Floor pan seal foam or rubber??

[richkaos]

Hi all
Need a floor pan seal and I've just gone for the self adhesive foam one from heritage (best seller apparently) but was wondering about the pros or cons. Has anyone used one? Are they better than the rubber option? Heritage state that its what vw used to use but I thought the rubber was the original option. Any thoughts appreciated.
Rich

[Editor]

I thought the rubber (plastic?) 'spectacle cross section was the standard type, but pulling apart a 'donor' Type 3 (built Feb 1973) it had a thick sticky grey sealant (like the stuff used to seal between front wings and the door pillar) between the floorpan and body, rather than the rubber/plastic gasket. That joint was almost the only bit to survive the rust! Still, I'm not sure in the context of the life of Type 3s, it makes much difference really.

[richkaos]

Thanks for the reply Dave. Ive also asked heritage this question so hopefully I will get a comprehensive reply given they sell the thing. If they can't give any good reasons why it's better or preferred I could always swap it for the traditional dog bone rubber.

[Editor]

I looked at Heritage - not sure I see any particular merit with the foam except they say the dog-bone style needs holes put in for the bolts. The original seals had drive pins to tether the strip while fitting body and floorpan together. I assume you would cut the holes after tethering it. The pointed screws probably wouldn't cut the holes by themselves, then again maybe they would. The few quid saved by using the foam might also be less frustrating and quicker. The '73 donor car we've just stripped had an adhesive seal - like a strip of the wing-sealing material used on the front wings on the door hinge pillar. Looks like VW may have changed the system around then, though it would only have been used on body/floorpan designs.

[richkaos]

Hi Dave
had a reply from heritage as per below and it looks like they moved to the foam type in the mid 70's

Your Question: Hi. Do you use this instead of the rubber seal or as well as? If it is used instead of the rubber seal is it the better option? And why? Thank you

Answer: The Floorpan to Body Seal is either the Rubber or the Foam, earlier Beetles tend to use the rubber and later beetles from the mid 70's use the foam version.

[Editor]

I've seen advice to stick the dog-bone stuff to the pan - you would need something to stop it getting out of position, and I've ripped my fingers a few times on those drive pins over the years while getting mud off. It probably comes down to whether you are bothered about originality of your restoration.

[richkaos]

Thanks Dave

Yeah i dont like the look of those nails/pins through the floorpan either, plus they are just another route for the water and rot to set in.
So my main question is still not answered really by heritage, yes they said they swapped over to foam but why?
Is it better or was it just a cost saving cheaper alternative?
I have received it and all it is is sticky backed foam with holes in nothing special at all and i can only assume that once compressed its ability to repel moisture goes up as in its current state its a 1" x 1/2" sponge.
For me im more concerned about its effectiveness at creating a good seal and protecting the floor pan rather than originality, so as it stands im still none the wiser really.
Proof is in the pudding really so i will fit it and let you know what i think.

Thanks

Richard

[miketyp3]

I had a 74 beetle that had the mastic / foam seal. As it didn't seem to rot any less (the opposite in fact) I expect like all these things (eg electric handbrakes!) its for the manufacturers convenience and profit margin rather than any customer benefit.
Those tacks are just to hold the seal in place during assembly, but as the original seals were moulded with corners they would lie flat.
Getting the strip seal around the corners without cutting it can be a challenge...
I make holes for the bolts close to the corners and tape it down as much as possible, engage the bolts that are held by the seal, then as the body makes contact remove as much of the tape as possible.
The key is to be able to lower the body gradually so adjustments can be made - easier said than done!
The rest of the holes can be cut from below using a small pointed craft knife or scalpel afterwards, but careful as its tough stuff to cut and the blades can break (eyes!).
For the same reason the pointed bolts don't make the holes easily.

[richkaos]

Thanks Mike some useful tips there and yeah I'm not looking forward to the lowering it back down part. Let's face it its not something that can be jiggled about easily.