OK, so this isn't strictly about vintage bikes, but I wasn't sure where to post this and this seemed a good place.

Has anyone had experience with a clear coat protestant to keep chips and scratches away from vulnerable areas as the fork, top tube or, really, anywhere there's paint.

I've heard of block-a-chip, slick shine, couple of others.

Any help/experience is greatly appreciated!

There are lots of polyurethane tapes on the market that work, just cut to size. I have used helicopter blade / leading edge wing tape (which is used to protect the critical leading edge of a rotor or plane's wing) with success and now have a roll made to protect the bottom of skies, does not stick as well but does the job just fine.