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Spray foam or pool noodle?

9

96XJCLASSIC

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Hollidaysburg, PA
I know this has been touched on before but i can't find exactly what I am looking for.
I am trimmed in the front and removed the inner plastic fender liner and foam. Now I am thinking about spraying in the expanding spray foam (the brand i believe is called "Great Stuff") . Does anyone have experience with doing this and Pro's or Cons? THANKS.
 
i have no first hand experience with it. but from some reading, it seems as if the pool noodle is the better way to go. the foam could trap moisture and cause rust. and if you get too generous with the foam, it could buldge the sheet metal out a bit.

again, not 1st hand experience, just a regurgitation of what i've read on the boards.
 
what fitch said is pretty much true, but they do make a "non expanding" foam. it still expands but not nearly as much as the older stuff. ive never tried the pool noodle...
 
I used great stuff to fill in my rear wheel wells, so far...so good. Use less than you think, you need and do it over a drop cloth or somewhere the run off will not matter, it gets everywhere.

Rev
 
Well I am going to be a guinea pig for the front and try it out. Maybe it will pop my dents out. :idea: HA HA
 
i have noodles in the front and from working with the "great stuff" foam, it does not seem like the desirable product to use to fill the fenders. seems crazy to me to fill the whole fender with non removable foam to try to keep dirt/water out. what happens if you door hinges pull away from the body (which happens on many rigs) and you have to remove the front fender now it is stuck on or you get in an accident and have to replace the fender. also the fact that if you don't perfectly seal the foam to all parts of the fender to keep water out you will have the possiblility of traped water without any knollege of it being there. i used full length noodles and suck them in, in back and tied it up in front and it let's water drain out and keeps rocks sand out of the hinges/fender well.
 
I tried great stuff on other areas on my jeep and it was a nightmare. Water would pool on top of the hardened foam and it was nearly impossible to remove. For my front fenders I sprayed the unibody and inside of the fender with rubberized undercoating, then when it dried I stuffed a pool noodle into each side.
 
I'm having a hard time visualizing the pool noodle concept--could someone explain for the s-l-o-w guy!?!

Thanks.
 
Pool noodle..... Sounds like a good idea. I was actually just trying to figure out how I was going to keep the crap out of my hinges. Was thinking about using pond liner, but wasn't sure how I was going to hold it up there. JP mentioned using pond liner in wheel wells in their article about the unlifted 35" tire TJ in this months issue. Thought it sounded like a good idea, but the noodle sounds easier.
 
I just used the original fender liner trimmed up of course and screwed it to the inner fender.I've done it to two xj's and both are holding just fine. Just another option.
Digger
 
I tried foam in areas where I could not Dynamat. This was a mistake. Unless you apply it in layers, the center does not cure properly. And it retains water wonderfully.

I'm sure it has its purposes if applied correctly in the correct application/purpose.

I used it to fill in the area where the gas filler hose is located, and honest to gosh, it expanded so fiercely it bulged out the sheet metal beneath gas filler tube. :rattle:

Mike #300
 
Sweet mod! I'll throw a couple in this weekend.
 
Just a note on the pool noodles, over time and abuse they will start to hold water. Have seen many noodles around the pool that when stepped on squish out water. They probably get more water and abuse by the kiddos than in the fender well, but they can hold water. I'm probably going to use them when I trim fenders, but should check them every once and a while to see if they are breaking down.....just my 2 cents
 
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