g_murray

Hi guyz n galz,

I ordered this May 15th. Since it had to be made from scratch – (‘custom’) -- it took a while – arriving yesterday (June 27th)!

http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/porsche.html

$129 for the ‘two piece’.

I opened the box as soon as I got home. The quality of construction, the double-stitching etc. is awesome. At the ‘end’ of each seam or line is a “soft-fluffy piece” (flannel) – esp. where it fits snug onto or interfaces with paintwork. The ‘leather-effect-vinyl’ is quite ‘heavy’ and ‘thick’. I’ve seen the bras on other cars and they were ‘thin/flimsy’ – but I gotta say – the Colgan one is ‘substantive’. There’s ‘openings’ for the lic. plate, fog-lamps and (flannelled) openings so that the headlamp-washers can ‘poke-out’ plus ‘meshing’ for the lower air-intake/dam area.

Since it’s a two-piece – I can just put the hood part on and leave the ‘other’ (headlights/bumper) part off – or put both on. Also, since it’s a two-piece I can put both on and I can STILL open the hood/trunk without having to jump thru’ hoops. (With ‘one piece systems’ you’re pretty much ‘locked in’ so to speak).

So, yesterday after work, I manhandled the hood part on – and boy is it snug! The hood piece extends 16.5” from the nose of the hood up towards where the sheet-metal-creases begin. That’s a LOT of coverage !

I’ll attempt/learn to put on the lower bumper part maybe on Saturday – with the car out in the driveway. As you might imagine – you need ‘room’ – and I just don’t have that luxury in the confines of my garage. The instructions weren’t great – so I may have to do some ‘layout work’ -- before I know WHAT the instructions REALLY mean – and before I snug/bungee everything down.

If I ‘track’ the car again – maybe at LimeRock or Pocono – sometime in the autumn – I’ll certainly have both upper (hood) and lower (bumper) sections on – for additional protection.

Gotta say, though, I’m impressed with Colgan.

Latah,

Gerry

P.S. I'll take some pix on Sat. (and will 'refresh' this posting with them).

AOW162435

Gerry,
These setups work great to protect the front end from chips/nicks/road rash/etc., but can also wreak havoc on your paint if left in place for too long. Any grit that gets trapped under the bra will quickly start abrading the paint as the bra moves while driving. I would only install it on a super clean car (should not be a problem in your case ), and then remove as soon as possible. I've seen cases where trapped moisture will also discolor the paint.

My 993 came with a full application of clear bra material - the paint underneath looked fantastic when I removed everything late last year. I suspect the material was installed 7 or 8 years ago.

Be careful.

Andreas

Kika

I have one of those, I got the CF look one. I don't keep it on the car for my daily commute, but for road trips, it goes on the car. I agree, it is a nice fit. Make sure the car is clean before you put it on. The PO of my car got some swirls on the hood where apparently some dirt got under. I had it buffed out, so not a big deal. One thing the PO did do was to fashion a couple of loops using 150lb test for the hood portion to hook onto, the loops wrap around the hinges, and the hook attatches to the loops. this prevents the hooks from "touching" the paint. The fishing line has a plastic sleeve around it where it wraps around the hinge, so it doesn't scratch.

g_murray

Hi guys,
Thanx for the heads-up.
Yep, I'd done a modicum of reading about the 'pitfalls'/'nuances' of same. I know what I'm getting into. Since I only drive the blue bomber on LONG drives (e.g. two to three-hundred mile "Sunday drives") - on highways - this 'covering' will only be on for short, albeit, important periods.
If I get the front 'freshened up' (professional paint-spray-wise) this winter - I will - after the paint/clear-coat has had adequate time to 'flash'/'cure' (i.e. 2 months or so) I THEN plan on installing the 3M clear-bra.
Gerry

Topcot

I would agree with everyone that you have to make sure that the surface is very clean and that the underside of the bra is very clean. I have had many Colgan's on P-cars over the years and they can work nicely. I have a mag bra (magnetic vinyl material) that I use that protects only the hood part which is easy on and off. No movement at well over a hundred so it works, but does not protect the bumper. I'm wondering if anyone has purchased one of the bras that I see advertised that is color-matched to the paint of the car. My car is red and I really don't like the black bra look that much, but might be OK with the colored bra.

Anyone have one of these?
Pete

911CabSteve

I got minor paint scratches on the top of both fenders after using the Colgan bra to protect the car on the track.. I don't think it was caused by dirt but the seam of the bra moving slightly... Now I put painters tape on the fenders before I install the bra. Stops the paint scratches.

g_murray

Have Blue Tape will Travel.

ca993twin

Another advocate of blue painters tape under any bra. Except my wife's.

95 C4 993

I sold mine to a fellow Rennlister last year. I prefer braless and headlights on high beam. Of course, night driving that is.

ca993twin

I can see that this thread is quickly deteriorating. Any mention of "bra" and the 9-year-old in each of us comes to the fore. And I'm guiltier than most.