Asbestos content for import

[Robin]

For a car import - should I assume brake pads, exhaust gasket and clutch plate contain asbestos - It is the clutch plate I am unsure on - I am 99% sure the brakes and exhaust gasket would contain it.

[Robin]

Should have said this is a 1967 912.

[klasikcis]

I have seen comments on here about removing undermat sound deadened which contains asbestos. I am sure Fishcop has written about it.

[9er]

The underbody sound deadener contains asbestos.

[e72phil]

Uh oh.

[Terminator]

Yep if your unlucky you will have your car stripped on underbody deadner for you at your cost

Big article in current unique cars magazine about the perils of importing now

[griffiths_r]

Yep if your unlucky you will have your car stripped on underbody deadner for you at your cost

Big article in current unique cars magazine about the perils of importing now

at what cost and damage to the car?!? assume you're not going to be able to choose the shop that does the work... it'll be Bob with a 9 inch angle grinder!?!?

[ELSPORTO]

Awesome.
I was just this week poking around in the foot well with broken bits of sound deadening .... on top of 2 weeks of sucking in air you could see at WTC ground zero plus hand dismantling a few fibro houses as a teenager I should be pretty set.

[9er]

Even my 1988 930 has a sticker under the bonnet warning of asbestos in the sound deadener.

[Fishcop]

The early Porsche deadener is interesting in that is the very dangerous 'friable' type of asbestos, but encapsulated in bitumen. The only time the stuff would be particularly dangerous is if you got it real cold with dry ice and then sanded it, or by burning it. When I've removed it, I've used a heat gun to soften it and then scrape or paint stripper and scraper (both ways are fairly safe - comparatively!).

I haven't really followed the import issues plaguing our cars so not sure about the rules, such as whether the asbestos is encapsulated within a paint layer is acceptable. This sort of thing would potentially impact nearly every 40's-50s-60s vehicle. The stuff was used everywhere! I guess the argument being made is that you could potentially destroy an original car by bringing it to Australia!?

Robin, early brake pads and clutch discs definitely had asbestos. If your car had the webasto heating there are several heat protection pads that are asbestos (such as under the smuggler box cover) as well as the exhaust gaskets you mention. I suspect there is some in the early heater tubes in the chassis (but I could be wrong there).

[ELSPORTO]

Sort of ironic that all our old Aussie built cars from the same era are / were full of it too .... but I guess the rationale is they don't want more coming in.

My '78 Ford F100 was Aussie built and has the 'fairy floss' style asbestos insulation padding on the interior cab side of the firewall ... needles to say it's been kicked and knocked for decades and is starting to disintegrate ... been putting off removing it and may just spray over it with something to harden or capture it ....

[9er]

Sort of ironic that all our old Aussie built cars from the same era are / were full of it too .... but I guess the rationale is they don't want more coming in.

My '78 Ford F100 was Aussie built and has the 'fairy floss' style asbestos insulation padding on the interior cab side of the firewall ... needles to say it's been kicked and knocked for decades and is starting to disintegrate ... been putting off removing it and may just spray over it with something to harden or capture it ....

Important not to confuse glass fibre insulation with asbestos.

[Merv]

The early Porsche deadener is interesting in that is the very dangerous 'friable' type of asbestos, but encapsulated in bitumen. The only time the stuff would be particularly dangerous is if you got it real cold with dry ice and then sanded it, or by burning it. When I've removed it, I've used a heat gun to soften it and then scrape or paint stripper and scraper (both ways are fairly safe - comparatively!).

I haven't really followed the import issues plaguing our cars so not sure about the rules, such as whether the asbestos is encapsulated within a paint layer is acceptable. This sort of thing would potentially impact nearly every 40's-50s-60s vehicle. The stuff was used everywhere! I guess the argument being made is that you could potentially destroy an original car by bringing it to Australia!?

Robin, early brake pads and clutch discs definitely had asbestos. If your car had the webasto heating there are several heat protection pads that are asbestos (such as under the smuggler box cover) as well as the exhaust gaskets you mention. I suspect there is some in the early heater tubes in the chassis (but I could be wrong there).

And I just spent the entire last 3 days stripping the old body deadener and stone chip from my '62 356. I had a full body suit, professional face mask and gloves and eye protection. Hot as hell. Using a heat torch and multi-tool and then wire wheel made a big mess to be cleaned each day. One wonders how much of this stuff we accumulate over the years!

[e72phil]

I sometimes wonder about how crazy everyone gets about asbestos. I think you need to be breathing in the fibres for quite some time for it to have the effects most worry about.

My father was the Chief engineer down at James Hardies plant in Brooklyn for many years where they made tonnes of AC products and the stuff was everywhere.

He never suffered from the disease and died of a heart attack...which is what worries me more at present.

[Merv]

I think you are right Phil. I know of specialist doctors who say much the same thing. I still have my James Hardie sticker from their panel board in the 90's that says "15% asbestos". Could be handy one day if I develop mesothelioma . Chinese panels often say 'asbestos free" but that doesn't mean there is none!