Rolled black plastic
 

For anyone considering making grill blocks wheel well skirts or other mods that will be in constant view on the exterior of the car ...

I learned of this Allstar ALL22400 Black Plastic Roll from Xist. (0.07" Thick 24" Wide 10'). Xist used it for an airdam two years ago. (Thanks Xist!)

Pros: It is better looking than coroplast by far, does not fade in the sun, and has flexibility and rigidity characteristics that are pretty cool.

Cons: It flexes just enough to change shape slightly when it gets hot, either from sun or engine heat. It is also a little hard to cut cleanly and regularly. You'll want to experiment but I have gotten some really good results with razor cutting tools for lexan. I prefer the look and durability of this stuff to coroplast by a mile.

Here is what my roll looked like the day it arrived:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...p;d=1405898239

Subbin'

HDPE? I thought that has poor UV resistance. I guess it can be Plastidipped or something for durability.

This is really cheap though, I might as well try making some underbody panels with it.

Well, I cannot guarantee anything, but this plastic has been on my car as wheel well skirfs for a long time now without the slightest change from the sun. The old coroplast, or a plastidipped or painted surface would already have faded long ago. Unpainted, this is the best black surface I have had.

Ah, that's good to know.

Since it comes in a roll, I am guessing it is pretty flexible and easy to bend right? Do you use a blow dryer to soften it or just cut a chunk out and bolt it up?

So this is a slightly tricky area. It comes rolled and tends to retain that bend. I tried shaping it with a heat gun and had limited results. But I am inexperienced with most tools so my first efforts are usually tentative. It gets softer in heat, and I am sure easier to cut. But I have found that the work of heating it is not worth the benefits over a room temp piece. The best tool I have for marking and cutting it is this one:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1471971563

That hook on the blade is really handy once I have started the groove using the main point like a pencil. It is easy to slip out of the groove and make a wrong cut mark. But once I have a good deep groove, I can bend the piece along the line and it will crack. Even a curve line will crack well this way. The result is a pretty clean cut. Doing it this way in MUCH better than with tin snips because with the snips there is no way to avoid jagged lines.

Hope that is helpful.

james

I boiled mine in a stock pot, screwed boards on each side, and cut it with my circular saw.

You have got to post photos of that process. How big a pot do you have?!

From what I understand stock pots are pretty tall.

How did it taste? Lo cal?

Prefer mine on the BBQ. Nice and crispy...
Simon

I just thought of this again, can it be completely straightened with heat? I want to make a rain cover for my engine lid (MR2, lid is vented and missing its drip tray so water gets on the exhaust) with it. I also want to use it to give my radiator some proper ducting, and it's also best if it's straightened for that too.

I have had no success with completely straightening it using my heat gun. It always seems to return to form, more or less. So I have tended to attach it to surfaces in order the straighten it. But I am novice. You'll want more experienced opinion.

Sorry to threadjack, but I wonder if the plastic would be a suitable backing material to hold garage door insulation in place and make the install look cleaner?

I just bought some fiberglass insulation for my garage door because it was deeply discounted. They make foam board panels that look better, but they don't have as good of an R-value and aren't on sale at the moment.

From reviews, it seems the fiberglass stuff has a tendency to sag over time and look messy.

http://cdn1.tmbi.com/TFH/Projects/FH16DJA_INSULA_01.jpg

I think it could definitely serve this purpose (garage insulation). And I thijk it is sold in more colors than just black. The one thing to check would be measurements, because the more cuts you'd have to do to cover panels, the uglier it will likely get. It tends to warp in heat, like direct sun, or engine heat. Mainly a cosmetic issue on hot days on my car, slight warping of panels. But I don't think that would be an issue inside a garage.

Man, I'll have to keep this in mind... One of my wheel skirts needs repaired, and I could use a roll to completely remake all my plastic exterior parts out of this stuff... Plus, I'm used to working with HDPE at work, so I could figure out how to straighten it...