Topic: Looks like a Foam sealant at rocker to outer wheel house

[ppc66]

Hello,

I am replacing my outer wheel houses and it looks like there is a foamy/spongy type sealant or a skinned over but aerated, pliable sealant at the seam inside the rocker to outer wheel house flange. Above the rocker the sealant was a white colored firm sealant. Looks more like it flowed and was not tooled.
Were these two different sealants or was the aeration of the spongy one more because of globbing it on and improper curing?
What modern products should be used here? This stuff that was originally applied seems like it did a heck of a good job.
65 Metuchen coupe

Thanks,

Perry

[J_Speegle]

Looks (hard to tell from the picture) like a PO possibly used some spray expanding foam to either seal or try and deaden sound in your car. Had difficulty figuring out what part of the car you located the stuff in


Seen this stuff (often used in walls in homes and buildings - popular in the 90's) used in wheel wells and other places where there were gaps and such. A race car I have must have 2 gallons of the stuff (cured) between the quarter panel and the wheel house

[67gta289]

If you are talking about the area highlighted in red in the attached picture (not my car). I also found the material you are describing in this area my car and a few others, and I believe to be original.  To me it was much harder than foam but not solid as a rock either.  More like a pourable seam sealer if you will.  My other observation is that it seems like the same material found on top of the frame rail, behind the lip, located at the bottom of the shock towers.  To be clear I'm talking 67's, not 65, but it sounds similar enough to mention it.  Also to note since I'm working on a fastback the material was poured around the fastback vent drain hose, and some material (not a copious amount) seeped through the small holes into the rocker itself.

[ruppstang]

It was a seam sealer like material put there to insure water would run to the rocker drain hole and not pool against the lower quarter-rocker seam. This detail is often missed in restorations.

[67gta289]

Marty,  do you think this is a fastback only item, associated with the drain hose?

[67gtasanjose]

Marty,  do you think this is a fastback only item, associated with the drain hose?

John, are you looking at the inside of the quarter panel? (your pictures are of the INSIDE) Look again at the original posters pictures and you can see the '66-down rocker molding clip still on the rocker panel. This stuff is inside the wheel well (sort-of) and seals a would-be leak where the outer wheel house meets up poorly with adjoining panels.

[67gta289]

Richard, the original post picture is of a car without quarter panel or outer wheel house, so I suppose the area in question should be inside the vehicle, inside the now exposed rocker panel, or on the outside or gap of the wheel house.  Using the associated text, the term "inside the rocker" was used.

I can say that I also found that on my car, and noted that in my case it appeared that some of the material poured into the inside of the quarter panel leaked through some of the holes, migrated into the rocker, and settled out.  But as stated mine was more of a white/light gray seam sealer base, and not a foam product.

[67gtasanjose]

...I can say that I also found that on my car, and noted that in my case it appeared that some of the material poured into the inside of the quarter panel leaked through some of the holes, migrated into the rocker, and settled out.  But as stated mine was more of a white/light gray seam sealer base, and not a foam product.

Yes, my coupe had that same stuff as described here by you, John on the inside area along the quarter window regulator panel (not used on fastbacks) and inside the cavity behind as you describe and show on the fastback example AND had the other "expanding?" stuff too, partly visable in the wheel well area but pushing into the joint of the wheel house, inner rocker, outer rocker panel, filling a gap there.This can be seen even with the quarter panel installed (mine is a 67 [11/66] San Jose Coupe)

[ruppstang]

I am sorry I was not clearer in my post earlier. I do not think the spray foam or sponge material is original but I do not know a lot about the 65-66 models.

John in thinking about the purpose of the seam sealer, I am not sure it would have been used in a fastback because the water was channeled through the drain hose and there is no other way for water to get in the quarter unlike a coupe or convertible. I'll have to look at the notes in the assembly manual for instructions for the fastback. When I get to my 67 coupe project I get some pictures.

[J_Speegle]

We might be missing something trying to compare what we're seeing on other years and models and not focusing on the car in question. 65 NJ coupe.

Just something to consider

[midlife]

On my 66 NJ fastback, I saw some foam-like material inside the rear of the passenger-side of the rocker.  I assumed (because the car had previously been worked on) that a Previous Owner somehow added this material.