Spokerider wrote:
Is this heat coming from the transmission, or a combo of the trans, exhaust pipe and engine heat hitting the firewall?
combo of the trans, exhaust pipe and engine heat hitting the firewall, along with radiant heat from the environment around you ... direct sunlight being a major culprit.Steel does a great job of transmitting heat, and with all insulation removed, you're stuck with it.
I've come home from mid summer drives with burns on my legs from touching the tunnel.
You could possibly do a few mods that would reduce it a bit, like some heat shields over the exhaust etc.
Shields however produce almost as many issues as they are tried to solve, like mud collection, grass and leaf build up ... which results in more heat, in the form of a nice little campfire under and around you.
There have been a variety of spray on products around, but generally, no matter how good the preparation, when it comes right down to it, different materials move around at differing rates, and they inevitably result in moisture buildup and rust.
I mostly resorted to an assortment of jute bags and rubber mats.
In nearly half a century of offroading, the only satisfactory answer I could come up with was the factory fitted insulation. The best I ever had was my '81 Nissan Patrol G61. All interior floor mats and (padded) lining were held in with press studs.
I'm over all that now, been there done that got the Tee shirt ... and lost it again ... got all sooky and am now happy/content with my tin box Vitara, with it's carpet like interior and air con. You young blokes can do the really rough stuff now and I'll sit back and look at the pictures!
Hey Aron....With Spokey being in Canada, he might have a different point of view regarding passengers wearing thongs 
