Paint Protection Done! Protecting My Raptor's Paint From "Pinstriping"

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MagicMtnDan

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I have seen the enemy (of my Raptor's paint finish) and it looks like this:

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Thanks to all the rains we've had this winter, the desert flora is enjoying this spring growing leaps and bounds.

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Sometimes you just can't avoid driving through brush and sometimes the distance between them is less than the width of the Raptor.

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I was told that the Mojave Road would be a great trip and not very challenging in terms of wheeling but there would be lots of brush especially due to the rains.

I wanted to be proactive and do something to protect my Raptor's Tuxedo Black paint and there weren't a lot of options.

I had done some research online and found some pics of a Land Rover protected by magnetic sheeting material that was magnetically applied and taped.

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Of course the Land Rover owner had a much flatter, easier surface to work with compared to our curvaceous Raptors.

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You can see more pics and read about that here:
http://www.svtoffroad.com/showthrea...our-Raptor-s-Paint-From-quot-Pinstriping-quot
 
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MagicMtnDan

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I went ahead and purchased magnetic sheeting material (used for truck signs, etc.) and started planning the Raptor Protection Scheme aka "CRA" (Cover the Raptor's Ass) Protection System

After researching a number of online options (and looking for local suppliers), I place an order with
Applied Magnets & WindMax Wind Turbines located in Texas.

50 Ft x 24 in x 30mil with White Matte PVC Lamination, Flexible Magnetic Sheet, #FH50-PVC-003

1 50 foot roll for $99.99

This stuff is HEAVY (about 65 lbs.) so the freight was a big cost factor: $46.76 by UPS ground to SoCal Total: $146.75

Link: http://www.magnet4less.com

[email protected]

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MagicMtnDan

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It arrived in a box which had another box inside with the roll of heavy magnetic sheeting inside:

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By the way, they do not offer their sheeting in a different color - only white. I know other companies offer different colors but the price goes up. Since this was an "experiment" I wanted to keep the costs as low as possible and I figured I'd create the first zebra Raptor in the process (hey, if a Chevy can do it a Raptor can do it better!)...

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Here's a pic of a strip of material cut from the roll:

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MagicMtnDan

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So, I got my supplies together and prepared to create the zebra suit

Supplies:

1 roll of Magnetic Sheeting material 50' x 24" wide x 30 mil
1 roll of Duct Tape (every project needs to have a roll of duct tape handy)
2 rolls of 3M Tape - this is a new-to-me product. It looks like Duct Tape but it's advertised as being good for indoor and outdoor use and having strong adhesive properties while leaving NO RESIDUE for up to 6 months.
1 roll of 3M Blue Painters Tape (easy to remove - no residue)
1 roll of "painters paper" wider than 24" which is the width of the magnetic sheeting
1 scissors
1 Sharpie marker
1 Tape Measure
1 Assistant
Lots of time

These supplies are all available at "Ho's" (Lowes or Home Depot) in the paint department.

About the tape:

Per Home Depot's website:
Scotch No Residue Painter's Duct Tape Model # P2425 Internet/Catalog # 100653893
Store SKU # 930458 $7.97/PK-Package

Link to Home Depot's webpage

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MagicMtnDan

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The next step is to create paper patterns using the painters paper.

I cut a large sheet of paper from the roll (larger than the area I was working on) and then taped it to a clean Raptor using the Blue Painters tape. I pressed the paper to the Raptor's skin and taped it down around the edges to hold it in place and keep it from moving.

I used the rounded end of the Sharpie marker to trace the area on the paper. This enabled me to mark the fender outlines, door edges, gap between the cab and bed, etc. Once I traced these body features with the end of the Sharpie I then used the Sharpie marker to draw these cut lines on the paper creating a pattern.

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I cut the paper pattern and rehung it to check the size

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A lot of checking and double-checking was involved. The paper patterns need to be cut to size and checked to the Raptor by taping it back on.

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KTM RAPTOR

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The next step is to create paper patterns using the painters paper.

I cut a large sheet of paper from the roll (larger than the area I was working on) and then taped it to a clean Raptor using the Blue Painters tape. I pressed the paper to the Raptor's skin and taped it down around the edges to hold it in place and keep it from moving.

I used the rounded end of the Sharpie marker to trace the area on the paper. This enabled me to mark the fender outlines, door edges, gap between the cab and bed, etc. Once I traced these body features with the end of the Sharpie I then used the Sharpie marker to draw these cut lines on the paper creating a pattern.

IMG_2373.jpg

I cut the paper pattern and rehung it to check the size

IMG_2374.jpg

A lot of checking and double-checking was involved. The paper patterns need to be cut to size and checked to the Raptor by taping it back on.

IMG_2372.jpg

looking good, Man u have patients magic mtn dan!
 
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MagicMtnDan

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looking good, Man u have patients magic mtn dan!


Thanks KTM!

Naw, doctors have patients. I have some patience :mrgreen:

Could I ask you to edit your post and delete the pictures that were re-posted with your post? It will make reading this thread much easier I think as folks won't think that the pics in your post are different than the ones I posted prior to that. Thanks!
 
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MagicMtnDan

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OK, so once I marked the paper and cut it I then laid the paper on top of the magnetic sheeting, taped the edges to hold the paper in place and then I started cutting the magnetic sheeting. It cuts pretty easily and smoothly in straight lines - not so smoothly on the curves.

Once I cut the magnetic sheeting to size I had to test fit it on the truck.

Note: I took a small piece of magnetic sheeting and tried it on the truck and it stuck OK but I was a bit concerned about its "stickiness". Not to worry - when I took a large cut sheet over to the Raptor flesh and it got near the metal the sheeting zzzzzzzipped onto the skin and stuck nicely. No more worries about the sheeting sticking to the Raptor. Of course there is an issue on the front fenders since they're not metal the magnetic sheeting doesn't stick.

Cutting sheeting using the paper patterns (templates) - magnetic side up.

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The good news is the paper patterns can be used for both sides of the Raptor. Simply flip the pattern over but <caution> when you do that, don't lose track of what's going on and flip the magnetic sheeting over too. If you do that you'll end up cutting two of the same (don't ask me how I know that :D ).

Here's the large sheets in place (magnetics only) before final trimming to size:

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MagicMtnDan

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Right side

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This takes a lot of time and it takes even more time if you're a perfectionist. My problem was I was running out of time with the big trip (Mojave Road trip) coming up. I didn't have time to do the bed sides as nicely as I wanted to and instead of making patterns for everything I cut magnetic sheeting to fit.

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Note that I tried to use the sheeting in a way that would minimize the number of pieces I'd have to make. On the doors I used duct tape to put the pieces together (2 pieces on each door) since the duct tape wouldn't touch the paint.

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Cutting magnetic sheeting to fit the Raptor made me realize it's quite curvaceous. It's challenging to cut pieces to fit many of the tight, curved areas.

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