Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows if it hurts or helps to remove the padding from under the hood. Mine's not in very good shape, so should I replace it or is it OK to leave it off.
Thanks in advance.

 

mine was really dirty and oily and very annoying while working under the hood. it is mainly sound deadener anyway, so with it off i can listen to my engine and the 4bbl open up better. some people say it protects the paint on the hood from the heat from the engine. i dont buy that. think how hot the paint on the hood gets just by sitting in the sun. i think some people have got new ones that are some kinda plastic that do fall apart and can be cleaned. i am not going to bother replacing mine, but if you want your car to be "correct", i guess you should replace it.

 

You don't need it so get rid of it and patch up any rust spots that have started because of it.

 

The biggest difference you will see, or should I say hear is the amount of engine noise out side the car. It also helps with heat, but I do not have mine on, and My father has a 87 TA, with 30 over 350, and still makes no difference as far as the paint is concerned, no discolouring or bubbling....

 

You're in Smiths Falls? Cool, I'm right down the road in Kemptville. We have another member in South Mountain. What colour is your Z? Maybe i've seen it.

 

Yeah, don't worry about your paint getting harmed. It's mostly for sound dampening. I think regular price from the dealer is something like $80 and plan on putting it in on in the parking lot as it's too big to fit in the car.

 

I just bought a new one from GM. $80 CDN give or take abit.

There are alot of opinions to the contrary but... GM says they are for HEAT and DEBRIS. In fact calls it a heat & debris shield. The shield is a guard insulating heat during the winter and shielding heat during the summer.

It seems that engine fluids that may become attached to the underside of the hood are also an issue. Without the shield, oil and glycol based material can become attached to the underside of the hood. This 'oily' material does heat differently than surrounding air and has chemical reactions with the painted surfaces typically leading to premature decay of the underside and upperside finishes. The shield does have have heat and oil resistant materials built into it.

I am curious, if your under hood shield is all hacked to the point where you remove it, ever wonder what caused that damage ?

have a nice day,
RP.

ps - it fit in my car no problem, just folded the rear seat down.

 

Hmmm, which car? I guess if I had the IROC it probably would have fit in the back. But I only had the Sunfire at the time and I didn't want to fold it, so I got my buddy with an LSI (nice big hatch area) to pick it up for me.

 

Yah I tried to make it fit in my Toyota. Not a good idea it would have had to be folded (I removed it from the box at GM dealer) which would ruin it.

RP.

 

Hey, thanks for the opinions guys.
As much as I would like to hear the engine run and correctness, not being a major issue, I think I'll be replacing the shield.
For $80 and the peace of mind.
Guess it was put there for a reason orginally and I don't want to be wondering about it all the time.
Thanks again.