Alternator heat sheild?

[endeffect0]

I bought a 95 talon tsi about six months ago and I'v been slowly trying to get this thing back on the road after doing a complete six bolt swap but I keep running into lots of small problems.
This time my alternator is cooked. I went through some of the service records that came with the car and the dude before me had replaced the alternator at least 4 different times and even twice in the same year. I'm thinking this is because the thing just about touches the o2 housing and the down pipe. same with the oil filter, I'm using a miata one at the moment because the tiny stock one is too big...

I really want to avoid cooking another one of these alternators because im just about out of cash to put into this car. has any one ever tried to put a heat shield between the alternator and the down pipe? If i were able to mount a sheet metal shield between the downpipe and the alternator would that help at all or would that just get hot enough to not make a difference... any thoughts?

 

[architechnik]

As far as material, what kind of metals would work the best for fabbing up a new sheild?
I can get my hands on both some sheet steel and aluminum, which there is about a 4:1 weight difference with the same thickness. They're both 3' x 3' at about $20.

 

[Defiant]

Aluminum will shed the heat more quickly. Stainless will get hot and stay hot.
For greatest effectiveness as a shield, polish the side facing the heat, and paint the cool side flat black.