I just had my 1977 painted and I am thinking about using that clear film to protect the new paint. Has anyone tried it and where is the best place to get it.

 

I know Zip has it, believe it's called Cleartastic.

 

You better give the paint plenty of time to cure before you cover it in a plastic film.

DUB

 

 

Cleartastic is ideal for protecting specific vulnerable areas on your C3.
Especially the "Dog leg" (in front of the rear wheel)
Very easy to apply. Pre-cut kits. Invisible once applied. No adhesive. Removable & reusable.
We have been protecting Corvettes since 1996!

A good distributor. They carry all of our paint protection kits.


Check with the manufacture on cure time. The good thing is the Cleartastic can be removed. But you will be waxing the area.

Good luck!

 

how long is plenty of time

 

That is a "TRICK" question.

Here is why.

Your "cure" time is COMPLETELY relative to what was applied to the body....and how it was applied.

SO if numerous coats of primer were applied and not allowed to cure completely due to speed of the job was more important than allowing the car to sit in the sun for a few days and "bake". Then the number of coats of paint and or clear...and the choice of reducer/thinner that was used...and the amount of flash time given in between these coats all effect TOTAL CURE times of the "paint job". Then you throw in the type of paint gun...and the percentage of paint transfer when painting it...and how they had the volume of paint being applied set at...and how fast or slow they traveled when painting.

This also depends on if the car was stripped down to the raw SMC...or a "scuff & squirt" paint job.

If it were one of my paint jobs...being a "down and up"...I probably would not apply it in large areas sheets for at least 6 months easily. BUT...I also do not rush the stages of a paint job. My flash times in between coats are greatly increased of not allowed to go 24 hours in some stages of material application. I force dry many areas of a car when I am re-assembling it...and these areas is where I apply a similar material from someone else...but it is very limited and the strips are only 3/8" wide and applied in areas where chips and scratches can occur easily....and are not on the exterior....and once it is applied...if I try to remove it...it can not be re-applied. The stuff I use is not a static cling material.

If you are using this Cleartastic stuff...and it can be removed and re-applied. And you are applying it in large sheets...I would apply it when I am going to drive it and then remove it after the drive.....and do that until you feel that enough time of sun exposure has occurred to aid in curing the paint....because just leaving your car in a garage for 6 months does not allow it to go through heat/cold cycles which aids curing the paint.

There is a test I do when I am force curing the doors before door handle, mirror and lock cylinder installation. I have sanded the clear and allowed it to stay "open-cut" for some time while the infra-red heaters cook the paint job...then I allow it to cool and repeat numerous times. When it is warm...much like what the sun would do if it were outside.

I go in with my thumbnail and press down into the clear under the mirror area. I look at the impression and because I have done this so long...I can tell when it is safe for me to install components that are under pressure and can possibly cause a problem due to the clear was applied to a high mils thickness for long UV protection....but is still "spongy". I have gone back and looked at the spot where my thumbnail left a small crease...and it went away. I force cure the paint further. Because you can do the "thumbnail" test when the paint is cold...and get an entirely different result.

DUB