Stone chip line dilemma

Both Jon and I have repainted recently and have come up with similar but different lines. Both look fine so take your pick or do something different.
My rationale was the following:

Rubberized undercoating should protect the beautiful paint from gravel strikes when running on back country roads at speed.

Line under doors should be horizontal and no higher than necessary. Rocker break is high enough. I went 1/4" higher. Jon went a little higher yet.

Front gets stuff thrown from the car in front so wanted blower air inlets to be covered. That set the upper line. I got car on hoist so rocker line was at eye level. I stood way back and had the painter run a piece of tape along the body starting at the top of the blower air inlet and ending up going across the tire and ending at the rocker break behind the front wheel. From 20 feet away it was a straight line. From any other viewing point it curves nicely. When the car is on ground the line looks good from up close and from far away.

Rear went the same way. I wanted the line to be just above cutouts for exhaust. Hoist and tape line again to rocker break in front of rear wheel. That looks good too.

Don't know Jon's technique but his car looks like there is a little bit of a downward curve in end lines when looking at front and rear lines with rocker at eye level.

Most cars are similar. Only difference seems to be where the upper line is relative to the rocker line. I prefer close to the rocker line. Others prefer close to the door line. Maybe a 2" difference.

As far as chips go, any rubberizing above the rocker line does little or no good. My chip problems are all on the nose. Bottom is fine.

John

 

Maybe a silly/naive question, but what do you mean by "stone chip line"? Are you applying some sort of clear plastic applique over the paint?

 

We need photos!

 

Respectfully disagree, although your rationale is more practical.
The original and concours cars that I've seen are below the rocker panel break line.

 

Synchro,

Attached is a picture on my car when I bought it. Summer 1986. Original paint and original break line. Confirmed that it was original when stripped and repainted in the early nineties. The line is higher, much like Jon's choice. I thought lower would be better. Below rocker line lets crease get chipped so that was my limit. Pictures on this site show lots of variations. Could be that painter's choice depended on what he had for dinner the night before. Don't agonize too much.

John
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I may have missed photos of your Dino elsewhere in this section, but are those flares factory original or were they added later?

Mark