I've only ever heard of bras being sold for OEM front bumpers...and honestly, I'm getting tired of the stupid rock chips and what not on my C-west front end...

Does anyone know if there's a company that'll make a custom leather bra for a C-west front end?

 

You could have mutliple layers of clear coat baked on to make it stronger. I had this done with my East Bear headlights and they are damn near bullet proof now. I saw a thread recently about another clear material one could apply (maybe 3M?) that would also solve this problem.

 

Go back to the good looking stock bumper and ditch the ugly CWest. Sorry. As bricke mentioned, 3M, as well as several other companies, make a clear cover/sticker that can be applied to body panels to stop the paint from coming in contact with elements. Obviously they don't sell a CWest shaped kit, but you could pickup a few sheets of it, and cut it to size.

EDIT: Here are some companies that sell the material.
http://www.ultrashieldusa.com/
http://www.xpel.com/

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ht=3m%2A+clear

 

a bra on a custom bumper kinda would defeat the purpose wouldnt it...

 

The 3M stuff works, but it yellows w/ time in the sun, and I heard it's a bitch to put on.

As for defeating the purpose...my car's black. A black leather bra on a black front end will look virtually like it's not there...i really don't think it would be that noticeable...besides, you can always take it off on certain occassions and what not...

 

Can we do the clearcoat ourselves?

 

I'm sure you can do anything you want yourself bud

But on the real, I believe I remember speaking to someone about the 3M stuff, and there's a company that'll actually come out and do it for you on your car. So it seems that the (common) alternative is a DIY kit. I still want a bra though...

 

Bras are never leather, only vinyl.

But, ironicaly, using leather conditioner on mine brings out a beautifull shine.

By the by, I use lots of busy Interstates as my car is an everyday driver.....this is the only reason I haven't put an aftermarket bumper on my car. What I did do, is open the stock mouth up by 3+ inches at its widest point. Now, yes, my oil cooler ducts are still small, but I get near the same radiator air as an aftermarket and I kept the bra. I also installed an IC duct extension to take advantage of the bigger opening and installed a 5" fan pulling air through the IC.

Raj

 

there are certain shops that can like take a cat scan or something similar of the front of your car to make a custom clear material bra....

It's not so bad to me that the 3m stuff yellows over time, but 1. What does it do the the paint under? and 2. it makes the front of your car less shiny

 

^^^ Thats what I want to know. I'm probably gonna hold off on a full paint job for a while considering the price but when I do get it I want it to last a looooooooong time.

[edit] And also how much does it cost?

 

Not according to 3M or any of the people I know who have had it applied to their Corvettes, Vipers, or Ferraris.

That's why you pay someone to install it.

 

1. Protects it, and 2. no it doesn't.

You can barely tell that it's there when installed properly. A very thin line at the edge is the only thing you will see. The covered surface looks just like the rest of the paint on every car that I've seen it on.

 

Jimlab, thanks for the info. So how do you go about finding a place that a) carries this stuff, b) has that cat scan typa thing to make a mold for your car, and c) that installs it?

 

A) ask someone who has had it done in your area, b) they don't use CAT scan, and c) if they carry the stuff, they probably know who is able to install it.

Here's some info that might help...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zero...tid=1547352515

BTW, a CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) scan generates a 3D image from 2 dimensional X-ray pictures one "slice" at a time, generally of the insides of human beings.

 

Again, thanks for the info Jimlab.

Oh and BTW, I know ALL about CAT scans and how to read them. That's MY area of study I just didn't feel like searching for what technique they really use on this 3M stuff, so I called it what the other guy called it hehe

Oh, and here's the direct link you wanna follow if you're looking for a 3M installer in your area...
http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-168/czrRFFU/view.jhtml

 

Jimbo!

Do you know any shop locally who does that? What kind of shop would I be looking for in Yellow pages?

 

Any paintshop will probably know a place that deals with it.

 

Check out the link I posted above
http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-168/czrRFFU/view.jhtml

Click on "Find a Professional Applicator" and it'll show you the closest one to your location.

 

Thanks!

 

NP. I *heard* (warning, this is heresay, so it could be wrong), but I heard that it costs around $800 for the stock front end of an RX7 or RX8, which sounds ridiculous.

I'm prob. gonna stop by one of the shops in my area tomarrow to get an estimate, and I'll let you guys know how much they quote me for my C-West front bumper. I think anything more than $500 would be a rip-off (considering that's right around how much it would cost you to repaint a front bumper twice)

 

Perhaps. Depends on how much you paid for your car or paint job and how long you want it remain chip-free, I suppose.

 

OK someone explain this to me...I spoke to one place that does the 3M film, and the guy said he won't do it on my car since it's been repainted. I asked why, he said because it was spraypainted, not baked on...?? I've never heard of paint being baked on???

 

I also have a C-west kit and am dying for a car bra. I need a one for long trips on the highway. The 3M film sounds great, but its not worth paying 500$. I might settle for half that. We need a company to produce one.

 

My neighbor owns an Invisible auto bra company and can custom fit any application. (can be VERY costly though) I found his brochure so I'll quote a few lines from it..

'Ultimate shield has created a way to effectively put an end to costly damage and preserve the beauty and integrity of automotive finishes. It has been proben for years in the military and racing industry and now is available to the public for everyday vehicles.

The Material:3M's Scotchgard Paint Protection film forms an invisible, skintight bond with your behicle. The film is an 8 mil thick thermoplastic coating that is guaranteed not to peel, yellow, crack, or fade and can be removed with no hard to the factory paint. It is covered with a 5 year warrantee and backed with a $1000 paint protection guarantee. Once applied it is maintenace free, just wash and wax over it as you would the rest of the vehicle.'

His website is www.newcarprotection.com

Mikey

 

link does't work btw.