Stone Guards????
09-27-2003, 11:29 PM
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Stone Guards????
The clear stone protectors on my 89 951 have become cracked and discolored. I was considering removing them and not replacing. Has anyone done this? What is the easiest way to remove these? Or does anyone suggest replacing them? Thanks!
09-27-2003, 11:55 PM
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Turbo.. I just went through this on my 86 951 that the previous owner never thought about removing them. The process of removing them correctly with 3M adhesive remover and a bondo scraper to me two days and a lot of beer, it is tedious and time consuming and really no fun if they are really cracked and very old. My suggestion would be to find a body shop that is familiar with them and willing to do it and pay them if you want to save yourself so time. I hope this info helps and maybe yours aren't as bad as mine were...
Kyle
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09-28-2003, 02:01 AM
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Like March Gelefsky, I used the 3M Adhesive remover (be careful using it as it is like paint thinner).
The ideal temperature to do this is about 85 degrees.
Put the 3M remover on a cloth and place the cloth on the area to remove. Let it "soak" for a minute or two. I used a hair drier on "high" and let it heat up the plastic stone guard. Then I used a razor blade scraper (I don't know what to call it but it is used to remove inspection stickers from your windshield). Be careful not to "dig" into the paint when removing the stone guard. Reapply, reheat, scrape the area as needed. You will notice that the adheasive portion of the stone guard will start to transfer to the cloth at which time, use a clean area of the cloth to reapply the 3M remover.
Take your time and don't rush it.
As for applying the stone guard, I first cleaned the area. Then I sprayed an ample amount of 50% denatured alcohol and 50% water mixture around the area. This will allow you to "play" with the stone guard until you find the correct position. Once you have aligned the stone guard to the car, take a rubber/plastic bondo applicator to work the water/air from the center of the stone guard to the edges.
Good luck!
The ideal temperature to do this is about 85 degrees.
Put the 3M remover on a cloth and place the cloth on the area to remove. Let it "soak" for a minute or two. I used a hair drier on "high" and let it heat up the plastic stone guard. Then I used a razor blade scraper (I don't know what to call it but it is used to remove inspection stickers from your windshield). Be careful not to "dig" into the paint when removing the stone guard. Reapply, reheat, scrape the area as needed. You will notice that the adheasive portion of the stone guard will start to transfer to the cloth at which time, use a clean area of the cloth to reapply the 3M remover.
Take your time and don't rush it.
As for applying the stone guard, I first cleaned the area. Then I sprayed an ample amount of 50% denatured alcohol and 50% water mixture around the area. This will allow you to "play" with the stone guard until you find the correct position. Once you have aligned the stone guard to the car, take a rubber/plastic bondo applicator to work the water/air from the center of the stone guard to the edges.
Good luck!
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09-28-2003, 09:22 AM
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I did this on my white '87 when I first got it (yellow guards against white). I tried the heat thing and the plastic film would just come apart and make a mess. I then tried pulling the edges back, slowly. This took increadible patience as pulling too hard would break the film off in my hands but a constant, steady pull worked. Pull just hard enough to hear the stick let go and no harder. Take breaks to let your cramped hands uncramp or have some else around to take over.
There is some adheasive left over but this cleaned up much more easily than it did when there was pieces of the guard melted into it.
This technique saved a bunch of time but there was a problem. The front left inner fender had been chipped by a rock and the chip turned the corner towards side of the car . When I got to his area, the last two inches of this guard pulled the paint off with it in a neat rectangle. Had I suspected the paint was weak in this area, I would have pulled towards the wheel instead of straight down or switched to the heat technique. I now have primer showing that I need to get fixed.
There is some adheasive left over but this cleaned up much more easily than it did when there was pieces of the guard melted into it.
This technique saved a bunch of time but there was a problem. The front left inner fender had been chipped by a rock and the chip turned the corner towards side of the car . When I got to his area, the last two inches of this guard pulled the paint off with it in a neat rectangle. Had I suspected the paint was weak in this area, I would have pulled towards the wheel instead of straight down or switched to the heat technique. I now have primer showing that I need to get fixed.
09-28-2003, 06:16 PM
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I did mine without the heat. When I aplied heat the glue and the stone guard sort of melted together, and I was left with a goop that was quite difficult to get off, even with the 3M adhesive remover. I just used the 3M stuff and the plastic scraper to get the others off and it took time, but came out great.
09-28-2003, 09:27 PM
#13
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Originally posted by David Floyd
Like everybody else has said, time, 3m remover/Goof off and a plastic scraper.
I have run 2 years without protectors and no paint chips.
Like everybody else has said, time, 3m remover/Goof off and a plastic scraper.
I have run 2 years without protectors and no paint chips.
