03/04 3M Clear Bra Install

cobraCMDR

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Don't do it yourself pay someone. I wanted to save a few hundred bucks and bought a precut kit on ebay for 200 shipped. What a PITA. They give you two sets of mirror pieces..........why because they are impossible to get on and you end up throwing them out anyways. Hood piece and top of fenders is a cakewalk. The front however is a nightmare. Try stretching plastic that has soap on it like 1 inch evenly with soapy hands and not ripping or marring the plastic. Holy $HIT!!!!! It came out pretty decent I only had 1 bubble on the bumper and on ripple which looks more like a slight drip in the paint (thank god). I ended up cutting some of the areas around the fog lights and lower grille just to get the damn kit to fit. I don't know how you are supposed to install this kit but even with my stretching it still did not fit right. I think you need like 3 people to install this thing. I did it by myself with some mild help from my girlfriend to get the bumper part on. My back is killing me and it's midnight.......I'm going to bed I'll post some pictures of that and my chromies mod tomorrow night........All and all I give my install an 8.5 considering it is next to impossible.........word to the wise if your going to do it yourself practice on the mirror pieces if you fock them up then no loss. NIGHT! :sleeping:
 

cobraCMDR

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Jas said:
The key is to find a professional installer.

Uhhhuh. Well I paid $170 for the kit..plus like 20 bucks for install materials (soap, alcohol, squirt bottles etc) and 5 hours of my time. I was quoted $560 for the same kit installed.....Here are picture of the finished product. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10 it looks pretty good and the guy I bought it from said he was impressed that I was able to get it on with good results.....he said even seasoned installers have trouble with the cobras :burnout:

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Ken
 

blwn88cpe

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Looks good Ken. I installed mine myself also. The front bumper gave me a fit as well. Looks better than rock chips. :beer:
 

RockBlocker

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It is always best to have a professional install your clear bra kit. Sure money is a factor, but the bumper is not the easiest thing to install. Trust me I know and have seen a lot of bad installs.
 

jpk

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Yeah, I had mine done by a pro. I had the entire front bumper, front of the hood, door rockers, door edges, sideview mirrors, and behind the rear wheels done. Basically, any surface that gets stuff kicked up from the road or cars ahead is covered. Well worth it, because if you get bubbles, the pro has to reinstall it and you don't have to waste any time on re-doing it.
 

4obra

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wow. honestly i have never heard of this stuff and i am very interested in it now. i have a firered 2004 cobra and spent hard earned money on it and i dont want to ruin the paint by driving. was your guys kit pre cut or did it come in sheets?
 

RockBlocker

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firecobra04 said:
wow. honestly i have never heard of this stuff and i am very interested in it now. i have a firered 2004 cobra and spent hard earned money on it and i dont want to ruin the paint by driving. was your guys kit pre cut or did it come in sheets?

Pre cut, but there are some that do it from bulk.
 

jpk

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firecobra04 said:
wow. honestly i have never heard of this stuff and i am very interested in it now. i have a firered 2004 cobra and spent hard earned money on it and i dont want to ruin the paint by driving. was your guys kit pre cut or did it come in sheets?

Yeah, I figured I've save myself a ton on heartburn medication by not having to worry as much about rocks from other cars or stuff getting kicked up off of my own tires. Sometimes I actually wonder if I should have had the whole hood done instead of just the front!
 

blk04cobra1

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I got quoted $325 for the mustang and $350 for my Honda...thought it was a little much, but hearing that the 3m stuff costs $200, I dont feel so cheated...i havent had it done yet, but am seriously considering it.
 

RockBlocker

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That is a very good price. I would make sure what it includes. Most full kits starts at $400 and go $1000 depending on where you are located and who the installer is.
 

cobraCMDR

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RockBlocker said:
That is a very good price. I would make sure what it includes. Most full kits starts at $400 and go $1000 depending on where you are located and who the installer is.

Exactly ^ I was quoted 560 to have my car done and that was just mirrors, hood and bumper. In retrospect it was hard to do but I don't worry about chips on the front anymore and I only paid 200 for it. Definately one of the first mods that should be done if your cobra is chip free still!
 

NY04snake

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jpk said:
Yeah, I had mine done by a pro. I had the entire front bumper, front of the hood, door rockers, door edges, sideview mirrors, and behind the rear wheels done. Basically, any surface that gets stuff kicked up from the road or cars ahead is covered. Well worth it, because if you get bubbles, the pro has to reinstall it and you don't have to waste any time on re-doing it.

when the certified guy who went to school for it did mine, he said the 03-04 are among the toughest installs they do and I watched the whole proces and it took him nearly 3 solid hours and ended up with a blemish on the hood piece that didn't clear up/evaporate in a month like he promised so he had to apply another piece to the hood. I wanted for night runs at the track, the bugs are thick under the strip lights and now I just windex them off. I paid a little less than 6 bills with tax for the complete job including the pieces behind the rear wheel wells. In the bright sun it dissappears and after it cures on your car a month in the sun it gets harder than when it is applied and unlike the static kits you can buy, there is some serious adhesive on this stuff. Paint is so thin these days, this is about the only protection against those chips and bug acid.
 

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