Where do I find 3M Film to make stone guards?

[Ruadhd2]

Don't want to spray line-x or any other material on rear fenders.

 

Gonna get Toyo RA1's and they throw stone chips. So, thought I'd go with black film. Thanks Croc for the suggestion.

 

Where to find?

[MHKflyer52]

Try a local sign shop as they have all types of plastic film that has adheasive for signs and they can even cut it for you to fit or try McMaster Carr.

[blubarisax]

Here is a company in the UK that makes pre-cut kits for Caterham in case anyone is interested.

 

http://www.premierpaintguard.co.uk/caterham_paint_protection_film.html

[Kitcat]

I have run RA1's for last 4 years and you are right, they toss a lot of stones, including many in the cockpit. I wish I had done the 3M thing.

 

A related thot: In the process of selling my car I put on street tires. Of course, many fewer stones. But, surprise, handling/grip are as good. Seems the Toyos need heat to generate optimal grip. That happens when I am on the track, not on the street when the tires stay fairly cool, even when I am driving in my usual manic stye. FWIW.

[yellowss7]

I found a local guy that installs the 3m clear guard and had him do the front half of my rear wings and he even cut pieces to install over my carbon rear wing guards. They still look nice after 5 years or so.

 

He only charged me about $200 to do it and he said he spent way more time than he had estimated. I would also recommend having it done on the nose cone and maybe even the side panels from the wheels back to the rear wings as these areas also see some abuse.

 

Here's a link to installers in Virginia where I think you are based.

 

Tom

http://www.clearbrafilms.com/virginia/

[Klasik-69]

My car had the 3M film on the rear wings as installed by the previous owner. I can tell you it DID NOT protect the paint from chipping. I recommend installing the stainless steel protectors, using masking tape on the exposed edges, and installing lower wings on the front with partial mud flaps to keep the stone throwing to a minimum. I did. Even the sticky Hoosiers haven't been able to damage the rear wings.

 

Also, I recommend not using the pop rivets on the stainless steel protectors but machine screws on the top and lock nuts on the back so you can remove them at will without butchering up the stainless steel or the wings.

[scannon]

My Seven is completely covered with 3M film except for the area around the louvers and the polished stainless steel rear wing protectors. After 11,500 miles there are a few chips in the nose cone, rear wings and the body sides that go all the way through the film and into the primer under the color coat. The windscreen is also heavily pitted and has one star chip.

 

At 1,500 miles the rear wing protectors were so chipped and pitted I had them covered with rhino liner. The area below these protectors has no film and most of the paint down there is gone. At the same time, I had the undersides of all four wings coated with rhino liner to prevent star cracks.

 

Last summer I had two off track excursions into the mud which splattered all over the car. Both times it was washed off within 15 minutes. However, there must have been battery acid or something similar in the mud as there are numerous areas where the 3M film is etched. I've tried various polishing compounds for plastic and nothing clears them up.

[slomove]

Same experience. I covered the entire painted surface with film (no matter the brand name apparently it all comes from 3M) and it does protect quite well but it is not good enough for the blasted areas of the rear wings. Steel sheet or carbon fiber sheet are needed but even those won't last forever. Rhino liner or a solid rubber sheet are better (I did the latter).

 

In the other areas I have already 2 small spots gouged out of the paint protection film. But then, without the film it would probably be worse.

[powderbrake]

I have had the clear film on my rear fenders for 8,000 miles and I believe it does a good job. There are some rock marks through the film , but not many. It does get a bit discolored around the tar covered rock strikes, and requires heavy scrubbing to get the tar off, but so does paint. Previous to that the lower part of the fender lost it's paint in 2000 miles.

 

Mine is clear. I don't think it is made in colors. I wanted to see the nice yellow paint, and did not want a different color plastic or stainless steel patch on my rear fenders.

 

I used 12 mil film, this is the really heavy stuff. Most films are 6 or 8 mils. I purchased it from:

http://www.xpel.com

 

It was too heavy to work around the corner onto the side of the fender, so I cut some slits . You can only see them if you are looking for them. I didn't try to heat and stretch, I didn't want to screw up the film, as I only bought 3 feet of 24" wide film and it was $24 a foot in 2005.

[squarefour]

I've used film from McMaster.com and it was fairly cheap and worked well. But I can't find it on the website anymore:(

[Kitcat]

For anyone who may have paid an installer, what was cost for nose cone, exposed area of rear fender? I just got a guesstimate of $650.

[DavidL]

Protective tape (also called helicopter tape) is available from amazon or Pegasus:

 

At Amazon, search for "ISC Helicopter Surface Guard Tape":

http://www.amazon.com/ISC-Helicopter-OG-HD-Surface-Guard-Tape/dp/B000QC6H90/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1316120632&sr=1-1

 

At Pegasus:

Search for "clear surface guard tape"

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3437-001&utm_source=google&utm_medium=productsearch&utm_campaign=gps

 

---David