I'm having some custom wood side panels made for my GS/3, and I know certain purveyors (like Clive Coffee) advertise their panels come with "fiberglass insulation" on the inside, to protect from heat damage.

Is this some sort of super-secret engineered coating, or a standard fiberglass insulating sheet I can purchase at my local hardware store?

Specific to the GS/3, each factory side panel is actually two pieces: a sheet-metal insert, and the outer plastic cover. If I am replacing the outer cover with a custom wood piece, is it still necessary to use the inner sheet-metal insert? Does the insert provide any heat protection? (See picture below for depiction of insert.)

Not sure about the custom wood panels...I had glass ones made, and there is no protection needed.



I would think that wood could discolor over time with the heat, especially depending on the type of wood and the finish you put on it. I don't think the metal inserts would really help much since metal really conducts heat well. Why not have some glass ones made?

Rob