Regarding the asbestos heat shields... When I purchased my 'D' the heat shields were a little rough .. (okay the big flat one had a hole in it, the catalytic one was a little frayed...) the edges were indeed hard, but in the center, by the pulley where the hole was ... they were soft ... quite possible from water.. Anyway, I purchased both heat shields from DMC Houston, the catalytic on was the same asbestos material, but the other was a different, thinner, stiffer, metallic-looking material. Don't know what it was though (James??) ... but I like it.... Michael.Fischer@xxxx Manager, Software Development, Dittybase Inc. www.dittybase.com