stainless steel strip

[stoch2]

anybody here anything on this subject. still waiting?

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[AZ Yellowbird]

At this point it looks like the strips will never be offered by Ford. Decoma might sell them. They are the supplier that developed them for Ford. afaik there was only one set ever installed, at least through Ford. There were a few replacement sail panels that had them for some reason. It seems Ford may have come very close to adding them on the late '03 cars.

 

[Brad]

As much as it pains me to say this, I totally agree with AZ. As of right now, the thicker strips appear to be the final solution from Ford.

Apparently the SS strips were also getting scuffed. As with everything, this was a dollars and cents issue, and the very few repairs they have had to do made them lose interest. I can guarantee you if every owner went to the dealer and demanded repairs to the paint, another solution would be forthcoming.
(either that or a class action).

If you're still within your warrenty, make sure you qualify on your state's lemon law on this issue. Paint issues are NOT covered on an extended warrenty. If it's too late on that, remember, the sail panel is plastic, so it won't rust. If you're worried about the "looks" for later, I know of atleast one owner that has purchased a spare panel to have.

Personally I think they should have addressed this issue more for public relations reasons. The thing that bugs me the most on this issue on a personal note is my jealous neighbor... every time he see's me asks if Ford has developed a fix for the HT yet.

 

[Sophia]

For everyone that has been holding their breath waiting for the fix, START BREATHING, YOU WILL PROBABLY PASS OUT BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE.

 

[George]

I agree it's been a long wait and probably the Invinca-shield is better at this time than the new Ford mylar strips.

But, let's not forget that APADCO is still working on it and expects a SS Strip in the spring. The last time I spoke with Frank he indicated it may be May.

As stated in other threads on this subject, I still plan to post when I hear about it because many people would like to have this solution.

 

[TennEngr]

Hardtop "Fix" Summary

I bought my red T-Bird in March of 03 and took the hard top off after about 3 weeks. The scratches on the car were very minor but I decided not to put the hard top back on until a "fix" was found. My T-Bird is my every day driving car (yep ... I love to drive this car) so I am now concerned about a color mismatch between the hard top and the rest of the car. I have finally gotten my dealer to show some interest in this situation; the service manager said that Ford's solution is the clear plastic tape. They have ordered it for me and will put it on when it comes in.

Since they had to order it, I am assuming that this must be something different than the strips that should have come with my car. In looking at the various threads on here, I have found reference to "old tape", Ford Mylar tape and Invinca-shield and also something about the tape lasting only 3 months. Does anyone know how long the latest Ford "fix" tape is suppose to last? How about the Invinca-shield? Who sells the Invinca-shield and about how much does it cost? I believe that someone said that the Invinca-shield was better than the Ford tape.

I had previously noticed in the threads that Decoma International had the stainless steel molding but now I have noticed a new name, APADCO. Does anyone know where I can get either of these and how much they might charge? Someone said that the stainless steel molding was getting scratched also. I would not have expected this but I guess even stainless steel can get scratch.

Finally, if I get the clear plastic tape (whatever brand), I wonder how hard it will be to go to the stainless steel molding. Will the stainless steel molding go right over the plastic or will the plastic have to get "scraped" off?

Sorry for being long winded. I am contemplating "pissing" my dealer off by not putting getting the clear plastic tape. This car is long term for me and I want to get it right.

 

[George]

TennEng'r
I'll try to help in the order you asked:
The "old tape" is Ford tape that came with the original cars and was only good for 3000 miles or threee months.
The "new tape" is one the Ford developed because they had so many complaints about a poor fix. That is what I believe your dealer should have ordered. There is a part number listed in the previous posts, it starts with a 4 and comes in a black plastic case with a T Bird logo on it. These are supposed to be good for 50,000 miles. It should be issued under warranty. If you have to buy it, it will cost about $55.00.
The previous posts give the invinca web site but here it is www.invinca-shield.com They have developed one for us since Ford took so long. It is the same material as invisible bras and safe. These are $9.00 per application - Get more details from their site.
APADCO is the mfg'r that is planning to make up SS Strips for us - Not due out before May. I said previously I would keep all informed.
In Fords instructions that come with the mylar strips they are clear that we are not to use and thing but their strips. Like, no plastic tape. FYI
As far as mismatched paint goes, if your scratches are minor, the dealer will just buff them out. That solved my problem. On the other hand if they had to repaint, being a Ford dealer they would probably do a better job matching then a local body shop.
Finally, I assume that the SS Strips when out may possibly scratch, so I plan to put the tape on the SS Strips when the top is on to protect it.

I hope all of this is clear for you and urge you to use the search function and read carefully all of the posts to come up to speed.

 

[butek]

George, this appears to be what you're talking about: http://www.invinca-shield.com/asp/genkit.asp?kit=1436-A

but it says $24.99. You mentioned $9.00. Am I looking at the wrong thing?

 

[Quickdraw]

Butek, The $24.99 price includes an instructional video and a bottle of solution to apply the strips. Its $9 for the strips and printed instructions only. I think you use alcohol or a soap solution if you don't have the bottled factory solution. You might have to call them to order the strips only for $9 as I don't see that option on their website.

 

[Loves Kim]

Do you think the new SS gasket will hide the marks left from the hard top?

 

[George]

I believe if/when APADCO gets those SS Strips done that they will hide any marks that cannot be buffed out. Hope to hear about them in May

 

[Quickdraw]

Although the promised aftermarket SS strips will cover the damage marks left by the top, it may be better to have the dealer repair the paint under warranty and then use the plasitc strips from now on. Ford spent over a million dollars developing a stainless strip, almost OKd it for production on the 03s before finally rejecting the idea in favor of the temporary plastic strips now available. The stainless strips still scuffed after a period of time because of the top movement. This may have been acceptable if the strips were easily replaced however I understand they couldn’t get the adhesive right. Either the adhesive was so strong that the paint separated from the body upon removal or the adhesive would loosen under certain circumstances and climates and the stips would come off. The plastic strips Ford now offers may be the best solution after all.

The part number is: 4W6Z-76202W30-AA Many, if not most, people get the kit from their dealer for free as a warranty item. However its unclear if the factory is absorbing the expense or if the dealer provides them. If you have to pay, it runs about $60.

 

[Jade]

Stainless Scuff Moldings

For what it's worth, Ford actually got to the point of having the stainless strips removable; i.e. put the stainless on when you put on the hardtop, take it off when you take off the hardtop. The concern was that owners would leave the "removable" strips on for appearance (without the hard top on) and problems would result from that. Chalk that one up to the many lawsuits Ford is handling right now! Decoma was the supplier for the product, but the project was canned due to high tooling cost. I hate to tease T-bird owners with how close they were to having a stainless molding available, but I don't want any misconceptions floating around about this......

 

[George]

Jade:
Thanks for the update. It's too bad, after the costs that Ford must have incurred, that they wouldn't sell the tooling to recover some of the costs and allow Decoma to sell the strips.
Of course, all buyers would be on their own and Ford would have no liability

 

[Jade]

Stainless strips

The investment was for Prototype tooling, not for production. The development tooling cost wasn't all that much, the production tooling is a different story. The only way Decoma would release the part into production is if the get paid the tooling cost upfront, they are not in the business of marketing parts. The concept is verified by 4 post testing if there are any manufacturer's out there interested in producing this part, until then, the tape is your best bet to protect your paint.......

 

[George]

Thanks and I agree that the tape is it for now. If APADCO comes through, then we'll get the SS Strips - Hopefully in May sometime.

 

[loochie]

I am happy to report that I took my hardtop off this morning, and peeled the Ford-supplied tape off.....No scuffs or scratches. Was also happy to see no staining on the soft top, as I've heard others have had a problem with that. Then again, I never put my car through a car wash or even use the do-it-yourself high pressure washes. IMHO, they may not look terrific and appear flimsy, but the Ford strips did just what they were supposed to for me.

 

[George]

I just heard that APADCO has put things on hold. See note below:

S/S Hardtop Strip From APADCO

1. The S/S for our Hardtops was put on hold for good by the first manufacturer.

2. There is second manufacturer interested in our project. Still we are months from getting them.

Body Depot Prostripe Mouldings may be the solution for now. I'll dig up the data.

 

[trpar]

Got the hard top off today finally and sure enough, there was the dreaded scuffing even with the mylar tape! The original that is, not the newer one. Don't think I will trust the newer tape either. I am going with some 5/8" wheel well trim when I put it back on this fall. Sure was nice driving around with no top today though. First time out topless and I could get hooked on that. Doubt if I will ever put the rag top up unless I get caught in an unforcasted rain. When it rains, the F150 gets its time on the road.

 

[George]

Another fix?

For those that don't know, trpar (previous post) is refering to a chrome stipping that goes around wheel wells.
This has been used with success on T Birds around the sail panel where many have experienced scuffing.
It comes in a 20' roll. Cut off 9' and work it around the hardtop area to give that chrome finish look. Hopefully trpar will post pictures for us when he's done.
You can order this from www.autobodydepot.com and the part number is M852005 for Chrome or M852002 for Black