Body seam sealer

[kwells]

I have completely removed and stripped the interior from my '65. It is being blasted then painted and reinstalled. Whilst I was taking it apart there was a lot of white seam putty between the seat box and bed, floor pans and bulk head etc, etc. Is this factory or did a PO do it?? Must I replace it when I reinstall the interior?? Where can I get said putty/sealer if necessary??? Thanks in advance

[bobzinak]

You can get the white/grey "rope caulk" at lowe's/home depot. it is usually in the weatherization section and not with the regular tube caulk. it must be reativly warm to use it. the warmer the softer it is. since I live where it is cold in the winter months, this last winter I removes floor boards, seat base for some overdrive install/work. the rope caulk was so sold it would not even stick. after much searching for a non-hardening caulk I found. It's called "seal and peel" made by DAP. it's like the glue that holds cards in magazines. that soft plyable stuff(boogery). one ggd thing about it is that it is for indoor and outdoor use, any excess that is showing can just be rubbed off, its clear, and has a pleasent vanilla scent. if you have to remove the panels excess can just be rubbed off making it much easier to clean up compared to the rope caulk. I have used the rope caulk for years and it works well. but the seal and peel is so easy to remove the panels with out bowing or bending them. A friend of mines PO had used silicone glue to mount the panels, it was a real pain to remove them,and clean up was difficult. while you have the floor trans panels out you might want to think about getting some nut plates and modifiying the trans tunnel so that it mounts on top of the floor panels. that way if you have trans linkage/shift lever breakage you can just ramove a few screws and have access to the top of the trans. hope this helps/ ROVE ON bobzinak.

[artpeck]

For what it worth wheni did the same I didn't bother using caulk. It was a mess to get off before sanding and painting and at least for my purposes I couldn't see a functional value. It's not like it will make the truck noticeably quieter. Nor is there an issue of isolating bi-metallic corrosion as the only place I had that was around fasteners. Someone here can probably identify the reason it was used but it escapes me and I haven't had issue since.

[kwells]

For what it worth wheni did the same I didn't bother using caulk. It was a mess to get off before sanding and painting and at least for my purposes I couldn't see a functional value. It's not like it will make the truck noticeably quieter. Nor is there an issue of isolating bi-metallic corrosion as the only place I had that was around fasteners. Someone here can probably identify the reason it was used but it escapes me and I haven't had issue since.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I guess insulation from air and road noise really wont be an issue if I dont use it.

[artpeck]

In fairness I put in the exmoor moulded matting set that covers the floor, footwell and seat box. Pain to install and pricey but really cuts the noise and heat. Such as noise and heat in a series truck can be cut. Again I am sure there was an engineering reason for the caulk but I don't know what it was.

[hankster110]

Rope caulk seems to be a standard used by a lot of owners. I never worried too much about sealing things tight 'cause water will always find a way in during heavy rain or a water crossing. Too much sealant will slow that water's getting OUT! But just the right amount will reduce a lot of squeaking and rattling noises, and acts as a cushion so you don't have to torque the hardware as tight to keep it from loosening. Also protects the painted steel from trapped grit chewing away the painted surface which results in rust bug infestation. The aluminum doesn't care.........

[CMorris]

I've always used 3M Strip Caulk per Lanny Clarks advice..........figured he knows what he's talking about.