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| 8 & 10 cyl Bristol cars Type 407 onwards - restoration, repair, maintenance etc |
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01-05-22, 11:02 PM
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408: A lot of heat coming through the firewall.
I get a lot of heat from the firewall. The last owner added insulation inside the car but I am wondering what else I might do to cool the engine compartment. The car left the factory with no valance under the front end as shown in the first photo.
A previous owner fitted a metal tray to mine to hide the visible suspension and smooth airflow, I suppose. Might it help cool the engine bay if I take it off? Also, did the car leave the factory with a rubber seal along the rear edge of the bonnet opening? Mine has a nice new aftermarket seal fitted and I wondered about removing it to let air leak out from the engine compartment there? Thanks for any thoughts. David 
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03-05-22, 02:49 AM
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I guess if it's not too difficult to remove the tray it's got to be worth a try..will have a look and see what I've got on rear edge of bonnet opening but the more you can do to let heat out the better. How bad is it? I had a '62 Thunderbird that had heat soak problems and it made life very uncomfortable in all but the coldest weather ...never really got a completely satisfactory solution..
Andrew
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03-05-22, 10:10 AM
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Quote:
I wondered about maybe cutting some holes in the panels between the engine compartment and the wheel wells but I don't know enough about the aerodynamics of the car to be sure it wouldn't make things worse. Aston Martins of that vintage had louvred panels there. David
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03-05-22, 12:05 PM
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Just a thought and not trying to send you off on a wild goose chase but I thought I had heat soak issues early on in my ownership of this car but sorting out which vents were open - and what heater controls were doing what has made the problem vanish - I didn't do the work myself but I can ask the fellow that did. The control knobs were swapped over and when it said everything was off - it wasn't!
I've still got a bit too much fresh air on drivers side - but I can live with that. Quote:
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04-05-22, 02:52 PM
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Yes, to jump on a bandwagon - I had this too and the heater was constantly on. Drove from England to France in July and it was a bit of sauna.
If it's coming out from the heater, I'd check that the heater valve is working (not constantly on) and that the heater flaps are opening and closing. You can also take the heater apart and check that the seals on it do close properly. If you are refurbishing it, the heater core is I think the same as one of the sprites.
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05-05-22, 09:45 AM
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Hot Firewall and legs!
When I first bought my 407 the heat in the passenger footwell was horrendous, so much so my wife hated it! I then spent quite a bit on heatproofing the firewall and floor, it made a difference but not much. I flushed the radiator, a little more difference. Boiling in traffic was also a problem, the name kettle suited it well. I upped the % of antifreeze, this at least reduced the boiling but not the temperature . I read that the cabin cooing was only effective if the rear windows were open, that also helped. The fans were ok. I then, through another member, had the radiator exchanged for a rebuilt one which was thicker than mine by about 1/2 inch. Bingo, no more overheating, temperature remains 85 degrees whilst motor is running and I have just completed a 1,200 mile trip to Cornwall and 3 days tulip rally then back to Suffolk via Bristol staying in the Hotel Bristol! No problems at all, cruising on motorway at around 75mph at which the Bristol feels at home.
I have owned it for 23 years now and having fitted power steering a couple of years ago find it the the ideal car for a 78 year old one legged old git to be driving. Happy motoring!
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06-05-22, 11:12 AM
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The 408 has a water valve to shut off the hot coolant going to the heater but, even though the valve is in the closed position, both the input and output hoses for the heater are the same temperature of approximately 140F after a run. Am I right in thinking that means the heater valve is not fully closing and letting hot coolant circulate through the heater?
David --
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06-05-22, 02:38 PM
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Yes...you could try just connecting the two together - bypassing the heater matrix and going for another drive....I checked with my fellow he felt the main problem with mine was cable related but I did put on a new valve as well. The old one was not great.
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06-05-22, 02:48 PM
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I had the same problem with a Jensen CV8 with a 6.3 engine. Apart from fitting heat insulators under the carpet I also had the exhaust wrapped in heatproof tape. (You can do the manifolds as well) This keeps down the air temperature in the engine bay.
Also I installed a Delta fan controller which prevents the engine from getting too hot in the first place. Auto Cooling Additionally it dealt with the occasional fuel vaporisation problem on really hot days and must help to provide desirable cooler air to the carb intake. Try Summit for parts and advice https://www.summitracing.com/ Let us know how you get on.
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