The Cal-look Lounge

Does anyone know what type urethane was used by the VW Factory (or something similar to what was used) to seal the voids between the engine compartment and the roof line.  When chopping a top you end up cutting all the insulation out so it does not catch fire when re-welding the roof sections.  My car sounds like I am riding in the engine compartment and I want to seal the area off (like the factory did originally) so the noise level is tolerable.

Any suggestions on what type and density of urethane to use?

Rick Mortensen

There was a guy selling those reproduction pillar pillows on thesamba.com, but I could not locate them.

Here are some originals for sale:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1204191

Also, some threads on the subject:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=381997&highlight=noise+pillar
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=448813&highlight=pillows
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=296277&highlight=pillows

If you decide to make them yourself just make sure that they will not absorb water and cause rust problems down the road.  In fact in one of those threads Bruce mentions that the late beetles made in Mexico just used foam in some plastic zip lock to keep the moisture out.  That may be a cheap alternative.

I located the ad for you....
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=754267
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/535601.jpg

You may want to get in touch with this seller to see if there are any still available or what material he used.

I bet those would make a fair bit of difference, especially in an IDA powered car. I insulated the crap out of AssHull's '67, and it was still ridiculously loud. I would be worried about them being a moisture trap though.

Looks like I will be sewing up some pillows and trying them out.  The IDA noise is louder than I remember. Been awhile since I had them on a motor.

Rick M

    Hi Rick , Hope you have better luck then I did , I stuffed the void full of rolled up shop towels, followed up with the pillows to no avail , but then again I always had solid mounts, we all know how that goes, most commonly spoken word in the car is .....WHAT!!!!     If I had it to do over again I would try expanding foam , prior to installing the headliner , its messy stuff!!!   Good luck         

Jeez Keith, when I had the chop-top, I'd never seen anyone take such desperate measures to make it quieter inside!  ;D ;D ;D

There was horsehair padding behind the trim panels, under the rear carpets and behind the headlining. But its was still as noisy as hell! Gotta love solid mounts, right? :D :D

     I never wanted wheel hop , and I never had wheel hop. Solid mounts forever. Probably contributed to some hearing loss though.     :D

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/85/859df94b-f6d2-452e-81af-42704da59b63_300.jpg (http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/85/859df94b-f6d2-452e-81af-42704da59b63_300.jpg)

That's great stuff for certain apps but not the first thing I'd recommend in those cavities. The late cars had that squirted up in there. Up here where it's wet all of those cars rust out real bad there. Not a kind fix, either. I suggest making a bag out of some nylon or polyester and stuffing it with fiberfil, the polyester they use in pillows and such. It won't retain moisture (much). And you can get it in most fabric shops.

Pardon? Say what? :-*

My theory is that the cars with urethane foam insulation in the C-pillars rust out there because of condensation that runs off the roof panel. It is because it's warm and damp inside the car from rain, water leaks, exhaled breath etc, and the roof gets cold on the outside after dark. Biggest cause of rust in California cars too, they rust out around the roof seams on Chevy's and others as well. Anywhere there are hot, humid days and cold nights this can occur. True, the foam acts as a dam and retains the water, which will eventually lead to rust through, but it is not the main cause.
I believe if you insulate the inside of the roof panel with Dynomat, or some other form of insulation, the condensation will not form and the rust will no longer be an issue.
So, if it's a street car and you are not putting it on a race car diet, why not insulate the roof, and fill the C-pillars with expanding foam.
Combined the two will add a lot of sound deadening.

Heck....I live in Arizona where the humidity is 20 percent or lower at times.  My car is garaged all the time and rarely outside in any inclement weather.  I ran urethane mounts this time and forgot about noise.   I like the sound of the motor and carbs.  The Mrs will not ride with me as it gives her a headache.  So, I guess I will buy her some BOSE headphones for cruize nights.  :-)

Rick M

       Rick, next project , hot VW for the Mrs.    There I go making trouble again       ;D ;D ;D

SoCalLife,

She already has me buying tubing for another Off Road Car.  She likes off roading and will put up with the dirt and rush of the wind in her face.  I guess I can be thankful for her interest in some motor sports.

Rick M