Painting below the wings

[tomallen_200328]

Hi everyone

I have just been looking at the pictures and it seems as though alot have got the whole area under wing painted black, is there any reason for this or is it just its easier to keep clean. What have people used?

Cheers in advance

[cdow]

Re: Painting below the wings

I did it for purely cosmetic reasons - just looks neater I think.

[b_caswell]

Re: Painting below the wings

The choice is yours but its a good idea to use under seal or rubber paint on the back of the wing top. This will help prevent star chips on the top gel coat from flying stone chips wizzing up from the tyres .

[gaddbrose]

Re: Painting below the wings

Hi Tom. You don't paint the underside of the wings for cosmetic purposes, you paint for protection. Paint with pretty colours afterwards if you wish. As Ben says, stone chips flying up from the wheels will strike the underside with big impact, and will cause damage to the fibre glass, this ,in turn causes the rigid gel coat to fracture,in a star shaped configeration. This will eventually cause the paint skin to split along the lines of the gel coat fracture and expose the white gel coat underneath. It is very obvious in dark coloured cars. To stop it , give the wing underside several thick coats of sealant, which is supplied in black, or glue on a thin layer of absorbent material. e.g I went to the local camping store and bought a quantity of mesh type groundsheet. It was thin ,not too heavy, stuck on with Evostick and painted over the top. It may be OTT, but it works. Brian

[tomallen_2003]

Re: Painting below the wings

Cheers for the info everyone i think ill go for the few layers of sealant approach as got a tub of Tetrosyl in the garage will this be enough if i put a few layers on?

[gaddbrose]

Re: Painting below the wings

Hi Tom, Tetrosyl is fine, I've used it on several cars, and the more coats the better. You are trying to establish an shock absorbing barrier for protection. On application, it's sticky and messy, make sure you put old clothes on and gloves and wipe off the excess on the paintwork immediately. By the way, its black, because it has a high bitumen content. Again, from experience, paint on when the weather is damp and humid, it goes off quicker. regards Brian.