Which protective film???

[Graham]

Hi Guys,

I have (most) of the car in primer, rubbed down, ready for shooting the base coat and lacquer.

When this is done, I want to use a protective clear film under the front of the nose, and around door jams / clip edges where the panels will come into contact with each other. This is purely to protect the paintwork from excessive rubbing.

The film I will need for under the nose will need to be pretty heavy duty, whereas the other type for door jams etc will not....

Any experience and advice you guys can give me will be a great help:thumbsup:

Cheers,

Graham.

 

[David Morton]

Helicopter tape.

 

[Damian]

On most cars here in the states they us a 3M film to cover the nose. Some refer to it as a clear bra. I am not sure of the thickness but I think it is 3mm. I know they have different thickness's and colors available. One thing to keep in mind is that once this stuff starts to peel, get damages, etc. it will kill the clear coat once you try to remove it (happening on my Fiancées' car right now). Either way I am sorry that I couldn't be of any more help to you.

 

[Graham]

On most cars here in the states they us a 3M film to cover the nose. Some refer to it as a clear bra. I am not sure of the thickness but I think it is 3mm. I know they have different thickness's and colors available. One thing to keep in mind is that once this stuff starts to peel, get damages, etc. it will kill the clear coat once you try to remove it (happening on my Fiancées' car right now). Either way I am sorry that I couldn't be of any more help to you.

Damian,

Thanks for that. If it does damage the clearcoat, then I may have to think again. I would hate to see it pull off lacquer or damage it in any way.

Thanks for your help.

Graham.

 

[Graham]

Helicopter tape.

Thanks David. It doesn't seem to be very thick though (or I'm being thick ).

Can anyone else chime in with issues regarding problems with removal (i.e. clearcoat / lacquer being pulled off with the tape etc etc...).

Cheers,

Graham.

 

[Damian]

The only other thing that I could think of is painters tape (looks like blue duct tape). I am sure that you have seen cars with it at the track before. peels off easy with no residue but it is not a long term application type of thing. More of a apply before track day and than replace as necc. during the day type of thing. Once done peel off and go home. Again NOT a long term type of thing.

 

[Bill Musarra]

I have seen this on several cars.It seems to be a good product. Usually on high end cars such as Porsche etc. I would check with some of the car makes for their opinion on them and the care and maintenance of said product. It may be in the prep and maintenance of the product. A good one should have a warranty that spells out the proper maintenance and what the owner is expected to do in order to get good use of it. Don't dismiss it too rapidly. I used some helicopter tape on my GT-40 to keep the scuffs from the front clip raising and lowering on the sides. It has worked rather well. The only problem areas were where air bubbles might get under from not applying correctly. I removed one side and only had a problem with the glue remaining after peeling it off. This was a car that has never seen the light of day though. When I finish in a week or two(many have heard that before!!) I will report how heat and humidity affect it. It is thick, thicker than the OEM stuff, but the OEM stuff will not just peel off. It is on there. So check with one of the car manufacturers that installs it and see what they have to say??

Bill

 

[Mike Christian]

Mine started coming off and looks rough around the tight lower corners of the rad opening...

 

[Wally]

Having dealt with the pealing issues with the films along with bubbles trying to apply them. We have went to spray application Chip Guard ( some over the paint or color matched to it ) Check with your suppler and see what they suggest.

 

[Dave]

We have had 3M and Venture film brands installed on clients' cars. The word out there is that 3M tends to yellow over time a lot faster than the Venture brand. We found this to be true on the nose of our cobra using "plain" 3M helicopter film (before they formulated a more cosmetically friendly auto application formula)

I've had 3M (auto formula) on the nose of my track car for years, but its black and does not show any yellowing. It is really a coat of armor protecting the paint, but care should be taken in cleaning so you don't end up with small scratches that won't polish out

Removal is usually with a hot air gun and one of those portable steam machines. BUT you have to be very careful.

There could be a problem with modern water based paints. 3M is adamant about NOT being installed on single stage finishes. They advise that removal of the film at a later date could peel up the paint. Two stage (clear coat) is apparently ok

My conclusion is that you should have a professional do the cut and install of the film (and its removal if needed). They really have to work this stuff so it lays down right. Not cheap - a GT40 can cost about 1200-1500 to do a lot of coverage (track day car) But imho, well worth it