Interior Exterior
Q:
HRM is shipping me painted guards for $150 plus shipping. I have clear silicone flashing/gutter adhesive. Is there something else I should be using? This will need to stick to my Starshield. TIA
A:
Forgive my ignorance, but I don't quite understand the purpose of a chin guard! Is it to give you a warning that you are about to hit something, is it to distribute the impact so as to not take a chuck of glass out, but maybe crack the whole clam ?? Is it to be the sacificial lamb so as to be scatched instead of the paint? The reason I am asking is not to be critical, but I was Thinking of redoing a similar chin guard as what was developed for our viper's and would require if I'm correct require no drilling as it could use the existing 3 bolt's toward the rear of the clam. That guuard was for min. impact, it was for primarily a warning, but was effective. I have not as yet seen Lotus guard, but was wondering why it was not developed to utilize for example some type of cured foam to absorb impact rather than silicone to distribute impact?
A:
Is it to be the sacrificial lamb so as to be scratched instead of the paint? <...> was wondering why it was not developed to utilize for example some type of cured foam to absorb impact rather than silicone to distribute impact?
It's sacrificial - instead of the clam getting hit/ripped, the hard, resilient plastic of the chin guard take the minor impacts. I guess it also distributes the point load/impact over a slightly larger area of the fiberglass in an attempt to reduce/eliminate the damage of mild scraping.
As for the silicon - it's not there to distribute the impact. The plastic chin guard conforms closely (exactly?) to the shape of the "winglets" on the front of the clam. The silicon is there simply to seal the edge of the chin guard to the body to prevent dirt and grit from getting between the two and damaging the paint/body under the chin guard. The reason that there is not foam, etc. under the guards, is that would change the shape of the winglets - which was not the intention.
When properly installed, you can't tell that they are there (unless you look closely). They are no guarantee that the front clam won't get damaged, they are just some extra protection against minor scrapes.
A:
As for the silicon - it's not there to distribute the impact. The plastic chin guard conforms closely (exactly?) to the shape of the "winglets" on the front of the clam. The silicon is there simply to seal the edge of the chin guard to the body to prevent dirt and grit from getting between the two and damaging the paint/body under the chin guard. The reason that there is not foam, etc. under the guards, is that would change the shape of the winglets - which was not the intention.
So you're saying that the guard is mounted with wet caulking? Seems logical, but I've heard folks say they applied a bead to the guard and let it dry overnight.
A:
So you're saying that the guard is mounted with wet caulking? Seems logical, but I've heard folks say they applied a bead to the guard and let it dry overnight.
You can do either. I let mine dry so I could have the option of removing them if needed. Came in handy when I had a new clear bra installed.