Help me make a starter heat shield from common hardware store supplies

I want to try putting something like this on my starter motor:

http://www.heatshieldproducts.com/automotive/component-specific-heat-shields/hp-starter-shield

But I can't buy that exact thing or anything that specialized. Now's a great opportunity for me to do it since the starter motor had to come off my engine today.

More inspiration (although I like the velcro, just in case the heat shield makes things worse):

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Electrical/Starter-Heat-Shield/_/N-269n

Stuff I know I can get:

• Aluminum tape

• Various fabrics

• Velcro

• I have some fiberglass exhaust wrap lying around

• Windshield sun reflectors

• Coroplast (got plenty now)

• Buttons and clasps

• Foam rubber pipe insulation

Edit: Here's my best plan right now. Enclose strips of fiberglass wrap in non-itchy fabric, cover one side in aluminum tape, apply velcro stickers and stitch it all together.

Problem: May retain water.

Velcro stickers will never hold in the heat of an engine bay. You're going to want something that has to be sewn/riveted on.

Yeah I would sew through them, I know the glue on those doesn't like heat.

If you can sandwich some of the fiberglass fabric between some thin sheet metal (stainless if you have it, Aluminum it you don't) and form the sandwich into a shield from the worst heat source, with an air gap on both sides, that will get you very good results. Adding some forced air blowing across the starter would be helpful too.

The blankets you linked to will reflect heat from outside (exhaust generally), but retain heat soaking in from the starter mounting flange on the engine/bellhousing. since air is really bad at conducting heat and a baffle is really good at blocking radiant heat, the best solution is something like the sandwich above. If you can insulate the starter from the engine (heat wise) that would reduce the conduction, but you would have to create an electrical bridge.

The two sources of heat you are fighting are: conduction and radiation.

Using actual sheet metal would make it really tricky to install, the starter assembly hugs the engine block on one side so the shield would have to conform, and there's no room for an air gap on that side...maybe fiberglass sandwiched with aluminum tape on both sides?

Maybe to maintain an air gap I could get some little stick-on studs of some kind to act as standoffs. Plastic bedazzling jewels maybe

Take .043 aluminum sheet. Loosely wrap around starter like you were manually making a coffee can so there is a bit of an air gap, overlap and pop rivet together. Leave it a little long. When you trim - cut it so you leave tabs on the winding end of the starter. Remove the 3 nuts that holds the end-plate on the starter. Fold the tabs to slip over the bolts. Drill. Slip on. Replace nuts. If your starter does not have these, use a hose clamp to capture the tabs.

On the other end... shove something malleable in there to keep it from rattling and driving you batE36 M3 and affix it with some sort of screw/rivet/etc.

What kind of car/engine is this? I had the problem of the starter not working when it got hot from the engine/exhaust manifold. This was a BB Chevy in a Suburban. I later replaced the starter with a new aftermarket one and never had a problem after that.

Get some of the insulation that looks like bubble wrap with tin foil on both sides. That stuff is fantastic. In this country, we can buy it at Lowes and Home Depot. I dunno about your little island.

You might be able to find an existing heat shield in the junkyard & have some good material to start the project with.

I know some BMWs have 2 or 3 layer aluminum heatshields underneath. I suppose lots of other makes do too.

Ive had good luck with this and the method that GPS described.

A piece of aluminum roof flashing with an airgap on each side should work, is the offending exhaust pipe/header wrapped?

Dr. Hess wrote: Get some of the insulation that looks like bubble wrap with tin foil on both sides. That stuff is fantastic. In this country, we can buy it at Lowes and Home Depot. I dunno about your little island.

I can get it by cutting up windshield sun reflectors.

The offending exhaust is wrapped but then I added oil and PS coolers...

I was checking out the fit yesterday and it almost mates flush with the block, using a solid material would be really tough.