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Gen3 Engine Bay Firewall Gaps or Openings

PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:15 pm
by markfick
A few of us Gen3 owner/drivers have noticed that there exists openings or gaps in our engine bay firewall where our shoulder straps come through in front of the intake manifold. Depending on whether one has the old style harness brackets or the newer ladder style, the gaps or holes into our cockpit can be rather large. I believe the GCR is pretty clear about no openings being allowed like this situation into our cockpit. I am bringing this up to see if this issue has a good resolution and if anyone else has done something about it.
Personally, I secured a sheet of aluminized cloth over these gaps to lessen the openings being exposed to a potential fire or hot fluids coming into my cockpit.
Has anyone else been uncomfortable with this and have they come up with a solution?
Should there be something more uniform than everyone coming up with their own answer or just ignoring it?
Your thought are welcome....thanks!

Re: Gen3 Engine Bay Firewall Gaps or Openings

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 9:20 am
by Bob Devol
I have a ladder-style shoulder harness mount that sets back forward of the chassis tube plane and was relatively easy to cover with an aluminum plate that I also covered with aluminized fire cloth.

There's probably no need to remove the intake manifold to install it. First make a pattern out of poster stock that covers the opening. The aluminum cover plate itself can slide down between the manifold and the chassis. It can be fastened by pop rivets on the upper portion.

As for the earlier style "weave" anchors, they protrude into the engine bay some and would need to be covered by flexible aluminized fire stop cloth, probably anchored with something fireproof like safety wire.

Either way, it looks like the belts and cockpit area need to be walled off from the engine bay, per the GCR.

Re: Gen3 Engine Bay Firewall Gaps or Openings

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 1:13 pm
by breton
If you look at Figure 17 in the Gen3 assembly manual, you can see a black plate that's pop riveted over this area. We cut out a piece of aluminum in roughly this shape and covered in the same manner.

Re: Gen3 Engine Bay Firewall Gaps or Openings

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 1:36 pm
by Bob Devol
breton wrote:If you look at Figure 17 in the Gen3 assembly manual, you can see a black plate that's pop riveted over this area. We cut out a piece of aluminum in roughly this shape and covered in the same manner.


I saw that but it's not mentioned as an assembly step in the manual.