Magnetic Bra

[tom4bren]

Looks great.

[don moore]

I have a magnabra.....it looks great...but you need to remove it or it will stick to the hood......I had waxes the crap out of it and the hood so it wouldnt damage it from long install time..I had it on for 2 months..and it was stuck on ...wow the paint was all dull in spots like a chemical spill..I used TR-3 and my orbital waxer..and 2 hours later the hood looks good again.
I will only use the magnabra for trips now....I wish I could leave it on..I looks great on.

[workmeistr]

Thanks, Don.
I think I'll leave it on for a few weeks so the trim gets formed, then I'll take it off and try to store it flat.

I agree, it is too bad. I would leave it on indefinately if it didn't have its drawbacks. Thanks again.

[lasturbo]

I installed the Magnetbra this evening.


There were a few small production blemishes, one outside and a glob of the underside rubbery stuff on the vehicle side. I “fed” the trim instead of stretching it and made tight corners by heating up the trim well.


Both edging trim ends were an uneven rough cut and required pruning. I used a “penny-cutter” pair of scissors to slice through the trim with its metal strips, then dabbed flat black paint on the ends to mask where the steel strips showed on the cut edges.


You have a choice at the ends, to flush with the end of the bra, with top point of the edge trim sticking out further than the bra, or backing off a few millimeters so the top point of the edge trim is flush with the edge of the bra. I chose the latter.


The key is heat. Have a sterile flat area to heat the bra before introduction to the vehicle; run the vehicle so that the hood is warm; clean and wax while warm; prop the hood up with a block of wood, etc.


I will not leave it on for long, just for a few upcoming trips and to form the bra and trim. The creases created when you make hard corners are obvious moisture receptacles. I think if I leave the bra on for a washing or after a rain, I’ll blow those creases out with the air compressor. Thanks for the tips and I’m very pleased with the result.

How did you work the 90 degree angles for the trim? Thx!

[VX KAT]

How did you work the 90 degree angles for the trim? Thx!

You get the strip warm like others said, and bend the angle.
Apply it by pushing it on the lip of hood, then I used pliers (with padding so it wouldn't imprint a pry mark on the strip OR the bra) to "pinch" it tight all along the edge. There's metal in the strip so it will grip tightly when you pinch it from both sides. It held the corner that way.

I used 2 coats of Collinite Insulator wax before I installed it. Left it on for about 5 months or so. Only had some slight whitish residue/cloudiness in a few areas, that came right off with a buffer and very mild polish.
Waxed again with Insulator wax, and now been on over 5-6 months again, no problems. Even take it through car wash, no problem.

[tom4bren]

I have a magnabra.....it looks great...but you need to remove it or it will stick to the hood......I had waxes the crap out of it and the hood so it wouldnt damage it from long install time..I had it on for 2 months..and it was stuck on ...wow the paint was all dull in spots like a chemical spill..I used TR-3 and my orbital waxer..and 2 hours later the hood looks good again.
I will only use the magnabra for trips now....I wish I could leave it on..I looks great on.

Don,

I noticed that when I took mine off the first time so I put it back on & never removed it again. After the accident, I removed the bra from the trashed hood & it was a miracle ... the paint under it looked like it was fresh from the factory. I can't 'splain it but I'm guessing that after 1 or 2 removals & cleanings, the residue will no longer appear. Maybe it's some kind of manufacturing coating on the magnet that needs to go away over time???

Tom

[tom4bren]

How did you work the 90 degree angles for the trim? Thx!

Turbo,

The first one I installed following the directions and just lived with the 'pucker' at the sharp bends. What I found over time was that since the trim is stretched during install, the gentle curves around the headlights would pull loose.

This one I got a little AR and decided that I knew better than the OEM.

I just started at one end and did not stretch it as I fed it on. When I reached the first bend, I used a pair of dikes & snipped a 'V' in it (90 degree) so that it wouldn't pucker. It worked like a charm & when I was done, I coated each notch with black RTV to seal it. There was a problem however. Since I didn't stretch it, I ran out of trim about 2" before I reached the end of the magnet. The MagnetBra guy was kind enough to send me a few inches to finish the job.

I like my way mo betta but only time will tell. I think the curves around the headlights will stay in place better since it wasn't stretched during install. The MagnetBra guy said that if it starts pulling loose around the headlights as the trim 'ages' then you should be able to just crimp it tighter like KAT described.

BTW, I didn't wrap the magnet around the edge of the hood at the ends. Don't know if that's important or not.