seam sealer?

trying to get a few low budget things done on van - same old story have time but not much $$ - would like to quiet some of the rattle caused by ribs vibrating against sides and top - so is seam sealer the right product to use and is there any reason not to - tips ? oo3

I always use spray foam.

I stuck seam sealer in the gaps on mine ,it seems to do okay, and doesnt smell nasty like silicone curing. VB do you use that low expanding stuff then?

yes, the low expanding foam. Have used it for a long time.

i'm with mike that is what i used. the seam filler did not appear that it would hold them togather as well . you can use a good urathane caulking . not a laytex i wanted something to keep the panel from moving.

I would be concerned with the foam holding moisture. There was a thread on sealers and the 3M seam sealer was given good marks.

I never had an issue with the foam. It really quietens things down.

is this safe then?

Dude you can't go wrong with the silicone seam sealer. Works great and lasts forever. As long as you can strip everything down or cover it well as it is SUPER messy. My van is loud as $hit and rattles, but it's a lot less since I squirted that stuff between the supports and panels.

beanses wrote:

is this safe then?

No not the big gap filler. That stuff will expand all over the place and could warp the body. You need the low expanding type for small gaps.

I just used 3m fast and firm seam sealer between all sheetmetal and
supports, side and roof. used a stiff puddy knife to force the skin off of
the supports a little and squeezed in the sealer then let the skin return to
original position, all rattles are gones.

i know there were discussions on the board as to the possible effects of different types of insulation and water retention etc - i have not done enough investigating on this subject - i am therefore at this point hesitant to use a foam product in this climate - the gulf south were humidity is over the top - i will pick up a tube of seam seal and have a go at it - thanks - oo3

smart choice, you don`t need a sponge between all that sheet metal.

There is a goop for bonding body pannels. Sometimes refered to as "Hood glue". I know its availible at parts jobers in the body suplies department. It used mainly for glueing new hood and trunk skins and door skins to the frame you see undernieth. It drys to a rubber like blob ,dosn't expand or obsorb moisture, not affected by heat gas or oil.
Here is one example.
http://www.detailandstripes.com/panel-adhesive.html

Roman< my van was noisy as $%!^ to untill I replaced the door rubbers and adjusted the stop blocks and greased all the linkage joints inside the doors. That alone made it so I no longer had to yell to the person in the passanger seat.

M1D

sounds better than the seam sealer, let us know how well it works
and how easy it is to work with.

m1dadio wrote:There is a goop for bonding body pannels. Sometimes refered to as "Hood glue". I know its availible at parts jobers in the body suplies department. It used mainly for glueing new hood and trunk skins and door skins to the frame you see undernieth. It drys to a rubber like blob ,dosn't expand or obsorb moisture, not affected by heat gas or oil.
Here is one example.
http://www.detailandstripes.com/panel-adhesive.html

Roman< my van was noisy as $%!^ to untill I replaced the door rubbers and adjusted the stop blocks and greased all the linkage joints inside the doors. That alone made it so I no longer had to yell to the person in the passanger seat.

M1D

Right on M, thanks for the tips. I already have two boxes of complete rubber replacement parts. I have to replace my hinge pins and never thought about the linkage joints rattling around in there. Now I just have to figure out how to teach a 7 mo. old baby girl how to watch herself...

I've been driving with no door fuzzies at all and that is too much noise!! Not to mention hard on the glass.

Hey Roman, Where did you get your door rubbers from? Do you like the quality of them? I need to place an order.

after being side tracked i finally did the seam seal - mark this up to another project i should have done a long time ago - not hard to do, not expensive and a noticeable improvement - the van has never been so quiet at a stoplight - if i did it again i would cut a smaller tip hole on the caulk tube - now i really notice the squeak and rattle in the rear doors as i drive down the freeway - oo3

funny how that works, the loudest squeak gets all the attention,
and or rattle for that matter.