Correct G.L. Roll-Bar Padding?

[Captain D]

Hi all,

Just curious to see what was the most accurate roll-bar padding used during the TV series on the G.L. Was it the 'closed' or 'open' cell foam? In other words, the textured (open) or the smoother (closed) foam.

I have on mine (open cell):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331582165330?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The closed / smooth:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allstar-Performance-ALL14111-Black-1-5-8-To-2-O-D-Roll-Bar-Padding-/201474222518?hash=item2ee8cca9b6:g:z8EAAOSwxN5WV~3r&vxp=mtr

Just curious to see what the feedback may be...

Thanks!
Aaron

[Brock Lee]

They used Armaflex closed cell pipe insulation for the entire run of the series. The earliest cars used a version that has a slit factory cut into the material and adhesive made to seal the slit shut. That adhesive sucked, so they wrapped duct tape in spots to help keep it on. Then they switched to a non-cut version. The padding was slid on during welding of the bar.

[Mike DC]

  


Do you really want strict TV accuracy for this?  Pipe insulation is effectively worthless for an un-helmeted head in a wreck.  It won't do a whole lot for your head even with a helmet.  Imagine giving the tube a moderate-hard whack with a baseball bat.  That's what you are trying to protect against.  

I know vintage cars & crash safety don't go together in general.  But having vertical tubing right up behind your head + no headrests = nasty combination.  It's not like it will make a big visual difference if there's a slit in the padding visible or not.  

Also, just the wear & tear of people grabbing onto the rollbars will make anything like cheap pipe insulation wear down with use.  Pipe insulation was not intended to get that kind of wear & tear.    

[Dreamcar]

 


Do you really want strict TV accuracy for this?  Pipe insulation is effectively worthless for an un-helmeted head in a wreck.  It won't do a whole lot for your head even with a helmet.  Imagine giving the tube a moderate-hard whack with a baseball bat.  That's what you are trying to protect against.  

I know vintage cars & crash safety don't go together in general.  But having vertical tubing right up behind your head + no headrests = nasty combination.  It's not like it will make a big visual difference if there's a slit in the padding visible or not.  

Also, just the wear & tear of people grabbing onto the rollbars will make anything like cheap pipe insulation wear down with use.  Pipe insulation was not intended to get that kind of wear & tear.    

I asked my friend why he was buying a track car instead of installing a roll-cage on his corvette that he used to use at the track and on road. He essentially replied the same thing...hitting your head on a roll bar in a traffic accident would not be good! And driving with a helmet every time you get in just to go to work is not much fun either.

I understand wanting to be as accurate as possible though if you want an exact GL replica. Tough call to make.

[Captain D]

Thank you gents for the replies - most appreciated and all understood,  

I suppose, just out of curiosity, my primary question is to learn if the the padding was smooth vs. textured? As Brock Lee noted:

"They used Armaflex closed cell pipe insulation for the entire run of the series."

I was always under the impression that the 'closed cell foam' was always very smooth like we see sold at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. However, when I keyed in the Armaflex closed cell pipe insulation the results popped up with the material as very textured. For instance:

http://www.statesupply.com/ig1036

With this in being said, if this was in fact what was used on the TV series - then it appears to 'look' exactly like the textured roll-bar padding sold through Summit, Jegz, etc. below:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331582165330?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

So, when we talk about the 'closed cell padding,' are we talking about the textured padding as posted above? That is why I included the link (in the 1rst post) of roll-bar padding of a smooth example since that was my understanding of 'closed cell padding.' Once more, here was that link just for comparison:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allstar-Performance-ALL14111-Black-1-5-8-To-2-O-D-Roll-Bar-Padding-/201474222518?hash=item2ee8cca9b6:g:z8EAAOSwxN5WV~3r&vxp=mtr

Thank you again for any replies! Not trying to complicate the heck out of roll-bars, lol, just trying to line up smooth vs. textured and getting my understanding correctly to which of the two versions was the most accurate for the TV series.
Best regards!
Aaron

[Brock Lee]

It is smooth textured. However, if you look at survivors, they tend to appear to have a texture of some sort due totally to age and how thin the material is wrinkling and stretching from the start. And the Armaflex is not quite as smooth and glossy as some other brands closed cell materials.

The point here is not about using what they used. The point here is knowing what they used so one can go out and find an alternate solution that still looks similar.

Photo attached: Recent (within 10 years) Armaflex on top. Genuine early General Lee pad on bottom. I have some pieces from later survivors, but can't seem to remember where I put them.

[Captain D]

Thank you there Brock,

I enjoyed the pic & thank you again for the info, my friend.   I'm doing a search on the Armaflex closed cell foam padding big enough to fit my bar. The Armaflex link that I posted above looks practically just like what I have already (more textured) so I wouldn't want to buy the exact same thing more or less.

However, I agree with you, "the point here is knowing what they used so one can go out and find an alternate solution that still looks similar."  With that being said, I may have found that 'alternative' to give the look:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pratt-Retail-Specialties-1-in-x-6-ft-Rubber-Self-Stick-Pipe-Insulation-168-lin-ft-Case-PI16RSS/204759170

I was looking for an item item # in the pic that you had posted, but didn't see one so perhaps the Home Depot link above is a good option. As a side note, did most of the G.L.'s have black vs. tan carpeting?

Thank you again for your time and input - I've enjoyed learning about these things...
Aaron

[Brock Lee]

I buy Armaflex and any alternatives through McMaster Carr. They have all these ways to search for things like down to the most detailed specs.

The carpet..most cars were stunt cars, so they didn't have carpets. I see that WW's closeup car has black, but am unsure if he added that. Seen black used in some of the other light color interior surviving cars. In the first season, the intended picture cars were factory tan. Lee1 had a aftermarket carpet. It was a brownish color with handmade heel pad that looks good from about 5 feet.

[Captain D]

Hmm, I keyed in the McMaster Carr site to search for 'pipe insulation,' but it didn't have 'exact' pics to see what you're buying. I will certainly keep them in mind though for sure. I may give Home Depot a call tomorrow to ask about their insulation (looks like I'll have to buy the whole dang case, lol). So, hopefully I can order order a few vs. the whole case. But, if I have to and its very close to the original material, then hey $45 is worth it for a detail nerd like me, lol.

I was able to find some pics of screen-used G.L.s' floating around on the net and I saved one in particular several months back, but when I go to upload it - the file is too big for me to attach it. I'm not too tech savvy, so if you lend me your email address I can always email it to you that way to determine which G.L. this may be (just in case you'd like to view it). It's a god shot of the interior and the textured padding, which was why I thought that the textured was more accurate. Anyhow, 'thank you' again for your time and sharing this knowledge with me as I love detail,  .

Best regards,
Aaron 

[Captain D]

Just in case anyone is interested, here is a link for the Armaflex padding sold individually:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Armaflex-1-in-x-6-ft-Rubber-Self-Seal-Pipe-Wrap-Insulation-HST11812/100569382

If anyone knows what may have been used during the two reunion films of the 1990s (with the original cast-members), please post as its been interesting to learn.

Thanks again for the many responses throughout this thread.
Best regards to all,
Aaron