Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:57:44 -0400
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: mystery vents
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I have a 62 beetle on a 72 pan, that was bastardized 18 ways to Sunday. It has had expanding foam squirted into many places. Every single one of those places, is rotted completely through, from the inside out. If water gets into it, it won't be able to escape. It has millions of little porous holes in it, and it seems to act like a sponge. It is not designed, sold or advertised as being useful for automotive use, so why would you think it's good for this? It's what they're NOT telling you, that's important to know.
Yes, it is used around doors and windows of your home, to fill the small crevices that would be otherwise difficult to slip a full-depth piece of fiberglass insulation batting. The fiberglass batts will also absorb and hold moisture. If water gets inside your house's walls anywhere, including near the doors and windows, you've got BIG problems. Mold, rotted wood, water stains coming thru the drywall or plaster, etc. The area INSIDE your walls will NEVER get wet, if it's been built properly in the first place. If it's not built properly, it's only a matter of time before it starts degrading until it's totally destroyed by water damage and mold. A car body is a completely different animal
On the early beetles, the triangular area behind the the rear side window was stuffed with a sewn pillow to act as a sound 'muffler'. It prevented engine sound from being transmitted into the passenger compartment. I pulled these out of my '59 euro sunroof bug when I stripped it completely down for a total, body-off restoration. On later bugs, the VW factory decided to use expanding foam in this spot. You have to dig it all out somehow, because it 'glues' in the wiring harness that passes thru this area. I have seen many otherwise clean, rust-free bugs with this area rotted completely thru, due to this type of foam. Even the Vanagon Westy, uses fiberglass insulation in the sides of the body, and they always rot around the hook-ups, from water getting into the body panels, soaking the fiberglass, and then it has no way to dry out.
I speak from personal experience here. What other people have good input to say on this subject? Do what you want, but remember what I told you, I don't believe it's a good idea. The stick-on matt is better, the foil-sided plastic bubblewrap is probably the best. Both of these types of sound deadening insulation have been discussed at great length in the vanagonlist.
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: Woody Halsey
To: John Bange
Cc: Mike ; Mike Collum ; Mike S
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2008 7:13 AM
Subject: RE: Re: mystery vents
Thanks, John. My comments below....
And thanks, too, to the three Mikes for their advice.
I am now worried about Mike B's comment about "Great Stuff" expanding foam holding moisture. Others on The List have recommended it for insulating V'gons. I assumed that it was water proof and would NOT absorb anything. If it does, why do we use it around our window frames and other openings in our houses? I have already used some in the lower areas of the walls of the cargo area; and I was going to fill the lowest cavity of the front doors with it today;
but I will limit myself to the "Peel and Seal" until I do some further research on the foam.
And the drainage ports on the hatch will stay open!
Thanks again, to all.
Woody
83.5 V'gon
Haverhill, MA
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