The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Firewall pad for ’52 3100

Today I installed my firewall pad. I didn’t have to remove the steering column, but it was not easy. Aside from having to re-route five electrical wires, disconnecting the oil pressure line, draining the radiator, low enough to remove the temperature sensor bulb, temperature gauge line and vacuum hose for the wipers, I also had to remove the bracket for the cowl vent which stuck down too low. Doing so, also involved removing the ignition switch housing, as the cowl vent bracket and the ignition switch housing share the same mounting hardware where they both are attached to the lower dash, something I struggled with when I re-installed it.

I followed my original plan and sliced the pad where the main wire harness goes thru the firewall. It’s so high up on the firewall, nobody will ever see it anyway, and I was not going to cut and splice any of the harness. To get it over the steering column, I bent the pad. It was really tight but I was able to wiggle it into place. Once the pad was in place, I installed a couple of pad retainers to hold it until I check out the position of the pre-punched holes. They were not centered very well and I had to enlarge a few. It was easily accomplished using a Dremel with a barrel sanding attachment. Once I routed the removed lines thru the firewall and installed all of the grommets, I installed the remainder of the pad retainers. Most, I was able to install, but the two on the top center were way off. I ended up drilling new holes, a task not easily accomplished with padding between the firewall and the ABS plastic face. So I wouldn’t wrap the padding up in the drill bit, I drilled a tiny hole from the engine side then used a drill slightly larger than the firewall hole, drilling from the inside. The bit still grabbed the padding, but I was able to stop before I did any real damage. It took me almost four hours.

It looks great and a 15 mile test drive proved, that I accomplished what I had set out to. At full engine temperature it’s allot cooler in the cab and it’s also, allot quieter.

Aside from a having a bit of back pain from having to contort myself in ways the human body was never meant to be contorted, I’m very happy with the results.