General TR Foam in the frame

[tinman58]

I was looking at the Ratco web site and they offer a foam insolation on the inside of the frames.
Sounds like a good idea, What do you think?

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Scares me - potential moisture trap!

 

[justin_mercier]

You have to use foam that's specifically designed for the use in cars, aka a closed cell high density poly foam that does not trap moisture. many modern cars have foam used as a sound deadener and stiffener in their unibodies.

 

[Don Elliott]

Dan - My frame is the original one from 1958. I sprayed "WAX-OYL" into the frame in 1998 when I started my restoration. Since 1990, when it was back on the road, I've driven 112,000 miles. I would guess that less than 4,000 miles were in the rain. It has never seen snow or slush since 1990. How many times do you think you will drive in the rain etc. during the next 40 years ? My frame is still like new. DON"T GO FOR THE FOAM !

 

[tinman58]

Thanks All.
No foam in the frame. I, I mean my Wife, won't be driving in the rain very much at all. In the five years with the TR3 only once did we get in the rain. The car dried out nice in the garage.

 

[Andrew Mace]

You have to use foam that's specifically designed for the use in cars, aka a closed cell high density poly foam that does not trap moisture. many modern cars have foam used as a sound deadener and stiffener in their unibodies.

Even something like that I'm not sure I'd be comfortable about. After all, there were an awful lot of cars here in the Northeast that had Ziebart or Rusty Jones rustproofing done on them when new, and...uh...to say it didn't really help would be an understatement!

 

[PeterK]

Up here in the NortheEast, it's the road salt in the winter that gets the cars, not the water. Even the best road draft tube can't keep up with the salty mixture on the roads in winter. And back then, people drove in the winter, rain, and all inclement weather without a second thought.

 

[TomMull]

many modern cars have foam used as a sound deadener and stiffener in their unibodies.

I know that composite box beams e.g. glass fiber, are much stiffer with a foam core also, and I wonder whether a foam core would add anything to a steel box beam. The original Triumph frames are not all that stiff. My gut feeling, based on nothing at all really, says of course not. Any MEs or others knowledgeable care to comment? Tom

 

[poolboy]

Foam is a lightweight way to stiffen a frame or anything that it can be sandwiched between.. I don't know if Boston Whaler still uses the process but foam between 2 layers of F/G made for a light and really strong bay boat.
What does RATCO claim to be the advantage ?

 

[bobh]

I would be concerned about trapping moisture or any existing rust. I suspect Ratco applies the foam before the frame sees any water. So they are sealing a virgin frame.

I tried an experiment with a Harbor Freight $19.99 red plastic creeper and a can of Great Stuff. The idea was to stiffen the creeper by injecting foam. It didn't work. The creaper is still quite flexible. Part of the problem may have been the red material used to make the creeper. I doubt the Great Stuff bonded to it.
When Whaler builds their boats they lay up the hull and the deck then bring them together and inject the foam. The fiberglass is still somewhat wet when they mate these. They hold the the hull and deck together under very high pressure while the foam sets. This method is supposed to create a strong bond between the fiberglass and the foam.
Vert strong, lightweight ans unsinkalbe. I pounded a 17" Montauk in rough seas out of Canaveral one day. Zero damage.

 

[pdplot]

I had one of those back in the 1970s. Bought boat, 35 hp Evinrude & trailer for $2,500.00. Great in a following sea unlike a 16' Thompson it replaced. Owned it for about 5 years, then sold the rig for the same price. That same rig today might cost $15K. I should have hung onto it - like all my old cars. (sigh)...

 

[Trevor Triumph]

Watching a friend cut rusted chunks of metal out of his Mini is evidence to avoid foam. Granted the car is forty years old. I bet it seemed like a good idea at the time.

T.T.