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- Thread starter
- #82
What kind of adhesive do you use? On one hand you need it to stick. So you want something tacky.
But conversely you don't want to trap all the dust on the adhesive.
Or is there no way around this?
- Thread starter
- #84
@Wayne Jacobs not a bad idea. I am checking out a fabric store tonight. If that doesn't pan out I might give this a try.
Thanks!
Thanks!
georgebj60
SILVER Star
I used a spray adhesive, similar to 3M spray contact. Worked really well. I taped off the flaps so I only got adhesive where I needed it, so no sticky areas after for dust attraction.
It's pretty easy to see where the old foam was so you can measure, cut and tape to match what was there originally. Here are some mid-process pics of when I did mine....
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- Thread starter
- #86
@georgebj60 did you have to knock out the flapper rod ? It seems like it is not affixed by anything other than a rounded tab at the end (not a screw).
Thank you for the pictures! Fun little project.
So far, I've gotten the 3M 90 Adhesive, some felt from the craft store ( I question whether the polyurethane open foam is really necessary, if the foam /material is really just supposed to help close the gap between the louvers). Its all coming together, piece by piece.
Thank you for the pictures! Fun little project.
So far, I've gotten the 3M 90 Adhesive, some felt from the craft store ( I question whether the polyurethane open foam is really necessary, if the foam /material is really just supposed to help close the gap between the louvers). Its all coming together, piece by piece.
georgebj60
SILVER Star
None of the flaps need to be knocked out. Some screw into place, and others come out when you disassemble the box. I would definitely not force anything apart, 30 year old plastic and all....
Actually, once the boxes are out it's a satisfying project to compete. After you see the dirt/dust and poor condition of the aged foam, you will feel much better about turning on the fan with the knowledge that you're breathing clean air.
I will mention that I would hesitate to use actual felt anywhere in the system. There is a lot of opportunity for moisture to enter, and once felt gets wet it doesn't dry easily. I could see mould problems arising, which would be horrible for your health.
Actually, once the boxes are out it's a satisfying project to compete. After you see the dirt/dust and poor condition of the aged foam, you will feel much better about turning on the fan with the knowledge that you're breathing clean air.
I will mention that I would hesitate to use actual felt anywhere in the system. There is a lot of opportunity for moisture to enter, and once felt gets wet it doesn't dry easily. I could see mould problems arising, which would be horrible for your health.
- Thread starter
- #88
@georgebj60 made progress tonight. Just waiting on the acoustic cells from Amazon that were recommended.
@hygge,
Famous Foam in Berkeley has tons of foam options as well as East Bay Trim and upholstery in Oakland.
- Thread starter
- #90
@joebattle1 I tried Joann Fabrics and no luck. I am looking to drive down to LA on Friday. So I Amazon Primed the Xcel Acoustic Foam as seen in Post 82 and referenced by @Wayne Jacobs . Hopefully these will work just fine.
If not I will hit up one of the East Bay shops in the coming weeks. Appreciate the suggestions.
Cleaning off the old foam late last night and getting the caked on grime off the plastic housing felt really good.
Fresh air here I come!
If not I will hit up one of the East Bay shops in the coming weeks. Appreciate the suggestions.
Cleaning off the old foam late last night and getting the caked on grime off the plastic housing felt really good.
Fresh air here I come!
I hope that works for you. I should have been clear that I wasn't recomending the linked product, but was pointing at it for you to consider.
georgebj60
SILVER Star
I hope that works for you. I should have been clear that I wasn't recomending the linked product, but was pointing at it for you to consider.
Closed cell foam is often quite dense. If it's too dense, the flaps won't close as the foam won't compress. This is the foam I used. I believe it is an open cell foam.
- Thread starter
- #93
I was scoping out a few different options on Amazon. Its cheap enough that not a big deal, plus I could use them on my furniture ! Added functional bonus.
- Thread starter
- #94
Finally getting around to finishing everything up with the Evaporator and Fan-Unit.
Took a moment to get the right parts figured out, since it was annoying having some items hard to source or mis-labeled ( like Rockauto sending me the wrong AC Expansion Valve). Also, was not the easiest finding the right type of open-cell foam for the recirculation flaps.
Ended up using some open-cell foam that I found at Ace Hardware. It is not from a foam shop ( didn't have time or care enough to drive to another foam store after Joann fabrics was a bust). Didn't really find anything good on Amazon ( I am sure it exists, but I am not going to spend MORE time on this small project). The open cell foam I got was in a 17' long roll and only about 1/2" wide, so I had to cut little strips and push them together ( as seen in pictures). I am sure that one sheet would have been a better option, but I can always fix this in the future if it ever becomes an issue.
The welting I used is just closed-cell foam, which is also 17' long and both can be found at any home depot. This is the stuff in the door section of Home Depot for filling in gaps between doors or window frames.
The closed-cell foam had trouble sticking with its adhesive so I added some superglue to the mix in the hopes of securing the closed cell foam.
It made the reinstallation of the fan unit a little cumbersome, but I feel like the unit is really solid now and there are little to no gaps.
Took every component for a nice little cleaning - all the way down to scrubbing and using pipe cleaners. Will not be breathing in 30 year old deteriorated foam any longer.
Took a moment to get the right parts figured out, since it was annoying having some items hard to source or mis-labeled ( like Rockauto sending me the wrong AC Expansion Valve). Also, was not the easiest finding the right type of open-cell foam for the recirculation flaps.
Ended up using some open-cell foam that I found at Ace Hardware. It is not from a foam shop ( didn't have time or care enough to drive to another foam store after Joann fabrics was a bust). Didn't really find anything good on Amazon ( I am sure it exists, but I am not going to spend MORE time on this small project). The open cell foam I got was in a 17' long roll and only about 1/2" wide, so I had to cut little strips and push them together ( as seen in pictures). I am sure that one sheet would have been a better option, but I can always fix this in the future if it ever becomes an issue.
The welting I used is just closed-cell foam, which is also 17' long and both can be found at any home depot. This is the stuff in the door section of Home Depot for filling in gaps between doors or window frames.
The closed-cell foam had trouble sticking with its adhesive so I added some superglue to the mix in the hopes of securing the closed cell foam.
It made the reinstallation of the fan unit a little cumbersome, but I feel like the unit is really solid now and there are little to no gaps.
Took every component for a nice little cleaning - all the way down to scrubbing and using pipe cleaners. Will not be breathing in 30 year old deteriorated foam any longer.
Wow @hygge, You did a far superior job than I did. Although I didn't have pine needles in my fan. Everything was relatively clean. I debated taking the blower a part and redoing all that foam but got impatient... Besides, I wanted to wait and see how it all shook out for you. Lol...
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- Thread starter
- #96
I will add as a friendly comment to the crowd.
If you do not honestly know whether something is a good fit for an application please say so with your comment. If you are trying to help, but purely speculating, please say “ hey just an idea... but!”
I say this because I have spent money based on MUD recommendations that are pure speculation. This mean I wasted money and time on my project. For those of us with budgets it’s nice to have verified suggestions. Otherwise shame on me for listening to your suggestion.
- Caveat emptor
- Do not recommend crap you do not know about
If you do not honestly know whether something is a good fit for an application please say so with your comment. If you are trying to help, but purely speculating, please say “ hey just an idea... but!”
I say this because I have spent money based on MUD recommendations that are pure speculation. This mean I wasted money and time on my project. For those of us with budgets it’s nice to have verified suggestions. Otherwise shame on me for listening to your suggestion.
Wow you did a really nice job cleaning that up and piecing it all back together. Looking at these pictures almost makes me want to dive into this project now....almost!
Nice work! Now that you have the air system refreshed you should go up top and clean out the cowl/air inlet area. Almost 30 years of leaves and “mulch” will be in there.
You can access it through the rectangle plastic caps on the firewall. The passenger side is a little more difficult bc the wiper motor is the access point there. Behind that there is only a coarse wire mesh “filtering” debris above the cabin fan you just cleaned.
Caveat emptor....I broke off a couple screws that hold in the wiper motor.
You can access it through the rectangle plastic caps on the firewall. The passenger side is a little more difficult bc the wiper motor is the access point there. Behind that there is only a coarse wire mesh “filtering” debris above the cabin fan you just cleaned.
Caveat emptor....I broke off a couple screws that hold in the wiper motor.
A small flexible shop vac hose will do wonders through the cowl access caps.
