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Old 10-18-2017, 11:09 PM   #1
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[Ford E-Series] Roof ribs adhesive foam

Kind of a weird question but:



When installing our roof vent in our 2011 E250 EB cargo my girlfriend and I weren't as careful as we should've been and probably put a little too much weight on the roof. The roof isn't dented, however it appears to have slightly separated from the inner support ribs. This doesn't seem to be much of a problem except the adherence to the ribs appears to add a bit of rigidity to the roof and it's very slightly "wobbly" if you poke at it.



I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the foam that FoMoCo uses and whether repairs are possible. I figure we can always put some spray foam in there, to tighten things up - but I'd be interested if anyone knows what the OEM solution was and if there were any other purposes other than making sure the roof didn't vibrate against the ribs.



Anyway, lessons learned! I feel like a real idiot for not realizing that putting weight on the roof of any kind is a terrible idea, but luckily we didn't muck things up too badly. Maybe I'll do a "dumb things I've done on the van" thread to warn other newbies!

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Old 10-19-2017, 12:02 AM   #2
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https://jet.com/product/detail/d7358...SABEgLCHvD_BwE

Yeah, mostly an NVH issue.
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Old 10-19-2017, 12:20 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carringb View Post

Awesome. Would you just apply panel bond in the gap, and put some weight on the roof to maintain contact?
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Old 10-19-2017, 06:38 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kingnever View Post
Awesome. Would you just apply panel bond in the gap, and put some weight on the roof to maintain contact?
I would remove the fan, apply the adhesive then clamp the rib to the roof through the fan hole...without cranking the clamp excessively tight; this can squeeze the adhesive out of the joint.

.....or for an easier/lazier way, perhaps prop a 2x4 between the floor and rib then apply weight on the roof.....you won't nearly get the same clamping force as a clamp though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kingnever View Post
Maybe I'll do a "dumb things I've done on the van" thread to warn other newbies!
I think we have a thread like that here.....
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Old 10-19-2017, 10:46 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by boywonder View Post
I would remove the fan, apply the adhesive then clamp the rib to the roof through the fan hole...without cranking the clamp excessively tight; this can squeeze the adhesive out of the joint.

.....or for an easier/lazier way, perhaps prop a 2x4 between the floor and rib then apply weight on the roof.....you won't nearly get the same clamping force as a clamp though.

I think we have a thread like that here.....

Good suggestion - but the rib is far enough away from the fan-vent hole that a camp wouldn't be feasible. Plus the rib behind that one needs repair as well.


Plus, the gap is very small and I think that just sealing the gap is going to be enough, but we'll see. I'm thinking a health bead of the stuff and a small amount of weight might do the trick, but if y'all think the adhesive won't take I'll think of something else.



Anyone know if that stuff will bond to itself? Assuming that what's up there is panel bond? Would I need to scrape the old stuff off?
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Old 10-24-2017, 01:47 PM   #6
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Update: I've attempt to bond the ribs to the roof with 3M 8115 panel bond - only a single section on two of the roof ribs had come loose, and so even though I knew that 8115 is not the OEM specified adhesive I took a chance. It seems to hold, and while the roof is still not quite as flat as it was when I started, it's a significant improvement. Time will tell if it hold up and if there are any NVH concerns. 8115 is NOT intended to be used on roof ribs, and I suspect if you were to use it to adhere all the ribs you might have trouble with stretching / cracking the sheet metal.



3M 04724 appears to be a better solution for re-bonding roof ribs, but I didn't learn about this product until after I had applied the 8115. Hilariously, 3M suggests using 04724 in the product manual for 8115 but I had missed that section. I'm not sure than 04724 would've worked in my application, since I need a reasonable amount of bonding strength, but time will tell.



It's possible that I've made a mistake and will put undo stress on the roof by applying 8115 but the roof beam is still able to flex a fair amount, the rest of the van is put together with the correct NVH foam, and I suspect everything will be OK. If the bond fails, I'll update this post.



I was not able to gain enough access to remove the existing NVH foam, so the 3M 8115 went over that. I also was not able to remove the paint on the ceiling - which means this is a less than ideal bond. I'm letting it dry under pressure (2x4 supporting the rib) for another day or so before "road testing" it.



8115 is really interesting stuff! I'm excited to find a better application for it.
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Old 10-26-2017, 12:28 AM   #7
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Update: it's holding! And it's an improvement. Like I said in the earlier post: I wouldn't say that 3M 8115 is the right stuff to use in this application, but it is holding so far and the roof is not sagging as much.



As a "permanent" solution I may just install some wood ribs around the roof fan, but I'm satisfied with how things are at this point.
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