Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Body, interior, paint, chrome, and cosmetic items => Topic started by: 230slhouston on January 02, 2022, 04:53:38
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Hello,
Need some advice on the firewall pad.
Is the pad installed over a foam pad first? Or do I just install as purchased?
I plan to order from authentic classics.
Thanks.
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You just install as purchased. There is no foam behind the firewall pad.
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Thanks.
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Just make sure the two pieces are cut in the same direction. I got mine and the pattern did not match. It’s not very noticeable at first.
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Hi, I purchased mine from Authentic Classics and am very satisfied with the padding pattern and fit. This took a few hours, so patience is key to a good job. This is how I did it...,
I pre-fit the pieces, with the peal-paper retained onto the padding, first by locating the left and right sides, then taped the left side in place for reference when installing the right side. Some of the curves and hole cutouts are not located on the firewall padding from the mfg 100%, so we can only work with what we have. The center hood latch was my starting location for the left and right side pads. Then, I set-up the right side which I had to trim the upper edge just a little for the firewall holes and edges to align better. This was done in conjunction with preheating the compound curves with a hairdryer and letting it cool. This helped retain the firewall shape into the padding. After heating/cooling this a few times, I knew adhering of the pad to the firewall would be good. The retained in place left firewall padding assisted with locating the right side. I pealed about 3" inches of the peal-paper from the upper left half, then located the padding with the lower not sticking. I adhered the upper edge while making sure I had firewall hole, edge clearances, and compound curves located (with the hairdryer available to assist making sure the padding did not acquire air bubbles in certain recessed curved areas) as best as I could get them. I also used a small roller to press out air bubbles and adhere the padding. Being satisfied with the upper left side located, I then removed the lower about another 3-4" portion of the peal-paper working downward and so forth. I did the same basic method/procedure on the left side padding.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Cheers and God Bless, John
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My 1970 came with a grey foam backing from the factory but I elected to not recreate it because my original pad was falling away where the foam had perished. Considering the right side pad could easily drop onto the exhaust I deviated from the original specification.
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Here's a photo of my original firewall pad. There's only about 41K original miles at the time of this photo. I don't see any foam backing.