Tarp car bra, will this do?

[qwerty_steve Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close qwerty_steve]

I've just been to Supercheap and purchased a 1.2m x 1.8m tarp, looks like this on my car:







As you can see, it fits, but there are some gaps. Will this do the job so long as I'm moving?

The next size up is 1.8m x 2.4m. This would be further up over the bonnet, and 300mm wider each side. Might be a tad more difficult to fit.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Size wise and the way you have fitted it seems fine. Whether the ocky straps will be up to the job or not, well only one way to find out there are a lot of forces involved in deep water crossings, if your "bra" got ripped off half way through a crossing you wouldn't be the first person it has happened to.

Cheers Andrew

[qwerty_steve Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close qwerty_steve]

Thanks AJ.. I think you're right, I just need to give it a go and see if it hangs on.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

I wouldn't worry about it too much . youre driving a prado , its not a 70s vehicle which has a fixed fan . you have a viscous coupled fan on the engine . part of the reason for wearing tarps on the front of the car was to create a low pressure system behind the radiator in order that the fan didn't do a propellor type thing and pull forward and chew out the radiator .your fan will stop spinning in the water . mind you if you decide to drive through deep water at speed , you may need a tarp for other reasons .

[qwerty_steve Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close qwerty_steve]

I invested $3.88 in a tarp for the following reasons:

The engine bay will not be full of water, which will make the car move through water crossings easier. It may be the difference between making it across and not (Nolan's brook comes to mind).

Muddy water may not infiltrate my winch or alternator, causing failures further down the road.

... plus more but these points (for me anyway) make it a no brainer. It's also a really light tarp and packs down to nothing. I'll be using it when getting under the car too.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

I have used a very similar set up and it worked a treat in water close to top of the bulbar. As a rule I avoid driving through water but if you get caught then this is cheap insurance. I also have a stiff rubber floor mat that I slip in front of the A/C as extra protection.

[Russell Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Russell]

We used a set up just like this through the Kimberley a few years back and worked really well.

Minor suggestions - If you're experimenting we found attaching to the side mirrors rather than down on the angle kept it tighter over the bonnet. I did this with elastic shock cord rather than occy straps meaning you can avoid hooks coming off and just have a loop pre-tied in each end that drops over each mirror to attach. (Either two pieces of cord or a single piece of cord running through the the top eyelets.