GT40 Rock Chip Protection

[Lynn Miner]

Here's a suggestion that will surely cause debate and controversy among the racers and purists. The fender wells of the front and rear decks of the GT40 are relatively thin fiberglass. If you pick up a rock in your tire and throw it into the glass on the inside of the well, it's very likely going to chip the paint on the outside. I have heard the debates about how the chips give the car a character or “patina” that makes it look cool. The racers will cringe because this process adds about 10 pounds to the weight of the car. I understand and respect these positions, but I don't agree, so check out the photos below to see how I applied a protective coating to the inside of the fender wells.

What I used was a product available at most any auto parts store. It is designed to be applied to pickup trucks as a bed liner. You've all seen this stuff and there are many places that will spray a bed liner for about $300+. These same places will spray your 40 too, but it will likely cost more than $300 so do it yourself, it's very easy.

Below is the label from the product I used. The entire kit price was about $80 including the Shutz gun. This stuff is very easy to work with. The only additional equipment you need is an air compressor and lots of masking tape and plastic sheet. The only caution necessary is to use lots of plastic otherwise it will get on your floor. Overspray is not too big a problem because it's not like spray paint per se. It comes out of the gun quite thick and easy to control. Spray a sample piece like a block of wood or something just to get the feel before you go after your car. It cleans up easily with gasoline or lighter fluid if you get a few dots on the car where you were careless. I applied two coats on my car and it left a pliable “rubbery” coating about 1/8 inch thick. This is sufficient to prevent all but the most serious chips.

I only used about half of the entire kit so I used the rest to coat the inside of some tool boxes and tool handles.............good stuff.