21 MAY 2009
HELLO LIST, PART ONE OF THREE
ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I STARTED READING THE LISTS DAILY
CONVERSATIONS ON THE SUBJECT I FIND SO DEAR AND BECAUSE I AM A VENDOR TO THE
TRADE I HAVE NOT ADDED MY TWO CENTS FOR FEAR OF COMING ACROSS AS SELF
SERVING. I OWN RATCO THE FRAME MANUFACTURER AND TODAY'S DISCUSSION ON FOAM
FILL THE FRAME GOT ME GOING. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOAM FILL FOR ALL PREPARED
FRAMES WHETHER NEW OR OLD AND HERE'S WHY.
FIRST LET IT BE KNOWN THAT MOST ALL CARS TODAY HAVING
CHASSIS STRUCTURES ARE FOAM FILLED. MY CROSS FIRE MADE BY MERCEDES HAD ITS
FRAME FOAM FILLED AS WELL AS THE BODY PANELS. THE CORVETTE IS FOAM FILLED
IN MANY AREAS SO ARE PORSCHE CARS AND MANY OTHERS. MY NEW FORD EDGE HAS A
CHASSIS AND IT IS ENTIRELY FOAM FILLED. TO DISPEL A MYTH, THE FOAMS OF TODAY
ARE NOT THE FOAMS OF YESTERDAY. THEY ARE MUCH BETTER AT DOING THERE INTENDED
TASK AND THAT IS TO KEEP EVERYTHING OUT OF THE CAVITIES (INCLUDING WATER)
AND SOUND DEADEN THE CHASSIS AGAINST ROAD AND DRIVE TRAIN NOISE. MY TR250
HAS FOAM FILL IN THE CHASSIS, THE SILLS, THE A AND B POSTS AND THE SPACE
BETWEEN THE LOWER FRONT FENDER AND THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. I ADD FOAM
FILLING TO THE LIST OF GOOD IDEAS THAT HAS MADE MY TR SO AMAZING A CAR.
I JUST DIDN'T TAKE THE LEAD OF THE ENGINEERS AT THE MAJOR
AUTO COMPANIES, I DID MY OWN TESTING. I BOUGHT MANY TYPES OF FOAMS AND
APPLIED THEM TO APPLICATIONS WE FIND IN AUTO RESTORATION. I FILLED SECTIONS
OF TUBING AND THEN SUBMERGED THEM IN WATER AND THEY WEIGHED THE SAME WHEN
THEY CAME OUT AS WHEN THEY WENT IN (SOME FOR TWO WEEKS). I FILLED A 12 INCH
SECTION OF 3X3 BOX STEEL WITH FOAM ONLY HALF WAY AND THEN FILLED THE REST OF
THE CAVITY WITH WATER TO SEE IT FILTERED DOWN THE SIDES WHEN LEFT STANDING.
IT DID NOT! I WELDED BRACKETS TO SECTIONS OF THE FILLED TUBES TO SEE WHAT
WOULD HAPPEN IF REPAIRS HAD TO BE MADE AND FOUND THAT THE FOAM PULLED AWAY
FORM THE WELDED AREA BUT DID NOT FLAME AND DID NOT MELT. IT LEFT A POCKET
WHERE THE REPAIR WAS MADE ONLY. I SENT FILLED SECTIONS TO THE POWDER COATER
TO SEE IF THERE WOULD BE ANY DETRIMENT TO POWDER COATING A FOAM FILLED FRAME
AND FOUND THAT THERE IS NOT. THE FOAM STAYED IN PLACE AND DID NOT SHRINK.
THE FRAME SECTION WERE EXPOSED TO 400 F FOR 15 MINUTES AND ATTAINED A
SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF 355 DEGREES F. I SUBMERGED BALLS OF THE MATERIAL FOR
DAYS IN WATER AND THEY NEVER TOOK ON ANY WEIGHT. EVEN THE BALLS THAT I CUT
IN HALF WERE ONLY ACCEPTED WATER IN THE AREAS THAT WERE CUT AS THE CELLS
WERE THEN OPEN AT THAT POINT. THE WATER INFILTRATED THE SURFACE BY AT 1/8 TO
3/16 INCH AND SHOOK OUT EASILY AND LEFT THE REMAINING MATERIAL DRY. I DID
MANY OTHER TEST OVER A PERIOD OF A YEAR , SPOKE TO DOW CHEMICAL AND 3M
ENGINEERS AND CAME TO THIS CONCLUSION.
REFER TO
PART TWO FOR MORE TEXT
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