Hi all,

So whilst stripping back the old underseal on my mk2 I've found some exhaust insulation bolted under the LH floor pan. It appears to be white fibrous board about 6mm thick, and about 8" wide and 12-18" long.

I'm wondering - is this original? I can't see any mention in the manual, so I'm wondering if anyone else has this bit on theirs.

The other question - if anyone recognises it, is it asbestos? If so, any recommendations for dealing with it? My preference would be to get rid if it is, but I'd need to find something to replace it with, and I'm not sure how scared I need to be about disturbing it.

Cheers,

B

 

Hi 'B', the mk2 uses metal heat shields bolted to brackets so as to 'stand off' from the underbody disipating the heat(Well some of it).
There is no dodging the fact that it has to be removed and disposed of carefully. Avoiding it's dust at all costs.I would at the very least wear a proper mask to remove it along with gloves. If I was doing it I would also wear a paper overall, dispossed of after along with the gloves.
The asbestos should be dispossed of in line with your local/national laws.
There is a possibility that it could be made from cement, commonly used in the uk as 'Cloaking' material for roofing applications, but are you going to take that chance?.
The shield layout can be seen in a parts cat'.
Barry

 

Hi Barry,

Thanks for your reply - I completely agree about being safe rather than sorry, so I did a bit of googling and found some tips for dealing with small quantities of the 'thin and dense' asbestos board (the 'thick and dusty' type used in buildings sounds horrible!). As you suggested, it recommended mask, gloves and disposable coveralls - it also suggested wetting it down to minimise dyst . A quick trip to screwfix and I had the kit and a spray bottle of water - all went well, the only hiccup was having to lift some of the carpet to get to the bolt heads. The board is now tightly sealed inside some rubble sacks along with all the protective kit, waiting for disposal at the local council site and the underside of the car has been wiped down, prepped and coated with POR15.

I'm glad to hear its not original - the fixings were too mismatched for that! I had had a look in the SNG Barratt catalogue, but couldn't see any mention of heatshields for exhausts. I wonder if you might be able to point me towards some examples? Sounds like something that could be fabbed up.

Currently I've got a bit of fibreglass/alu heatshield on its way as a tester, but if I can get back to original spec that would be great.

Cheers,

B

 

No, I'm sorry, I totally disagree. You're not handling plutonium here for Farks sake!

Frangible asbestos is a long term exposure hazard for workers in the industries exposed daily. It's means NOTHING to us dumbasses exposed to it once. Even if you did a big *** coke spoon full of frangible material it would take forty years to see an effect,

Grow up and stop repeating the "60 Minutes" horseshit the media feeds you....

You have greater risks with the "fuel" we use nowadays.

Teratogen was the wrong one, I'll get it in a bit....

 

Right on Steve, I am in the commercial building industry and this was such an over-rated scam for workman's com claims, etc. I totally agree with you Steve!

 

Sorry I have not got back sooner but my computer has been in dock for a while.
On the subject of the dangers of asbestos.Even though you are in the building industry or should I say dispite the fact!!!! I would refer you to HSE: Information about health and safety at work. This does in fact outline the differences in the dangers relating to physical state of the material. The more friable the more danger.It also states some facts , also outlined by Oregon state university, along similar lines but is more explicit in stating 'Because each exposure to asbestos increases the body burden of asbestos fibres it is very important to reduce and minimise your exposure'.
As you are in the industry you must be aware of the facts, and how to access and approach asbestos. Even for unlicensed handling there are rules ,if yours are simlar to those in the UK, it comes down to the length/amount of exposure.(keep it to a minimun)
In addition 'Children are more likely to die earlier due to exposure to family members who for instance may have dust on thier clothes'.
My advise was given re minimal exposure to some thing only descibed as a board in order to safe gaurd human life etc.
I would add that my father, and all his family died due to exposure to air bourne asbestos fibres as a result of living near a proccessing plant. I have also lost friends who were in volved in lagging industry. It is a horrible, painful sometimes lingering death, not one that I would want to see but for the lack of some care. I would say this, would you tell your children or grand children, go on you can totaly ignore ANY exposure risk as it takes years until you die. What you seem to have overlooked is that any fibres that enter your lungs have an immediate effect, depending how your body reacts depends on the eventual cause of death, it could take many years. So why ignore a few simple precautions that could prolong your life.
could go on with more facts but this is not the place.
Barry

 

when I left school in 19 71 I got a job re bonding new shoes had to grind the old asbestos off to bond a new lining on was only ther a week no mask on never new wot I was grinding off on a machine dust every were in the small room am nearly 60 now I do have ashma had it since I was 20 don't know if this type asbestos was as bad as laggers job and am still here

 

The original parts book shows reference to the shields. Unfortunately not something we currently supply in a original or modern material :

 

I just took the whole thing off my car. I may look at alternatives in the future, but for the time being there are no adverse effects as far as the temperature in the cabin.
JP