New Painter

[RNK]

Looking to paint my cobra and would like some ref of someone very familar with cobras. I am in carmichael.

[thudmaster]

Ken's custom auto body in Yuba city; aka Streetrodpainter. He has painted most of the norcal cobras. Top quality work but do not be in a hurry he is meticulous........

[wanab5150]

I am taking ours there in early November to get a fender painted and a spray clear bra(K2 crystal Clear Chip Guard) on the front to replace the 3m clear bra which has yellowed. Ken said about a week.....

When I picked the car up from the installer 3 years ago he admitted to scratching the top of the fender during engine installation and I've just tried to not look at it....time to get if fixed!

Anyone have any experience with K2? or Anyone know of a 3m clear bra installer that can do a Superformance in Sacramento or SF area?

[thudmaster]

Hey Tom.......There is an installer near Superformance USA in Irving but I know for a fact it is a long way to drive for anything.....
You and Deb still being newly weds I hope........

[jmarsey]

Ken Pike: http://www.cobra4me.com/newsrp/

[wanab5150]

Nice talking to ya Ed. I'll give you a call when I drop off the cobra in a week or so at ken's.

[pgermond]

Ken Pike is the guy......

[Got the Bug]

Tom,

How do they go about removing the old 3M bra? Can they do it without damaging the paint?

[decooney]

RNK,

My Cobra is at Kens now. I'm repainting it due to a bunch of chips running different tires that throw too many rocks and paint from a former paint job that did not hold up, painted in 2001. I decided to have Ken give it a go this time around.

I'm doing the 3M paint-on guard over the entire nose of my Cobra, and on the rear fenders starting just behind the doors - no messing around this time after too many chips on the first paint job. All the paint is being removed, prepped, and redone. If I had Ken paint it the first time, I would not be having to re-do it all over again.

Here is a custom car we did a while back (a.k.a Lister COOX), photo taken at Ken's shop just after paint. I had Ken paint the entire nose with paint on chip guard on it. Its hard to see the line, but in any case it works. This car has been on the road for a few years now and there are no chips on the front end. The same will get done on my Cobra.

[SMOKNAC]

Premier films in Fremont. I've seen there work, and I'm going to have Wilson do my supformance.
510-623-1308

[Got the Bug]

What's the ballpark price for Premier to apply a clear bra to the front?

I went with the 3M bra when I bought my SPF 3+ years ago. It's pretty good, but I never really liked the edge and I've got some chips in a few spots that it doesn't cover.

[johnc427]

Check out Palmer Signs in Roseville. 916 773 5815. Talk to Tony, he is a real car guy andI am sure he can help you out. Tell him John told you to call him. He also applies numbers and does full wraps on cars and trucks. He did some numbers on Igofstr's Kirkham. www.palmersigns.com

[decooney]

Ken at Ken's customs told me that he use to apply the stick-on type and its hard to fix bad impressions/chips later on because the glue in some of the stick-on materials sort of imbeds itself in to the paint. When you try to tear/remove it, it pulls your paint right off; whereas he's had better luck fixing/repainting with the paint on products, etc; for what its worth.

[wanab5150]

I removed the tape without an issue and it was all over the front of the Cobra. I used a heat gun on low to LIGHTLY soften it then peel it back at 180 degrees back on itself, if that makes sense.

Some guys pull it toward them, or at 90 degrees to the surface which can and (I've seen ) pull paint off because its like putting a suction cup on and pulling. So, pull it off 1 inch by 4 inches at a time.

It took me about 2 hours.

I had a guy redo the rear renders area in front of the door on he drivers side and he was aggressive and just yanked it off with a 5x5 inch chunk of paint.

Now as far as the K2 clear I'm having him spray, it can be buffed at any time where the tape will dull, yellow, and peel on the edges leaving a dirt line on some of the edges over a 3 year period. also, if you get a goober on the front that needs to be repaired, you can repair it, paint it, and spray a double coat of K2 clear over the same area and it's back to looking perfect.

The only issue is it's permanent, and it would be a nightmare to remove it if you decided to remove it in the future.

Duane, what 3M clear product is Ken going to use on the front of your car? I know 3M makes a chip guard that goes under paint but can't find any 3M that goes on top. I asked him what he uses and he said, Crystal Clear 2K Chip guard. It's made by another company.....I will verify on Monday when I take my car over.

[wanab5150]

Dominion Sure Seal Crystal Clear 2K Chip Guard is what Ken uses.

here's a link....http://www.dominionsureseal.com/prod...d=316&catid=35

[wanab5150]

Got the car back Friday. Ken had to do the clear on the front again as I found a couple of fisheyes ...one was about the size of an erasure on a pencil on the side of the fender.

Overall the paint looks crystal clear with no orange peel and the K2 on the front looks good....much better than the 3m clear bra ever did.

I asked about waxes and he said wait till Feb to do any waxing or applying the numbers back on the fender. He also does not like any of the SEALING type topicals as they don't allow the paint to breath. This is exactly what the DuPont and PPG reps always told me when I spoke tho them about paint when I was in the business.........Oh, he recommended Mothers wax as (just like the reps say) it has Carnuba, which is the only real wax....not a topical sealer. There are many other waxes with Carnuba, but this is his personal favorite because its safe and non damaging to the paint.

Anyway.... the job looks great as I would have expected from Kens Reputation.

[Bxx1]

Glad it turned out to your liking...