Paint protection for race car leading edges

[PFS]

On the side, I help out a couple race teams with some cut-vinyl graphic stuff. Haha, clearly no threat to you pros! For this project, I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to put some vinyl or Xpel or Suntek on this piece (and other leading edges of the car) to protect it from stone chips. On this piece, I'd like to put some protection that would start on the inside of the opening and come out to maybe two inches around the outside of the opening.

I tested some regular calendared vinyl with a heat gun, but got lots of fingering around the outside. Would the Suntek or Xpel work better? I'm not sure how much that stuff stretches.
Thanks
Pete

 

[visual800]

its a racecar dont waste the time is my first auto response. However being that that is a blower I dont think I would personally put anything near it except paint

 

[letterman7]

Looks like a simple air scoop to me with the filter inside. That said, I have to agree with visual - it's gonna chip no matter what. That's evidenced by the clear film application under the scoop that's already chipped. But.. an easy solution other than vinyl is, and I hate to say it, plasti-dip. The same stuff idiots are using to paint their cars with. It should stick for the duration of the race and anything that chips or flakes off will get caught in the air filter.

 

[heyskull]

I have had a few requests for paint protection.
But for the cost of the proper material and the ball ache it is to fit and template, it is probably easier and cheaper to get the item repainted each time it is marked.

SC

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

+1+1+1 for plasti dip. It comes in clear also. All it will do is give the area a mat finish. So you might want to mask your area off with a clean circle. Then the front area will just look like it has a clear matte vinyl over it. Next time you can peal it off and repaint.

 

[PFS]

It is, in fact, just an intake, not a blower. And I'm not "wasting my time" because it's a race car. This particular team has several million dollars worth of race cars in the shop. Another team I work with has about four million. These are not late model stock cars running on dirt at the fair grounds every Friday night. (Which BTW is very cool racing.)

I reluctantly used Plasti-Dip once before on a race car, and actually had pretty good results. Certainly not my cup of tea (nor anybody else's on the team), but the guy was happy with it. It would take a LOT of coats to get it thick enough to provide protection, but the nice thing about the stuff is that if it gets dinged, you can just spray over the top of it. It wouldn't be a flawless repair, but the repair would certainly look better than a stone chip, and it would increase the time between total repaints. For less "ball ache" and repairability, I think you're right, Plasti-Dip is probably the way to go.

Thanks!
Pete

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

If you want the plasti dip really thick and you have the part off of the car like the one in the picture. Take the filter out and buy the plastidip that comes in cans. The cans you would use if you were going to dip the end of your tools. then just dip the tip of the intake. It will come out a lot thicker.

 

[PFS]

That would work, for sure. And if it still gets a big enough ding, I could probably just do a quick repair with the spray. I'm going to test that today. Thanks!

 

[OldPaint]

http://www.target.com/p/as-seen-on-...pid=14737206&gclid=CM-L9qH8lcICFccRMwodJHAABg

 

[rjssigns]

This stuff: http://www.semproducts.com/automotive-chip-guards/chip-guard Much better/stronger than Plasti-Dip.

Yes, I have experience with the product.

 

[PFS]

Is it removable like PlastiDip so the parts can be repainted occasionally? Could I just spray over the top of a previously dipped area in case it does get dinged?

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Is it removable like PlastiDip so the parts can be repainted occasionally? Could I just spray over the top of a previously dipped area in case it does get dinged?

Yes please enquiring minds want to know.

 

[d fleming]

If they have millions to drop on racing why not just have several copies of each piece, then when one is damaged you have a new fresh one to pop on and keep going while the damaged piece is fixed and repainted? JAT

 

[rjssigns]

Is it removable like PlastiDip so the parts can be repainted occasionally? Could I just spray over the top of a previously dipped area in case it does get dinged?

Not removable like Plasti-Dip, but a lot more durable. Dependent on how you spray different finishes from smooth to textured can be obtained. Normally the paint will chip and the chip guard will not get damaged.(if you paint over the top).

My preference is to shoot the base/clear then the chip guard.

Another possibility is to use a single stage product like Sherwin-Williams Genesis series. I've done dragster parts(nose cones, scoops) and they still look great after years of use. Super tough finish.

Of course if you're doing sprint type dirt cars you will have an uphill battle trying to keep them looking pretty.

 

[PFS]

That's great info. I'll talk to them about their options. Thank you very much!

If they have millions to drop on racing why not just have several copies of each piece, then when one is damaged you have a new fresh one to pop on and keep going while the damaged piece is fixed and repainted? JAT

Good question. That's exactly what they do. They have spares for just about everything on the cars, and they have them for this intake. They're just trying to see if there's a way to add life to the part so they don't need so many spares. Spares cost money, inventory space, and time having to deal with them.

Pete