Fibreglass rear panel and exhausts????

[Jammo]

Hi All,
anyone experienced with fibreglass panels?????
I have just fitted a fibreglass yellowbird rear bumper/panel and was looking for advice on how safe this is as it runs pretty close to the exhaust system - is fibreglass safe with heat near to it? Will it melt or worse still, catch fire?
I could wrap the muffler but was wondering if indeed the exhaust heat could cause problems with the panel.
As always, any info / advice greatly appreciated.
Regards

Jammo.

[cdrik915]

You should use a heat protector screen , an aluminium reflector you've just to stick (pre-stuck) .

Anyway , the fiberglass not burns but the paint could not like the heat if the exhaust is really closed to the bumper.

[Mr.Puff]

How did you connect the bumper? I have a rear RSR I need to attach.

[AFCuk]

Originally Posted by Mr.Puff

How did you connect the bumper? I have a rear RSR I need to attach.

I,ll see if i can dig some photos out of my fit.

As for the heat i used the sticky heat sheild stuff, works well with no problems over the last 2 years with paint peel.

[Jammo]

Originally Posted by Mr.Puff

How did you connect the bumper? I have a rear RSR I need to attach.

Hi Mr Puff,
I attached the rear bumper to the original fixings (holes) on both sides at the rear side fenders then when mated up I fixed it to the panel under the rear reflector and bolted all the way round with 8mm bolts, nuts and large washers - great fit and rock solid.
Regards

Jammo.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Jammo

Hi All,
anyone experienced with fibreglass panels?????
I have just fitted a fibreglass yellowbird rear bumper/panel and was looking for advice on how safe this is as it runs pretty close to the exhaust system - is fibreglass safe with heat near to it? Will it melt or worse still, catch fire?
I could wrap the muffler but was wondering if indeed the exhaust heat could cause problems with the panel.
As always, any info / advice greatly appreciated.
Regards

Jammo.

I've never had a problem, leave at least a 1/4" gap and you'll be ok.

[RarlyL8]

I run a fiberglass bumper on my turbo. Leave a good air gap as Bill stated and you should have no issues. My turbocharger gets damned hot the few times I've had it at the track but so far no melted paint or saggy fiberglass.

[Reaper930]

Gold or silver foil or heat shielding will work just fine. I run the gold foil for lightness but the mat from JC Whitney is much more cost effective and only slightly heavier.

[m110]

I had a customer once who bubbled his paint a few times and got tired of repainting the bumper. It was a non-factory turbo. It got damn hot. We put a thin asbestos mat on the muffler body and it worked great. As reaper930 mentions, any kind of heat shield would work fine. Some people use a piece of sheet metal as a heat sink between the muffler and bumper that just spreads out the heat over a bigger surface area kinda like a radiator.

[dlague]

On my 73 with the fiberglass bumper and Bursch exhaust, I put a piece of aluminum sheet on the center section of the bumper. I used couple of pop rivets in the bottom and fiber glassed the ends in place. It has worked well. Previously I was getting some distortion in the bumper.