Well, with summer and hot temps coming I decided to take a look at the front engine cover. I have found that this cover radiates a huge amount of heat into the cockpit. On a cold winter day at Willow Springs, this is great. On a hot summer day at Willow, its like having the heater running full blast.
I bought some automotive insulating foam (
EZCool - Automotive Car Insulation) and put two layers on the inside of the front engine cover panel using high temp industrial spay adhesive for bonding. This insulation is EXTREMELY light and the weight of the two layers was only about 4 oz.
I'll report back next weekend after racing at AutoClub Speedway if this helped to reduce cockpit temps.
As you can see here, the chassis has substantial insulation lining the interior of the engine compartment:
That is, everywhere except for the front engine cover - no insulation! Of course, in a street car this is normally insulated by the heavily insulated engine compartment carpet behind the seats.
Two layers of insulation;
The final product. Installed perfectly.
