Foam stuffing of the frame to decrease rust and increase strength
- Thread starter gman1958
- Start date
That's a great way to encourage rust and eventually decrease strength.
I think this has got to be one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard, I’ll say that much 
Caught in a landslide
Depends. If you could ensure that the frame interior is corrosion free, then yes, it is very possible to fill it with a high strength two part structural foam and both decrease the likelihood of corrosion and increase rigidity a fair bit. That is a very common solution for windshield frames and similar when the OEM wants to increase structural rigidity without adding a whole bunch of weight.
https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/au...tiffen engineering,in pillars and lower rails.
https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/au...tiffen engineering,in pillars and lower rails.
Why, I have run tests that prove a significant increase in strength and stiffness. I don't sale the product, just a researcher.I think this has got to be one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard, I’ll say that much
what if it is an old jeep that has all the issues of rust in the frame. If you could dry the inside of the frame, I dont think I can get the rust out, I would think it would degrade rust. I might run some tests to prove or disprove the theory. The increase in strength with just 8 lb/ft foam closed cell is pretty impressive.
I base this on my observations of Great Stuff expanding foam sometimes seen on Craigslist.
However, Blaine's bit of lyricism provides a good roadmap for how one might do what you want to do.
Okay, on a brand new frame that is 100% rust free and has never left the factory floor, then I could get behind what you are talking about. The problem is that 99.9% of TJs are not like this. They have rust or corrosion building up inside the frame, and trapping it in there is only going to do more harm than good.
I thought you were asking a question. Tell us more about your tests.
Foam is not a sealant, it is a trap. Any shit that will get into the foam, or between the foam and metal will sit there and rot... which will eventually lead to exactly opposite.
Test data is there, entire Jeep section of craigslist from salt belt of the US continent, and winter roads of Eastern Europe.
...But as someone once said - not my circus, not my monkey.
even if it were brand new, acid etched, primed, painted and sealed it still wont stop rust. being a airframe mech. for over 30 yrs i've seen many things done to try to prevent corrosion. paints, sealers, rubber foam and combinations of these. the problem is if / when ( and it will) moisture gets in it's worse than without these being done. fluid film worked good but would wear / wash off, then we started using cor-ban 35 and had to reapply it about every 4-6 years. the problem would be if you sprayed foam inside a clean frame it will hold any moisture, even just that from condensation, inside and not allow it to air dry. many here swear by fluid film, but if your frame has never had it applied use cor-ban 35 instead and after if you still want you can use fluid film, a waste but you can
I filled a frame with close cell foam back when I worked for the Corps. From a strength and stiffness perspective it works. Foam will go up to 40 lb/ft ^3. Even at 10 lb/ft^3 we saw significant improvements. Reading the reply's I understand some of the concerns and will test for it. Closed cell foam really does not hold much water if any. The idea that trapped water or existing rust would work its way through the metal is not what I looked at. I think I could dry out the frame before filling with foam, but the existing rust is a tough issue. I guess I could construct a test for that to simulate years in a short period of time.
Thanks, Right now I guess the solution is to insure drain holes are not plugged or drill the frames where they don't exist.
If I lived in the rust belt, I would pull the frame after all my mods to it and get it hot dipped galvanized and never look back.
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