'Mythbusters' and Spray-On Bed Liner

[Foiled Again]

Just watched Mythbusters try bedliner as a dog bite preventative and explosion resistant barrier - IT WORKED. Did you see this episode?

So if I ever do a "Full Monte" I just might use bedliner on the inside of the outer skins.


Paula

[Becky B.]

My son suggested that to me for my Bambi II. I have the interior skins off & have been painstakingly sealing all of them. I laughed him off. Why is that boy always right?!

[SilverRanger]

Interesting episode. I won't be parking my Bambi over a manhole cover.

[Mexray]

What about the weight? That stuff is HEAVY - it would add a boatload of #'s to any trailer...IMHO...

[Jim Foster]

You can get that stuff in a spray can. You could spray inside only on the seams. Spraying the whole interior would be a waste of material and add a bundle of weight.

I think that sealing the seams from the outside is still the best way to go. No sense letting water get past the outside of the seam. Spraying the seams on the inside might be good insurance.

[Chlyman]

My 1958 has that same material sprayed on all of the interior seams. Both end caps are completely coated black. I am doing the full monte, and I am just going to touch up some spots where I am replacing the skin. I had not water damage inside mine.
Carolyn

[Gringo]

We fell asleep ( back in our home time zone) before that section of Mythbusters came on last night. (I DID catch their C4 experiments, though, of course). And I am peeved I missed it. I have been thinking of that stuff for the underside of a vehicle. We have a huge vehicle corrosion problem here. It's like driving a vehicle on the beach every day. I have been thinking of starting with a brand new, unrusted vehicle and using bedliner as an undercoating. Then rigging up a pressure washer-type system by laying a pipe full of holes on the ground and pumping water up to wash the underside of the vehicle every day.

for you who watched that portion of the program....do y'all think that would work?

[ventport]

For those of us that didn't see the program could someone who saw it give us the gist of it in a nutshell? And how it relates to an AS? Thanks.

[Gringo]

Originally Posted by ventport

For those of us that didn't see the program could someone who saw it give us the gist of it in a nutshell? And how it relates to an AS? Thanks.

I didn't see it either, but easily found it:
MythBusters: Bedlam Proof Bedliner Aftershow : Video : Discovery Channel

and obviously people here are thinking of using it to seal the inside of the outer aluminum shell. Or did I somehow misread that part?

[Darkspeed]

a good alternative :

3M Body Schutz Rubberized Coating Black 08864

3M

[Ag&Au]

After thinking about this a bit, one things bothers me.
If you seal the inside of the seams very well, I assume that would lead to neglecting the outside of the seam. This may be intentional or caused by a feeling that it is sealed well because a leak never appears. So I think there is a high likelihood that moisture and the various contaminates on the skin at any give time will enter and remain between the sheets anywhere there is overlap. I am certain that his would hasten any corrosion development. In a way this could be worse than a leak. A leak will probably dry much sooner, because even between the walls there is some air circulation. However in between overlapping sheets with perhaps only a very small entry hole, the moisture is going to lake a long time to evaporate.

Just a thought.

Ken



Ken

[Gringo]

I was thinking along the same lines, but more about water collecting in unsealed outside seam pockets and freezing and expanding. Probably rare but a driving rain turning into an ice storm could do it.

I wish I had thought to measure the temp. of the inside skin when the outside temperature was 17. I have one of those IR thermometers. It was certainly cold enough to instantly shock awake someone with a shaved head who happened to contact it. If I had driven through rain before stopping for the night, I could see it possibly collecting in some spots before the freeze hit.

[GetOutDoors]

I've been thinking about lining my under-bumper drawer with that stuff ...

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by GetOutDoors

I've been thinking about lining my under-bumper drawer with that stuff ...

That's a good idea. There is a rubber mat in the bottom of ours, but a spray in would be better. It would eliminate stuff collecting under the mat as well as cushion the side walls. I think I will look into that.

Ken

[Gringo]

you guys have drawers?

[GetOutDoors]

Originally Posted by Gringo

you guys have drawers?

Yea, but its "UNDER" the bumper and out of sight ....

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by GetOutDoors

Yea, but its "UNDER" the bumper and out of sight ....

I like to leave mine hanging open when I'm setting up.

[Gringo]

Is that something stock from Airstream?

I guess ours must have come with the cabinetry by Fredericks. It's just a thin covering over a box.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Gringo

Is that something stock from Airstream?

I guess ours must have come with the cabinetry by Fredericks. It's just a thin covering over a box.

I don't know what other models have them, but the classics do.

The center of the rear bumper pulls out and there is a wide shallow galvanized steel drawer. I use it to store all my sewer hook up stuff.

Ken

[GetOutDoors]

Joking aside, my 30 foot classic (non-FB) has a drawer that is under the bumper. I would post a picture, if I had one.

The 31 and 34 foot classics (again, my knowledge is limited to non-FBs) also have it.
Problem is that water off the bumper ends up in the drawer, so it limits what you can use it for ... If the water doesn’t drain it causes the galvanized steel to corrode. It's something that you need to check when buying used because it's one indicator as to how well the Airstream had/has been taken care of....