How do you protect from stone chips?

[ggunter]

Getting down to the last parts of painting, wet sanding clear this weekend. After reassembly I was wanting to protect the areas prone to stone chips. Mostly the front of the rear fenders with spats of some sort. I kind of like the polished aluminum, but haven't seen where to buy them. And I also like carbon fiber. Also thinking of wraping those prone areas. Just trying to see what works well, cost,and where to get the products for this. Appreciate any thoughts.

[Jeff Kleiner]

A caution; don’t put anything on the paint that won’t allow it to breathe (the clear film, wraps, etc.) for at least 90 days. The paint is still off gassing and if the outer surface is sealed the trapped solvents can cause delamination. If you’re driving during that time put a couple of layers of painters tape over the vulnerable area before heading out and remove it when you get back home.

Jeff

[ggunter]

Thanks Jeff, I am aware the paint will gas out for a period of time, and the painters tape is a good short term idea. Are there any areas prone to stone chips other then the front of the rear fenders?

[RJD]

3M Scotchgard got high marks in the options I looked at.

For application fluid, I'm planning to use a spray bottle with 7.5 oz of water, .5 oz alcohol, and 1/16 tsp dish soap.

I bought this application kit on Amazon:

152004

I made templates by overlapping layers of blue painters tape on the surfaces to be protected, peeled it off, and then placed on lightweight brown paper for final trimming.

152003

Areas I plan to protect: Area below headlights/driving lights, and the forward lip of the front and rear fenders.

[tonywy]

You also want to do the edges of the fenders behind the tires a few inches up, especially if you are running sticky tires. Xpel makes a great product and you can order bulk sizes from them.

[j.miller]

I know you don't want to spend this much but I recommend a 4x8 sheet of 5/8 plywood across the front. I know, I know you want people to think you have a very nice car.....but with thy plywood strapped across the nose they'll think you're filthy rich as well. I see it as a win win!...but then that's just me...da Bat.....OH!OH! you could laminate mahogany stripes in the plywood ! Too far huh? I'm just going to sit quietly in the corner and beez a good boy...

[Fman]

$5 mud flaps have been working great for me, 1000 miles on the car and not one chip in rear fenders/doors/lower body. Not even really noticeable on the car. I am waiting at least 6 months before I do any type of paint protection.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=145780&d=1617765567

[ggunter]

I think I like Jeff's idea the best. The mahogany inlays will really set it a cut above the rest.:D

[steno]

Don’t drive the car? ;) ;)

[kobra01]

My PPF installer used Xpel ppf. He covered the entire front up to the hood opening and over the front fenders, front of rear fenders, door sills and behind rear tires. I thought the expel kit included the front and spats and my installer added the other areas. Call expel and see what they have.

[CobraboyDR]

Aren't stone chips considered "patina?"

[ggunter]

I don't think so....Patina is another word for my car needs a paint job.

[rich grsc]

Stone chips, proof I drive my car and have a sh-t load of fun doing it.
Leaving it parked in the garage prevents those chips:rolleyes::p

[ggunter]

I plan on driving the wheels off this car and I defineatly will but no reason it should look like a pig while doing it.

[Alan_C]

Spats made from 3M vinyl wrap material work well in the back. Niceguyeddie has posted templates in the past that serve as a starting point for you own design. I changed the design a bit to get a bit more coverage down low. I used a carbon fiber look wrap that held up well. Others have used clear wrap material. When moving my car from CA to AZ, I sprayed on one of the clear bra coatings on the front, no damage during a 500 miles trip. The clear bra could be applied anywhere on the lower part of the car that one is concerned about road rash. The clear bra is removable and can be removed and replaced as it takes the damage.
Unfortunately, your car will never look better than it does today. It will get road rash and lose some of the finish luster you have post paint. It is going to happen, just consider the joy you will get in return from driving the car. After selling my car the 2nd owner picked up a good sized rock and cracked the paint at the top of one of the rear wheel wells. I had applied truck bed liner as recommended here, but in a worst case situation, not enough protection. So I would suggest applying a very thick layer of bed liner or maybe even laminating some 1/8" sheet rubber at the top of the wheel wells. A little road rash can be accepted, but a large star crack in the paint will ruin your whole day.

[ggunter]

I certainly realize stone chips happen. But looking at cobras ingeneral the front of the rear fender takes the most beating

[nucjd19]

$5 mud flaps have been working great for me, 1000 miles on the car and not one chip in rear fenders/doors/lower body. Not even really noticeable on the car. I am waiting at least 6 months before I do any type of paint protection.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=145780&d=1617765567

Great idea Travis!!!! Where did you get those? Thanks!

[Fman]

Great idea Travis!!!! Where did you get those? Thanks!

Amazon, looks like price went up a few bucks but still pretty cheap. I just mounted them with a couple sheet metal screws and gorilla tape on the seams.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LDF28PD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[CraigS]

If you decide to go w/ a clear bra material go w/ a thin one and use two layers. I did a front clear bra on another car and blew the job. So a couple months later I tried again. I didn't realize I got the thicker version on the second try. So I got it on but I am going to have it done by a pro later on. The thing is that fitting over a hump requires some stretching and the thick stuff is much harder to stretch.

[SourceLee]

I had a professional wrap shop install clear wrap on the entire nose and the "spat" areas. A clear bra and clear spats if you will. The clear wrap is barely visible unless you’re looking for it. The few people that notice the wrapped sections know exactly what it is. Furthermore they know why it’s there. 6K miles and the wrapped sections look perfect. The leading surface of the rear fenders get quite dirty in short order. Therefore I'm convinced some sort of protection in the spat area would be a good investment. The wrap shop charged $500 for everything. On that same note. Fman, fantastic idea with using mud flaps! I'm ordering a set as we speak (type). It's worth mentioning your immaculate mirror polished side pipes had absolutely no influence on my decision.

[TriPower]

Mud flap on the front tires. Wish I had 50000 miles ago.

Lee

[RJD]

So here's how my spats turned out using the 3M Scotchgard vinyl and the tools and application fluid noted in post #4 above.

For the driver side, I tried to wrap around the wheel well lip and got some wrinkling on the lip. I stretched the material and used a heat gun, but this was the best I could do as a novice.

152532 152533

For the passenger side, I only went to the lip - did not wrap around it, and I think it turned out better. Was definitely easier.

152534

[ggunter]

That looks pretty good, I don't have that much fender lip to wrap on.

[Bobby Doug]

I had a clear bra installed on the front of the car to include the front lip of the hood scoop. I did the tops of the doors as they become armrests on a longer cruises. As for the rear fenders go to the top of the door. My only stone chip is about 1” above my spats. But still below the top of the door.

[BadAsp427]

So here's how my spats turned out using the 3M Scotchgard vinyl and the tools and application fluid noted in post #4 above.

For the driver side, I tried to wrap around the wheel well lip and got some wrinkling on the lip. I stretched the material and used a heat gun, but this was the best I could do as a novice.

152532 152533

For the passenger side, I only went to the lip - did not wrap around it, and I think it turned out better. Was definitely easier.

152534


Same thing here: Unless you are next to the car and looking for them, you can't see them...
152567 152568

[NC Cobra]

Same thing here: Unless you are next to the car and looking for them, you can't see them...
152567 152568

Can I ask who did the work and ballpark pricing? I’m in CLT so it might be worth a drive.

[BadAsp427]

Can I ask who did the work and ballpark pricing? I’m in CLT so it might be worth a drive.

I ordered the 3M product from amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0XK3JD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), 12" wide by 60" long and cut it out and installed it myself. Fairly easy to do and cost about $35

I have done it two times... once before I had the paint correction and ceramic coat done and then after that was completed.

[David Williamson]

On my mkll that I built in 2004 I had 3M film put on the the nose, rear spats and the top or the doors where your arm would rest. After 40,000 miles there are hundreds of stone chips on the paint on the hood, front end and along the sides but the areas with the 3M are good. The 3M held up will but it is starting to yellow but that is only visible on the silver stripes. I am not that worried about it, we had many miles of fun with the car and the paint was not that expensive. On my Gen 3 Coupe the paint was expensive and I want to keep it looking good but also drive it. We looked at several options and in the end we did a 100% wrap using a product called STEK, amazing stuff, bugs and dirt just rinse off and any micro scratches self heal while the car sits in the sun. The Coupe body has no natural seams so there are seams in the film but the installer did a great job hiding them. Most people would never know it was a wrap and cleaning the car is so easy.
David W

[ggunter]

The wrap thing I looked into with two different Wrappers, (no pun intended) and they both said they couldn't wrap the car because of the shape of the headlights and curves of the nose area. Obviously I went to the wrong places. Can you tell me what they charged to do the whole car?

[David Williamson]

I had it done in Calgary and Canadian costs will be higher and it was a Coupe so lots more surface than the Cobra. She took a week of long days to do it and it was just over $5k
David W

[ej95Cobra]

The wrap thing I looked into with two different Wrappers, (no pun intended) and they both said they couldn't wrap the car because of the shape of the headlights and curves of the nose area. Obviously I went to the wrong places. Can you tell me what they charged to do the whole car?

If still looking for a "wrapper" I had my car done in Richmond, Va by Capital Autobahnd. Worth a call and the trip from Md if you're still looking. They still have a picture of my car included in their customer portfolio. I had the front nose, hood and spats done initially then the rear done before I started using the APE hardtop. The front has been on for 3 years and still looks like it was just done. I drive about 5,000 miles a year and autocross the car so it has been tested well. https://www.capitalautobahnd.com/our-work

[AtlantaCobra]

152656

I used 3M Carbon Fiber from Amazon and the template mentioned earlier and it turned out great. Still looks great after 10k miles. Spray liberal amounts of Windex on the sticker so you can move it around and use a hair dryer to heat it up while pressing into place. Done this many times with dirt bike graphics as well. Works like a charm and cost less than $30 for enough to do 5 cobras.
-Greg

[Cobradavid]

Spats made from 3M vinyl wrap material work well in the back. Niceguyeddie has posted templates in the past.....

Unfortunately, your car will never look better than it does today. It will get road rash and lose some of the finish luster you have post paint. It is going to happen, just consider the joy you will get in return from driving the car.


I have the clear vinyl spats and they protect the front edge of the rear fenders.

In 13,000 miles, I've collected a few (less than 10) stone chips on the nose - around the radiator opening, below the headlights in the turn signal area, and on the front edge of the front fender flares. Every few years, I break out the touch-up paint to fix the chips. My car is not perfect, show-winning, but I have fun driving it and 99.5% of the people don't notice the repaired chips.

David

[Chilly]

A caution; don’t put anything on the paint that won’t allow it to breathe (the clear film, wraps, etc.) for at least 90 days. The paint is still off gassing and if the outer surface is sealed the trapped solvents can cause delamination. If you’re driving during that time put a couple of layers of painters tape over the vulnerable area before heading out and remove it when you get back home.

Jeff

Is there a waiting period after painting in order to do the ceramic coat?

Chilly

[NiceGuyEddie]

Aren't stone chips considered "patina?"

I thought this but the nose chipped much, MUCH faster than I ever imagined. :(

[NiceGuyEddie]

https://youtu.be/fqXJ4DwhiqQ

For only $14 this is great protection for the nose. It doesn't come out perfectly clear and flat but at the minimum, do the very bottom of the nose - you won't see it when looking at the car but it will protect it. Lay it on thick and it will peel off easily. I treat it with clear bra spray conditioner so it doesn't dry out. I replace it every year.

I used it on the front of my truck for a long road trip. When I got home, I peeled it off and with it came probably 1,000 bugs.

EDIT: It doesn't look like this product is available anymore. :(

[Chilly]

$5 mud flaps have been working great for me, 1000 miles on the car and not one chip in rear fenders/doors/lower body. Not even really noticeable on the car. I am waiting at least 6 months before I do any type of paint protection.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=145780&d=1617765567

Love the mud flap idea. I am curious how you attached them. If you get a chance could you post some images?


Chilly