Heat shield to prevent paint yellowing on rockers

**timberwolf** · 05-11-2015

Hey guys!
I ordered up some insulation to help protect the rockers from the notorious paint yellowing from the cats. I'll do high flow cats at some point, but wanted to prevent damage as much as possible.
What I discovered is that the factory has a heat shield already epoxied to the rocker, so I couldn't apply the shield to the entire rocker, but at least I got the areas closest to the cats and exhaust tips. If the mufflers melt the paint, so be it. But the lion's share of the heat comes from the cats.
Since this stuff has some weight to it, I also didn't want to overdo it adding ballast to the car unnecessarily. I got extra in case I do the foot well and perhaps behind the seats and trunk area. We'll see.

I ordered sheets of Cool It Therma Tec from Summit Racing in 24"x36" sheets. These sheets came rolled up, so I placed them on the roof of my shop for a bit to let them flatten out.
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If you attempt this project in your home garage, I recommend jacking the car from the rear and removing your rear wheel. You will need to remove all the screws in the front and rear wheel wells, 3 screws and rubber hood locator block under hood, and bolts that hold the skirt from underneath. You will also want to remove the two bolts that hold the rear wheel well liner as the skirt is attached to the rear quarter panel by two hidden screws accessed from behind the wheel well liner. Most annoying part.

Lastly you need to unscrew the 4 screws that hold the rocker from inside the door sill. I used a movers blanket to to prevent any damage to the rocker, in addition to the Xpel film that's already there. When reinstalling, I recommend using some painters tape in the door sill area to avoid scratching exposed paint.
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Then there are all the pebbles. The Corsas are like nerds who collect rocks. I swear the car will eventually gain weight in it's life, just in pebbles tossed up in hidden crevices. SMH...
I cleaned the targeted areas with isopropyl alcohol several times and lined up my precut pieces ensuring that the problem areas exposed to the cats were amply shielded.
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I ended up doubling up in the critical area just as a precaution.
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**timberwolf** · 05-11-2015

Final product
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After a spirited drive, I felt the rockers and already noticed a difference. The passenger side did seem hotter than the driver's side. Not sure why. I'll keep you guys posted on the any paint or Clear Bra issues. Hopefully I get some ARH and high flow cats before then!

Thanks,

Greg