the 3M or somesuch plastic "skin"

[Fred Douglass]

While in Californie, I learned that lots of aluminum cobra guys are opting some special coating which goes OVER the paint and can be waxed, etc. Don't know how repairs would be done, BUTT.....has any of you heard of or (better) USED this stuff? Apparently it's a clear, self-adhesive and STRONG barrier to gravel, etc. Any comments appreciated.

[Mulv]

The product in question is a 3M tape that is used for the leading edge of helicopter rotors to protect them from airborne debris. You can buy it by the roll from 3M or pay a lot more from Pegasus Motorsports....

regards
Steve Mulvey

[Fred Douglass]

I wonder if it is any kin to the "speed-tape" that Dennis "Win at Any Cost" Connor put on his 12-meter "Stars and Stripes" Da-own Unda lo those many years ago? That stuff had micro parallel grooves and worked some teflon-type magic under water.....
Thanks for the info. I heard that some people were cloaking their cobrasa in it and wondered what properties or characteristics it had---i.e. what would a minor body-repair entail?\

[scottj]

Cylinder head porters borrowed the "riblet" technology from the sailboat racers and use it on the short-side radius with noticable results.

[Mulv]

If you whack your car into something, this stuff will not save it... As it is tape, you can remove it for painting, etc ...

cheers
Steve

by the way, 3M has techs that will answer any and all questions... go to their web site for the phone numbers...

[Cobranut]

Fred,

Check out
http://www.invinca-shield.com/

I had them do the entire nose, as well as the rear fenders on my car back when I first finished it. It has held up well, and I'm sure it has saved my paint on a number of occasions.
They had patterns from an early Superformance, and they used my car to develop patterns for a Unique.
I've also seen it on several other manufacturers Cobras.

It's not cheap, but you'd waste a LOT of material trying to cut and fit it yourself. Believe me, the install on a Cobra, with all the compound curves, ain't easy.

Good luck,

[decooney]

Gents,

do any of you have a good source for (8" plus wide) BLACK 3M peel and stick grainy looking material sometimes used for stone guards on rear fenders?

The local hardware stores only carry 4" wide roles, I need 8" plus wide or so, and don't want to order a 60' roll from 3M. I called 3M and left a message. I'm not referring to the sandpaper type like seen on skateboards - just the rubbery black flexible type from 3M. I recall someone was selling these for Cobras, like seen on Porsche's.

I guess I just need to find a distributor that stocks this stuff in the wider widths.

Any good sources for this out there?

Thanks!

[sfry]

Hey Freddie,
I use a product by 3M called Scotchcal. It is a 20 mil paint protection film. Works perfect on leading edges. Most OEM folks use the same product. I hope this part number is still good:
#84911- 12"x 84" Clear.

Shannon