Getportfolio

Normal daily driving on gravel roads maybe.

mfc133

I wish I could blame it on gravel, commute is 30min of highway driving. I never leave a paved surface door to door.

It looks like more of a problem for Brembo cars:
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forum...embo-cars.html

cdynaco

All cement/pavement highways? No chip seal?

In addition to 3M mask on the rockers and behind the rear wheels, I added the Jaeger Bros splash guards front and rear because I live off a gravel/dirt road, plus they do a lot of that awful chip seal here on 2 lane highways.
You can see how the 'splash path' is above the rockers (before I bought splash guards). Pretty much matches where your chips are.
Guards are a compromise on looks, but I'd rather have the guards to protect against this:
.

Getportfolio

Just read the thread. Uggh. Man those tires must be sticky as hell. Ever thought about switching tires, roush splitters?

clucas

That makes me want to get the mud guards even more now. I do about 30 miles each way mostly highway commute, and mine doesn't look anywhere near that bad. I just turned over 23k too. I also want to get the splitters to help with the length. I guess the only difference between our cars is that mine isn't the brembo or track pack.

berzerk_1980

Thanks for the pics, I think they do everyone here a service. And sorry about your paint.

It looks like if we go the film route, we need coverage from fender to fender, about 7" high (maybe 8" to have a margin), plus the rockers. I estimate $600, but I'll get a real estimate from the shop in about a week. Note if you count the bra we're talking about $1400.

I am guessing side splitters are equally as effective but require drilling. Looking at about $175 there if one self installs. Also could look goofy without rear side splitters as well ($100).

VidPro

I want to do the same but no garage to spray the stuff.

mfc133

Is that spray stuff any good? Haven't seen many people using it yet.

laserred38

I believe DFink on here has. I'd say his came out pretty well. Idk how well it shields, but it looks as good, if not better than the vinyl clear bras I've seen.

cdynaco

For flat areas, the 3M film is easy to apply and you can buy various size rolls of it. Where it gets tricky is on compound curves where you really need to stretch it to avoid puckers.

Alcohol/water mix makes it stick, soap/water mix makes it slide, until you get it into position. Tack one side, stretch a bit and squeegee in place.

So for rockers and around fender wells its pretty easy.

berzerk_1980

I don't have the chance to Google this at the moment, what's the specific technique? I.e. spray the surface and the film with soap solution, apply, slide to position, then...Is it squeegee or alcohol? Because you do make it sound easy but clearly I have no clue.

berzerk_1980

Googling and YouTubing it looks like if you get the technique right there are good looking results. I don't knew about the protective quality against rocks.

Two others frequently mentioned are Road Warrior Plus and Plasti Dip. Again, I don't know the protective quality. Road Warrior Plus looks super easy to install and remove, but it's more expensive than the sprays.

cdynaco

I bought a kit from here:

http://www.invisiblemask.com/

They also sell different size rolls that you can cut trim pieces for areas like rockers or the rear bumper cover where the trunk opens etc. I bought the 3M.

You peel the backing off, use the spray bottle with the soap/water mix and spray on liberally. Then position the film on the car where you want it.
It doesn't set up super quick so you have time. You want it to stretch a bit so set one side where you know you want it. Let's say the left side. The other (right) side will at first appear to be a bit short.
Now peel back the film at the left side for 4-6" and use the spray bottle with the alcohol/water mix. It chases the soap out and the film will set up here. Squeegee it in place until it holds.
Then you can pull the rest of the piece back up a bit, stretch into place, squeegee out L-R the liquid being sure not to leave any air bubbles. Work the squeegee all the way to the (right) end of the piece and let it set up.
If you make an error, peel it back up and re-squeegee in place. If need be, spray some soap/water mix to help and then squeegee it out again. You can do this a couple of times to get it right. Soapy lets you move it, alcohol sets it up.

I tried a pattern for my winter car and the pattern was precise. Problem was I was alone, the front has compound curves, and I couldn't stretch it well enough so I got some puckers. But its a winter car so I live with it.

But for straight pieces it really is fairly easy to work with. And cheaper to do it yourself. But for Mustang's front bumper cover and hood I'd definitely pay a pro for those areas.

CCTking

One cheap alternative to the film is to use clear plastidip to cover up to a certain point. Much cheaper and its easier to experiment with how much surface you need to cover.
Just a thought