Silastic?

[madbilly]

Hi everyone,
Silastic is mentioned in the service manual for sealing/sticking things, but there are many different types of Silastic available (a bit like Sikaflex), so I was wondering:
1. Is Silastic basically just silicone sealant?
2. If it's actually something special what kind(s) do I need?

FYI I'm mainly looking at the measures to prevent water ingress but I know it's mentioned elsewhere too.

Cheers,
Will

[bobbrown]

Not too sure where the "Silastic" comes from as I think that is a silicone product and does not get on very well with paint when being applied as it is not normally capable of being over painted and can effect the surrounding part of the panel when painting a panel.

Sikaflex is mentioned for various seals including the A pillar seals, door seals + others which is a polyurathane product and can be over painted but it is a pig to get off once cured .
Sikaflex comes in various forms and it is a case of selecting the correct product for the job, as a sealant around the A pillar seals and for the sill to tub I used Sikaflex 521as it is UV resistant and a strong adhesive amongst other things.
For the rear deck seal etc I used SikaLastomer 551 as it does not set and stays flexable and it removable.

Then there is some of the other seals and parts that need to be sealed but with the option to get them off again, for the sill covers and B post covers and some of the other bits I used a Butyl Sealer Strip available here which did the job well and is similar to what was there in the first place. Note it stays soft and flexable and the part can be removed.

Bob

[DeanG]

As I recall from my days playing with model airplanes silastic is a non-woven fabric that when soaked with thinner or dope can be formed like wet fiberglass and sets up hard. I believe it is still available. Sitkaflex (a brand) is used in boat building as a gap filling flexible glue/caulk.

[theelanman]

sikaflex is a product made by Sika.....
they also make many other bonding products but the one used in boating is the one we use....sikaflex 221

[madbilly]

I used Dow Corning's website and ended up with "732 RTV multi-purpose", when I searched on ebay I got loads of listings for the same thing so I've ordered some and I'll see if it appears to be the right thing.

[bobbrown]

Personally I would use a polyurethane product over a silcone one for sealing body panels, seals etc with the exception being engine parts and then RTV comes into it's own.

Bob.

[racerstev]

Just a note, there are many silicone based products that can be painted at your
local home improvement store.. They are made to be exposed to the elements and
get stiff yet flexible enough to seal.

Steve