Bulkhead Insulation

[nickwilliams]

Next stage in the 90 re-build is to sort out the bulkhead. Prior to starting to cut out the rusty parts and weld in some new bits, I've just steam cleaned it. I've also peeled off the silver foil backed rubber cladding from around the transmission tunnel. My question is will it be worth bothering to put the cladding back on once the welding is done?

The vehicle is destined to be a farm runabout when it's back in one piece. I won't say that it will never be used for a long journey but it won't be a regular occurrence. I'm therefore not bothered about noise, and heat in the cabin is very unlikely to be a problem (quite the reverse - it would be nice if the damn thing was a bit hotter in cold weather!) The question is whether the insulation serves any useful engineering purpose (stops the fuse box getting too hot for instance) in which case I will put it back, or if it's just there for passenger comfort (in which case I won't).

All comments and advice welcome. (Well, almost all.)

Nick.

[Quagmire]

My old B-reg 90 has no silver insulation on it anywhere... That seems to be fine, even with the v8 in.

Others may disagree, but if you can live without it I wouldnt bother putting it back on- as far as i am concerned its just another thing to hold mud, salt and water against the bulkhead.

Mine has no carpets or rubber mats inside either, just like in my series 2. When it leaks it all gets wet, but as soon as it warms up it all dries off again It did have some rudimentary sound proofing stuff when i got it, but that was just holding the rusty footwells together.

Can be loud on the motorway though.

[Guppy]

Like Quagmire said!

It's a Defender - therefore if there's something attached that's not 100% dedicated to either a) making it go, b) making it stop or c) going around corners - then it's officially an optional extra.