I recently bought a '85 GS. It's in fair shape, but like many cars here in Ont. it has some underbody rust. The heatshields that surround the exhaust system are pretty much rotted away, especially the one that goes around the muffler, which, incidentally, is next to the gas tank. My question is this...is it safe to drive the car without the shields, or am I going to become the victim of a fiery explosion? Also, are the shields available anywhere on the aftermarket, or what home-built solutions have others come up with? Since these are very lightweight sheetmetal, I'll bet that rusting out is a common problem. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

well, i haven't had any on any of my cars. not cause they rusted off, but cause once i pull them to get to something they stay off. never had any problems at all.

 

Ditto, not a problem with mine either, haven't taken them off of my new rex yet.

 

If you were in The South I would say you need 'em, but up on Canadia they're pretty useless.

Although, the last time I was up in W. Canada they had a heat wave -- killed dozens of people. Meanwhile, I had my jacket on and was shivering.

 

Upper heat shields insulate the interior of the car, and lower heat shields also prevent exhaust from igniting Grass when the car is parked. They are still available.

 

I keep them on if they are not rusted out Or if it just takes a few minutes to put them back on.

They help keep heat down, protect the car some, and most important cut down on noise.

But if I strip the bolts or tear them up when removing then I dont worry about it, and just throw them in the junk pile.

 

same here

 

I took all of mine off. They are an absolute pain when you are working under the car. Rust and dirt gets in your eyes, they are always in the way, and they never go back on right once you get them off. I haven't noticed any ill effects since I have had mine off. The car is a little louder inside, but I enjoy the sporty sound.

 

I had been wondering this too. I'm going to leave them off as well. My car will primarily be a autox/track car so I don't care about noise.

 

i'd keep the ones around the fuel tank the rest are just extra weight