Alternatives to Sharkhide?

[chopthebass]

I only found one place that can supply Sharkhide, and its $100 for a quart. Just wondering if there are any alternatives?
In the scale of things its not going to be a big issue. Just seems a lot for a quart!!

[Arvin]

Try eastwood (http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=sharkhide).

[2bking]

A little goes a long way so a smaller size could save you some money. Amazon has a quart for $64.19.

[MPTech]

$69 sounds about right, I think that's what I paid from Eastwood too.
Great stuff! I finished all of my aluminum panels with a brushed (scotch-brite) finish and gave them a coat. I tried multiple coats, but couldn't figure out the technique without messing up the finish.I like the results and would do it again. I prefer the aluminum look and untreated won't last.

[rickscobra]

Good question. While the unfinished aluminum gives the car a raw race car look, it does not age well if the car is driven a lot. I think I will bite the bullet and powder coat my panels. Not too concerned about heat transfer and road noise, given I live in Maine. The exhaust and wind noise just about blanks out everything. My biggest concern is which snow tires to put on in the winter. LOL

[chopthebass]

Thanks guys. Forgot to mention I am in Canada, so I guess the cost goes up with currency conversion etc. I looked on Eastwoods website and a few guys gave really poor reviews. Others gave glowing reviews.
I am powder coating the engine bay panels but think I will bite the bullet and get some sharkhide for the remainder.

[David Hodgkins]

I applied sharkhide to the polished panels of my current build. I can see why some would give a bad review; if you don't apply it right you can see the mistake. The key to applying it right is to have a completely lint-free cloth and to COMPLETELY soak it before applying. And for best results try to apply it in one pass.

Overall I like it. I don't know about it's durability; I guess I'll cross that road eventually. But I did apply it last year to the polishd panels and while they have a slight satin finish instead of a full mirror look, they have not oxidized at all. They look the same as the day I did them.

One thing I'm going to try soon is I'm going to pull the body on my MKIII, polish the panels back up and then try to apply it to a finished car with the panels in place. However, I strongly recommend applying it to the panels before assembly. Getting a good pass on the panel is a lot easier that way.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42075&d=1432244069

If you look at the front of the driver's footbox, you can see the streaks caused by not having a fully soaked rag. By the time I did the passenger footbox, my technique was a lot better.:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34845&d=1413771596

:)

[68GT500MAN]

I have never used Sharkhide, but looking at the panels in David's build at HB, it looks amazing. The rain came down at the end of the show and David was not worried since his highly polished panels were protected.
Doug

[chopthebass]

David, that looks amazing. So how did you polish before the sharkhide went on? And did you have to clean the polished surface before applying?

[carlewms]

I have used sharkhide on all my panels that were left uncovered. I have also used it to protect other surfaces on tools and it has worked well and still looks good after 2 years.

I agree with others on technique being critical to getting the finish right. Just like painting, the surface preparations are important. I have also found that wearing gloves helps prevent fingerprints.

I also think that with care you could get all the surfaces visible done on a roadster.

Carl