180mph, Paint-Safe, Clear Tape???

[Otto]

You could do this cheaply and easily: Get some aluminum foil of the type that is non-stick, i.e, has a food grade coating so baked goods won't stick. Form it into the recessed areas of the fog lights and tape it there with scotch tape. This conforms to the existing shape and protects the paint. Or, just give the area a good waxing so the foam won't stick. Now, using Great Stuff foam insulation from a hardware store, spray a gob of it onto the alu. foil. Let it expand out harden. Using a sanding block, smooth it so the shape conforms to the overall lines of the car body--the contour the air will flow over at speed. Remove this plug from the car, and mount it on a short stiff stick, facing up. Using a piece of soft flannel natural (not synthetic, which melts) fabric or maybe a piece of cotton from an old Tshirt, stretch and smooth the fabric over the foam plug. Silk might work, but the texture must be smooth as the heated plastic will pick up and duplicate texture.

Go on YouTube keywords "PETG" and "vacuum forming" see videos. One shows a guy forming a model airplane fuselage pod by stretching PETG clear plastic (soda bottles like 2 liter Pepsi are made of this common stuff) over a male plug after heating in kitchen oven. Others show vacuum forming if plastics using kitchen oven and shop vac.

This is the procedure you use to stretch clear plastic over your fog light plug. It's a one-off deal, so the plug does not need to be very strong or durable. PETG plastic is much tougher than plexiglass and nearly as strong as polycarbonate, and you can get it free from clear plastic soda bottles of cylindrical cross section. PETG is that clear plastic used everywhere in packaging, you've been using it for years, so find something useful on a store shelf packaged this way, use the stuff inside, and then use the plastic for vacuum or stretch forming your part. Polycarbonate would work, but hard to use due sensitivity to humidity and temperature. Plexi pretty common, but brittle. I've heard that storm door glazing sheets at Home Depot etc. is available in PETG, but have not checked. Anyhow, it would be thicker and stiffer than soda bottle stuff, so maybe worth a shot. Trim the piece with knife or Dremel tool, smooth edges to prevent cracking. Attach to car with Velcro?

[cptinjak]

Thanks for all the responses! I am going to weight the pros and cons of each, and I'll be sure to post whatever I come up with!

Jack

[cptinjak]

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

That leading edge tape isn't very transparent.
I would find some gaffer's tape in a color to match the car. Lay down a protective layer of gaffer's tape around the perimeter of the opening, then cut a piece of thin acrylic sheet to fit the opening. Tape that in place on top of the first layer of tape.
If you take the time to cut the tape nicely, I think it would look OK. I doubt if you would want to screw into your bumper like I did on my Vibe.

I like that idea, and it looks cool on the vibe! If i could end up with something like that, perhaps a bit thinner material, and no rivets/screws showing, I might be ok!

Jack

[cptinjak]

Originally Posted by Marc F.

Is there an intake for cooling air below that slot that holds the foglight?

Some aftermarket air intakes use the foglight openings to draw air, but there is no air outlet in stock form. It is just a plastic "bucket" that holds the foglight and acts like a mini parachute!

Originally Posted by Marc F.

Performance engine equals lots of heat.

Welcome onboard!

Performance? It's just a ten year old chevy!

Thanks, good to be here!

Jack

[ecomodded]

I have a solution that may work for you, or more so your car. A car bra for the c5, then have the fog light openings sewn over and backed if necessary. As a plus and what it made for the paint will be protected.

[cptinjak]

Originally Posted by ecomodded

I have a solution that may work for you, or more so your car. A car bra for the c5, then have the fog light openings sewn over and backed if necessary. As a plus and what it made for the paint will be protected.

Sorry, but I'm so very against car bras. Absolutely hideous in my opinion!



As of right now, I am leaning toward some kind of clear plastic, stretched over the opening. Think like the plastic you use to seal up windows in a house for thermal retention, stretching it with a hair dryer.

Jack

[ecomodded]

The plastic film will not hold its form at 100+ mph
I now think this next idea may be your best choice..
buy the fog light grills as someone suggested and cover them with plexiglass.

[cptinjak]

The main reason I want to stay away from the aftermarket screens is that they are set so far back, to get a flush finish I would need to do so much fabrication that I might as
well start from scratch.

I used some blue masking tape as an experiment at the drag strip this past weekend, and it help up through two passes at ~115mph, so I am becoming more confident with a tape/film idea being possible. I did the tape, folded my mirrors back, and pulled the air filter out. Not sure if any of them helped, but I went a full tenth faster than I had ever gone before... lol

Skip to 4:45 in video and you can sort of see my ghetto tape-job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VJrP...64FAAAAAAAADAA

Jack

[ECONORAM]

Interesting runs. I was confused at first that the Trailblazer was getting the jump off the line...
How about a sheet of 0.015" LEXAN and some double-sided tape?

[hiro256]

I've tried do something similar using lexan I drilled some holes and ran zip ties through the fog light grills. unfortunately i lost a screen during testing the double sided tape I used wasn't strong enough.