I've got a piece of "super insulation/radiant barrier," made up of heavy duty
aluminum foil bonded to both sides of 1/4 inch thick plastic foam. The piece
is about 36 in. by 48 in. I'm thinking about using it as a radiant heat
reflector/thermal blanket over the top of the ICE in my Gen II. The goal is
to help retain heat as the temps drop and help keep FE/MPGs up.
I won't cover the electronics package/DC to DC converter, as I don't
want/need it kept warm. By cutting the sheet in half, I can extend the
blanket about halfway down between the ICE and the radiator and keep well
away from the serpentine belt on the far passenger side of the ICE. By
feeling over the top and behind the ICE, I can cover it, and maybe extend
the insulation /barrier half way down the back side.
I can work the two pieces of insulation around the various bits of piping and
wiring at the front of the ICE, and between the ICE and electrical boxes
going to the rear.
As I'm not going to try to mold the insulation tightly to the block/head,
there will still be an airspace and some moving air between the
insulation/barrier and the block. I expect that the only real contribution to
heat retention will be to reflect radiant heat back to the block. I'm thinking
the insulation/barrier will stay in place due the many bends and curves
created in working it into place.
I use grill blocking already. I'm using a ScanGaugeII, so I can monitor ICE
temps.
My questions are:
* Has anyone experimented with something like this?
* If so, did you see any noticeable/measurable FE/MPG results?
* Did you encounter any problems, or incur any damage?
I welcome constructive comments, suggestions, concerns, etc.
(I know what you're thinking....
No, there isn't enough left over foil/foam/foil to make an insulated
aluminum foil hat.
)
A tip o' the hat to Frank Lee and SeanT whose threads got me thinking
along these lines:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-em-10529.html
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ly-6052-2.html