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I am planning on making my own rear seat delete with 2 MDF boards and someone told me not to put MDF in such confined area, because it can give me cancer. So I went on the net and of course read bad and less bad things on it. I understand that the resin which hold the MDF contains urea-formaldehyde which is known in the US to cause cancer. An yes, I understanding that you must be very cautious and wear a safety mask when you saw a MDF board, because the sawdust will contain toxic sh*t, but where I am not sure is when the MDF board is just sitting in the car, plus there is a carpet glued and stapled over it, could it be that dangerous? The same person told me to paint it before stapling the fabric over. What do you guys think? I could use plywood, but it also use the same sh*tty adhesive.
I don't want anybody to smoke in my home or car to avoid breathing sh*t, but at the same time I don't want to be paranoid about my RSD.
It's not the wood that causes cancer, it's the airborne dust that you breath from cutting it. Any fine dust that gets airborne and into your lungs is harmful.
I work with the stuff practically every day. After building the box just seal it with a clear finish or paint it. If you leave it raw in your car it will smell like MDF and that is not of noxious but it isn't pleasant either
I was wearing a mask and gloves while cutting the MDF, so I am still alive today. Next steps will be to sand the egdes smooth before I paint it with primer. There are not too many DIY rsd on the net, so I will post the progress on mine. I also plan to make an embroidery of the 50th Anniversary logo which I will put on the back panel. Your thoughts?
I think the logo idea will look great. Question though: Isn't MDF fairly heavy? I would link the weight savings might be impacted.
Yes it is fairly heavy. I have doubled the lower panel, cause i plan to put my subwoofer on it, which is also made of heavy mdf. I would say that the removal of the rear seat would have shaved around 25 pounds, but i am adding 60-70 pounds of mdf with my sub, for a net addition of 35-45 pounds. There are multiple reasons why this weight gain doest bother me: 1st, the heavy weight will cancel rattling usually associated with heavy low bass. 2nd, adding weight in the back will just add more balance to the weight of the car concentrated in the front. 3rd, i am planning on putting a one piece alu driveshaft which will save 20-25 pounds around this area. Finally, no offense but i got rid of my girlfriend which weighted 320 pounds, so if you do the math i will be 300 pounds lighter this summer, even with all this mdf.
I only have room for one gf since I no longer have a backseat. lmao Anyways, IMHO one girl is enough to handle for one man. Not a good idea either to bring two girls at the same date, bro. unless...
If the MDF is that much of a concern, just use 3/4 plywood or even solid pine. Or just paint the MDF first. Either way it won't kill you. The levels of formaldehyde that can escape MDF aren't high enough to ever harm you. The chemicals you smell with that new car scent are much more harmful than anything you will get from MDF.
Don't use MDF. Get yourself some HDPE (plastic). Go to a boat repair facility, they'll have Starboard (branded HDPE). MDF will swell with humidity over time.
I have spent enough dough and I am way too advanced now in the project to change the material. See above I have applied a thick layer of primer-sealer to prevent any swell or smell. I have tested the grey fabric and it looks sharp. I should be installing the panels in the car next week.
A little update on my rear seat delete amp & sub project. The panels are finished and ready to install in the Stang. Next step is wiring. There will also be blue led light under the amp. Your comments / questions are welcome.
I also did a little upgrade on the plain boring faceplate with Hellaflush-style vinyl. This may not be to the likes of older people but its my car and I can easily take it off if i grew tired of it.
1/5/16, 02:46 PM
Next steps will be to sand the egdes smooth before I paint it with primer. There are not too many DIY rsd on the net, so I will post the progress on mine. I also plan to make an embroidery of the 50th Anniversary logo which I will put on the back panel. Your thoughts?
