Bra is for only 2 things. Protecting the nose on a long road trip, covering damage from an accident. One should NEVER be left on for any extended period (several days). It dont matter how 'good' that it is. Ive fixed a lot of cars, mostly Corvettes that wore bras 24/7. They all needed the front half repainted. Worse ones even had grooves or slices cut into the fenders from vibrating bras sawing thru them.
I don't like the Zorro look and big pull handles so I had the local upholstery shop make this one for me 20 yrs ago. Padded, water-resistant, and colored to match car. Fits tight even at track speed.
Yes, if you dont mind wet vinyl on your car all the time. I bought a Wolf car cover for one of my Vettes and it totally ruined the white paint over just one winter. It was all covered with mildew and mold. I repainted it and bought a Calif Car Cover for it instead that worked excellent.
Yes, I inherited a small house there on one of the island beaches. Its excellent, just not my cup of tea 24/7. For one thing, the island Im on dont have many cars, and those are all asian imported junk. Theres no paved roads. Some of the other islands are like Florida. Best is its 75* more or less, 24/7/365. Only had one damaging hurricane in 100 years. Theres basicly no crime, house dont even have glass, no locks. Just screens with storm shutters.
If they get wet you take them off if the sun comes out as it will damage the paint.
You need to make sure you do not get dirt under them.
Colgan is the originator of the bra. They make the highest quality and the best one out on the market. But you must follow the care and not leave it on all the time.
Wolf made one similar to the Colagn. it was padded and well made too but same issues. But Wolf is gone and bought out buy Cover Craft.
Lebra walk away fast. they dry out fast but have no padding. Not good on dark paint.
One reasonable option is a new kind of cover that is made of spandex. It is cloth and stretches over the nose of the car. Some Fiero owners have used them to keep the bugs off. They buy a C4 Corvette version as it will work with the Fiero. It does not have much padding and may not stop a larger rock but bugs and small stones or sandblasting is protected.
Unless you really need on for trips I would skip the idea. I have one and only use it on trips of more than 2 hours or If I take a longer trip with many bugs out. It is a Colgan and I have had it for 15 years and it still fits tight and solid. The key to good fit is tight. I replace my first Colgan as it got loose after time past. But I use them rarely so they hold up pretty long.
Most other bras out there I would not put on a dump truck like the Labra.
Just do not get duped by the BWM people who used them as a status symbol since the 80's as these covers are tools for a specific use and can if used wrong create more damage than they save.
I have warned people in the past and had them come back only to say I wish I had listened.
You can fix those sagging headlights with new motors too i was thinking as posted above the paint protection film and have seen kit for fieroon ebay in past.
For road trips, I have a breathable spandex bra, I does a wonderful job, only takes a minute to put on or take off. If I remember right, for it is for a C4 corvette. It fits the Aero nose perfect. For the 88 Formula/coupe. You will have to custom make one. The C4 changes the air flow over nose Regular bra's cause paint damage, They are also very time consuming to put on or take off. The spandex does a great of protecting paint from rock chips and bugs. With a black car, that's important, it shows everything, lol. I use mine for roads trips and back and forth to car show's. Saves a lot of time with clean up. I got it from C5 creations. Wasn't very expensive. Look for the one for a C4 Corvette. Hope this helps, Brian
[This message has been edited by bkw88 (edited 10-08-2015).]
I had/have(2) an 84 factory bra, sold it with the 84, still have one, never took it off the car, made the car look so much better, not like the GT bras. And it didn't damage the paint like they usually do. I never saw an aftermarket bra with that quality. It even had roll up headlight door flaps.
Edit to add: the vette nose and the Fiero(87-88 coupe) nose are damn near the same, the vette marker lights wrap around a bit more)
[This message has been edited by sardonyx247 (edited 10-09-2015).]
A lot of Corvette guys I know now, use the spandex ones. very light, you can store them in a ziplock bag and only takes seconds to remove or install. They just use them for road trips. Taste is in the eye of the beholder... Ive never thought a bra on any car looked good. Why bother to paint it at all if you cover it up. No need to ever fix it if you rear end someone. To me its in the same class as duct taping your bumper or lights on. I dont know who specificly started them, but the whole idea originated in Europe where weekend racers protected their daily cars paint from gravel and dirt roads they raced on. They also put tape across the front lights or installed a guard of some kind over them (see 53 Corvette w/ screens). They removed them after racing. It then moved to the US where it made their cars look like race cars (fast and furious syndrome) for the crowd who tied a sweater around there neck/shoulder/waist. When are we going to see cars on the street with tape over their headlites ?
[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 10-09-2015).]
I had/have(2) an 84 factory bra, sold it with the 84, still have one, never took it off the car, made the car look so much better, not like the GT bras. And it didn't damage the paint like they usually do. I never saw an aftermarket bra with that quality. It even had roll up headlight door flaps.
I had an aftermarket one for my '84 that had rollups for for headlights. I can't remember who made it, but It fit nicely and never had issues with paint. I had it for years.
A lot of Corvette guys I know now, use the spandex ones. very light, you can store them in a ziplock bag and only takes seconds to remove or install. They just use them for road trips. Taste is in the eye of the beholder...
Yeah, if I had one I'd just use it on the highway. Or maybe if I wanted to do the full 80s scene with the bra.
My year-round daily-driver gets stone chips like crazy. Some I'm sure is kicked up by trucks but I think regular cars and trucks do as as well. I did a weekend in Michigan a few years ago (in the winter) and there was sand everywhere afterward; around the headlights, on the radiator, behind the battery, even on the engine. I think there was just a wet, sandy spray kicked by all the traffic on the interstate and there was no way to avoid it. I probably should be happy it was sand and not salt.
When I lived in Peoria, they used cinders on the roads in the winter. Some placed probably still do. I'm sure they're even more abrasive!
Mine is used to travel with only. It comes off for shows. It does an excellent job of keeping bugs dirt and especially rock chips. With the number of hours we have in the paint..( don't paint a car black...lol).....I would call it priceless!!!! Not only does it protect the nose of the car, it makes wiping the car down when we make it to shows. Don't use the spray stuff on a dark color.....you will have issues if it is in sun, or is left on for more than a week. Not a good idea Brian
The key to leaving a bra on without paint damage is unbuffed wax. Wax the car as you normally would but DON'T buff the wax in the area where the bra will be. Leave it "raw" and thick. Two or 3 good thick coats of wax (preferably the paste wax) and the bra won't harm the paint. I had a bra on my '86 for a couple years and it didn't leave a single mark.
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When are we going to see cars on the street with tape over their headlites ?
