Exhaust heat shields

[Crazy_pilot]

As many of us know, pre-cats get hot. After a bit of driving my transmission tunnel gets pretty toasty. I'd like to cut down on this by incorporating some sheet metal heat shields.

The problem spot:



My concept:



So, questions. Is there an ideal stand-off distance between the shield and the exhaust? I had it set at 3/8 when I drew that up. Also, I originally picked stainless as the best material for this, but what about aluminium? This isn't a tuned turbo car so the temps never get that extreme. I'd also add some heat reflective tape to the inside of the shield.

And for anyone who might ask why not just use wrap, I just like fabricating things. This is more fun.

[smc]

Aluminum is your best bet here, as it is wonderful for shielding heat from other surfaces. Stainless? Not so much. It will heat soak quickly and transfer that radiant heat to your floor pan.

You only need 1/8" of an inch to use alum. as a great heat shield. Any closer than that, and you risk getting the beloved exhaust rattle. However, a good exhaust wrap would be just as affective. The downside to swap is that it loves to absorb moisture and keep it at your exhaust tubing which equates to rust.