Original Equipment Manufacture Firewalls & Cowl Panels

Firewall Insulators are made for the make, model and year of the car or truck specified. Most firewall insulators made between 1928 and the mid-1960s were constructed using an oil impregnated cardboard. Beginning in 1964 General Motors and Ford began using a rubber firewall insulator bonded to a thin layer of insulation. Black Vinyl rubber material has a smooth finish. This material can be heated and formed to match the contours of the steel firewalls their they cover.

After a number of years, these upholstery pads become dry and brittle and begin to disintegrate. Various owners may have installed after-market heaters, radios or other accessories so they may have "extra" non-factory holes. Some firewalls have welting sewn along the sides or bottom and others have a rubber "skirt" sewn along the bottom to cover the top of the floor mat or carpet. All of our patterns are based on out-of-the-car originals that someone has sent to us for duplication. Application: Restoration Vehicles, Street Rods and Customs.

Delivery:
If the pattern is one we already have, delivery is immediate.

Materials Used:
ABS plastic with a medium embossed leather grain. This material is easily formed with heat and duplicates the original look and texture exactly for cars built between 1928 and the mid-1960s. ABS plastic is very tough, yet flexible, and does not show scratches or scuffs. It can be easily dyed with a flat vinyl plastic spray paint.

Authenticity:
Not a single owner has reported a point loss in a concours judging competition as a result of installing one of our firewall insulators. We go to exacting lengths to ensure that each of our Ford products will look and fit just like the original.

Color:
With few exceptions, firewall insulators were black when they came from the factory. There were some exceptions in the General Motors product line from 1933 through 1941 in which the firewall insulators were a "mocha brown" color and in the mid-1950s, when some Oldsmobile firewalls were red, blue and green. There are some exceptions in the Chrysler product line from 1939 through 1948, in which the colors could be black, mocha brown, medium gray and fawn. Just a word about the "look" of your old firewall in comparison to a new one; a customer may note that the new firewall does not look the same as his original--because of the "sheen." The firewall in a car built in the 1930s or 40s is now at least 50 years old and is dirty and dingy. When it came off the assembly line, it was crisp, clean and sparkling.

Flat Firewall Insulators:
If it is a flat firewall, we make a template pattern for the archive and then reproduce the product with the same or similar insulation. This is relatively fast turn around.

Molded Firewall Insulators:
If the firewall insulator has a "hump" or depression in it to accommodate similar contours in the steel firewall of the vehicle, a mold must be made so that the ABS plastic can be vacuum formed to make a new firewall that will duplicate these contours. Once the forming has been completed, we make a template pattern for the archive, and then reproduce the product with the same or similar insulation. If you are sending us a new pattern, the construction of a mold can take as long as three months to build--so plan ahead.

Street Rods and Customs:
All of our firewall insulators can be ordered without holes or you can specify custom cutting and punching of the original holes for your specific vehicle to eliminate accessories like the heater for that “smoothie-look.” A layer of high-tech Quality Heat Shield can be added to a smoothie firewall insulator for extra performance since big engines in small spaces produce a lot of extra heat.

Punchouts:
Many firewalls have OEM “punch-outs” for special equipment. These special holes are marked or scribed on the surface of the cover—just like the original—so they are easily identified and drilled, or cut, for special equipment. Included with each firewall is an instruction card detailing procedures for installation and modification, should you need to drill a hole or use one of the punch-outs. We also include a piece of plastic to practice making a hole so you get the “feel” of the material.

Old vs. New:
Just a word about the “look” of your old firewall and a new one. We some times get a call from a customer saying that the new firewall does not look the same as his original—”its shiny.” The firewall in a car built in the 1930s or 40s is now at least 50 years old and is dirty and dingy. When it was fresh off the assembly line, it was crisp, clean and sparkling. The black firewalls we make can be “aged” by simply wiping them with a damp cloth soaked in an acrylic lacquer paint thinner—not turpentine. Wash the surface of the firewall evenly and let dry. It will take on a dull finish. Do not try this technique on any firewall other than the natural black.

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