Upol Raptor seems to be fairly well established now, and no longer just for pick-up truck beds....
Has anyone here used it for under the underside of wings, bumpers, floor etc.
If so, what are your impressions of the stuff; both putting it on, and how it stands up once on?
I have 6 bottles of Gravitex waiting, but I have been thinking about using Raptor instead.... ever since a painter with 'quite a strong opinion' suggested to me that 'professionals only use Raptor!'
Ive used raptor on the valance, cover sills and roof on my 914, and used the remainder of the bottle on the metal frame of my workshop door. Great product to apply, superb finish, and very, very tough. I am restoring another vehicle at the moment, and will be using it as the underseal on that. Ive used gravitex in the past, and wouldn't bother again, raptor coat is easier to apply and gives a better finish.. Only downside of raptor coat is as a two pack product you have to use what you have mixed.
My bodywork guy recommended Novol Cobra over Raptor and I used the tintable version for my inner wheel arches.
Absolutely beautiful product to work with and of course didn't need to be over painted. Went on nicely even with their cheap schutz gun and my very small compressor.
I haven't used Raptor so I can't personally comment on the difference but the bodywork guy says the Cobra goes on way better.
Al.
DDK#732
1981 SC Coupe, now in Dublin
1978 SC Targa, now in Aberdeen
1978 SC Coupe, now in London
1983 SC Coupe, now in London
1973 2.4T...under restoration...VERY slow restoration.
Thanks for the Cobra tip, it looks good! One immediate difference between Cobra and Gravitex + Raptor seems to be that Cobra cannot be applied to bare metal or over etch primer. Raptor and Cobra can be tinted in any colour, but not Gravitex it seems. All of them can be over-painted.... choices, choices...
I think, for anyone starting with rust free bare metal, epoxy and then any one of these 3 is probably the way to go - the coating is protecting the epoxy.... I don't think we know which of the 3 will offer the best long-term protection (if applied properly)....
For anyone patching up the original PVC coating in places that have been repaired or need re-doing, ideally epoxy then any of the 3 again.
If the metal is pitted in any way and POR15 or an alternative is used as a base coat, or etch primer has been used, then I think we have to look closely at compatibility with these 3. Cobra doesn't mention etch primer as a compatible substrate, so possible issue. Some epoxy paint doesn't like etch primer - my epoxy datasheet specifically said avoid etch. Gravitex seems to be compatible with just about anything, including etch primer... or at least the Upol etch primer....
I do have experience of ordinary grey Gravitex from both aerosol and gun. I did get a reaction to a primer coat of a Wurth anti-rust paint that I had used on localised parts of my inner wings and ended up having to remove it all again and start from scratch. I found Gravitex doesn't seem to like being put on too thick - it tends to crack on the surface when drying.
The Cobra went on over the Wurth 'Rust-stop' and there was no reaction.
I restored a '78 SC a few years ago and we used a 3M product for the fuel tank which was excellent as well - it comes in a two-part bag and you break the seal between the two, mix it up by kneading it and then blow it on with a schutz gun.
Haven't as yet tried any of these on top of etch or epoxy but I'm pretty sure my bodywork guy uses Cobra on top of epoxy.
Have a look at some of the big restoration threads - pretty sure Darren looked into recreating original finishes on his own cars and on others he and his team painted.
Al
DDK#732
1981 SC Coupe, now in Dublin
1978 SC Targa, now in Aberdeen
1978 SC Coupe, now in London
1983 SC Coupe, now in London
1973 2.4T...under restoration...VERY slow restoration.
I used raptor for the underside if mine tinted to a sample of my old undercoat (eye matched). You'll never get an exact match to the original texture but i'm more than happy with my choice.
1970 911E Sportomatic
2002 Boxster S
2004 Audi A2 TDi 90
I have used Raptor for my engine bay and front trunk area of my 912 as both areas originally were black (shultz?) finish which was liberally sprayed on. I like the Raptor finish as it is very hard wearing and looks good. I have a compressor in my garage and used a under seal type gun which could be adjusted to give the desired finish. I first practiced on a piece of cardboard. The finish is great and Raptor can be tinted if necessary to any desired colour. I have been impressed with the overall finish and durability of the finish.
If you decide to do it yourself please remember to use the appropriate safety equipment and mask as its a 2K product. Do protect areas from overspray including the garage floor / walls, adjacent as it sticks like sh**t!. I also left the garage door open for ventilation as the fumes are quite strong.
Good luck with your choice decision
Regards
Adrian
Hi Deano,
I’ve never bothered to host my photos, but if you can give me an email address, I can send you some photos of Raptor on the under side of my 74 Beetle.
Cheers
Bob
