basalt underlayment.
7.) The dual discharge head fire system came with a wimpy bracket, so I bought a home hot water heater restraint system, and modified it to hold the bottle on the forward Bay Wall.
8.) The heads discharge at 286 degrees. I placed one near the high-pressure area of the diesel injection, and the second on the opposite side, but more forward, as I was concerned about getting too close to the Turbo.
9.) I bought "Titanium Lava" Exhaust Pipe wrap for the Turbo down-tube to further lower heat in that area. May also use it on the Intercooler piping. It's rated for 3000 degrees.
10.) For the "Ceiling" area I left the factory insulation which was still in mint condition and used a HP Heatshield Mat (from Heatshield Products - PN 721505) that is 58"X60", .032 thickness. It has adhesive backing and bonds nicely to the factory insulation and wooden platform. Rated to handle Radiant temp of 1100 degrees, 2000 intermittent.
11.) The last step is to use a special aerogel paint and coat all the fiberglass on the engine bay access door that faces forward -- that could be "licked" by flames if there was a fire. I doubt the flat-black factory paint that is there offers any heat resistance.

It was labor intensive, and maybe a little over-kill but I want the comfort of knowing that if there is an event, I have a pretty good chance of containing it within the compartment. Without the fire system (which was ~ $700) the materials cost was about $400.

I really like the outcome of the look of the diamond plate. Makes the Yellow CAT really pop out.

Happy and Safe Motoring to All