KymcoForum.com
Offroad => Side By Side => Topic started by: airshot on June 27, 2016, 09:12:27 PM
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OK finally finished the front mud flaps for my 450i and have a couple pics if anyone is interested. After our last trip in the mud I discovered some ugly places where mud can get in and becomes a real pain in the a$$ to remove so here is my solution. If you look at the rear of the front wheel wells you will see where the frame section, the black wheel molding and the inner liner all come together, well there is a space where mud can get down into an area that can only be reached by removing the outside skid plates and blasting from the underside. So I went to my local farm and home store and found a heavy rubber mat like they use in animal stalls. It is about 6mm thick, just under a 1/4" and plenty tough. I used a 6" wide strip x 28" long and tucked the top way up as far as I could for better mud protection. A little trimming was needed to get around a frame support but really quite simple. The two larger washers have screws going into that steel frame section and the other screws go into the plastic. Now the mud cannot get into those nooks and crannies and should be much easier to clean off. Will be working on something for the rear as well. The rubber mat was 20 bucks and is 36" x 60" so I have plenty to experiment with. Well it says my tiny little pic is to big so if anyone can tell me how to make it smaller so I can post.....I am all ears....do remember I am not a computer wiz!
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Well I guess you can see I figured it out and the pics are there. One simple thing I learned about computers is that if you push enough buttons something is bound to happen!!
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Old topic but I need to do this. Do you remember how thick the mat was? I caught a log between the front tire and side panel and want to hide the damage so I need it to make a 90* bend.
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Mat was 6 mils (.236") just under a quarter inch. trying to cover that notch is gonna be difficult. You may want to consider getting a replacement plastic for that area. The mud flaps I made were for the inner wheel well and would not cover your damaged area but would just come up to it. Hopefully my pics will show you what I mean. I suppose you could cut a strip and glue it to the damaged area and then do the same to the other side to make them look uniform. ??
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Old topic but I need to do this. Do you remember how thick the mat was? I caught a log between the front tire and side panel and want to hide the damage so I need it to make a 90* bend.
Dang, Im thinking a set of tree kickers would've prevented that. Hind sight is always 20/20 though.
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Nice job airshot. I noticed that section collects a lot of junk even if your not in the mud.
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Thanks Kickstart, yes that area does collect stuff. After riding in mud/gravel mix and found it packed inside that small separation between frame and fender I knew I had to come up with something. I didn't believe the amount of junk packed into that area until I tried to clean it all out. I spent hours getting it all out. Nice part is now..nothing.. gets in there, much easier to clean machine.
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Thanks Kickstart, yes that area does collect stuff. After riding in mud/gravel mix and found it packed inside that small separation between frame and fender I knew I had to come up with something. I didn't believe the amount of junk packed into that area until I tried to clean it all out. I spent hours getting it all out. Nice part is now..nothing.. gets in there, much easier to clean machine.
That is definitely on my to do list.
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Had mine in the garage yesterday making sure the plow attachment was in working order getting prepared for winter snow. I was looking at the area covered by those mud flaps and it got me to thinking.....if you live in an area that is going to get snow, you may want to consider making a set of those mud flaps before the snow gets here. When I think back about how much mud and crap was stored up under and inside that area....what if that were snow and ice?? I would bet I dug 10-15 lbs of mud from each side when that happened, just can't imagine if the were snow and ice.
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Mat was 6 mils (.236") just under a quarter inch. trying to cover that notch is gonna be difficult. You may want to consider getting a replacement plastic for that area. The mud flaps I made were for the inner wheel well and would not cover your damaged area but would just come up to it. Hopefully my pics will show you what I mean. I suppose you could cut a strip and glue it to the damaged area and then do the same to the other side to make them look uniform. ??
I replaced both of my side panels. You wouldn't believe how much mud was packed in between the panel and the frame. It was 2-3" deep the whole length of the panel. I had always flushed that area after every ride too. There are drain holes but they are small and get plugged quickly. Poor design. I'll be adding mud flaps like you made.
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Yes it is amazing how much crap gets into that small area and then stacks up inside where you cant see it. Imagine all that extra weight if you let it go. The mud flaps are a simple fix and easy to make.
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OK finally finished the front mud flaps for my 450i and have a couple pics if anyone is interested. After our last trip in the mud I discovered some ugly places where mud can get in and becomes a real pain in the a$$ to remove so here is my solution. If you look at the rear of the front wheel wells you will see where the frame section, the black wheel molding and the inner liner all come together, well there is a space where mud can get down into an area that can only be reached by removing the outside skid plates and blasting from the underside. So I went to my local farm and home store and found a heavy rubber mat like they use in animal stalls. It is about 6mm thick, just under a 1/4" and plenty tough. I used a 6" wide strip x 28" long and tucked the top way up as far as I could for better mud protection. A little trimming was needed to get around a frame support but really quite simple. The two larger washers have screws going into that steel frame section and the other screws go into the plastic. Now the mud cannot get into those nooks and crannies and should be much easier to clean off. Will be working on something for the rear as well. The rubber mat was 20 bucks and is 36" x 60" so I have plenty to experiment with. Well it says my tiny little pic is to big so if anyone can tell me how to make it smaller so I can post.....I am all ears....do remember I am not a computer wiz!
Airshot what kind of fastener or screw did you use on the rubber mud flaps? This has to be done immediately. My first little short ride today was awful with the mud that got in there. I washed it out soon as I was done.
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Where the flap attached to the metal frame I used SS self tapping screws with SS fender washers (they are larger in dia) Also used a SS self tapper going into the plastic, most of the weight and strength is coming from the screws into the frame, the screws in the plastic are just there to keep flap up tight against plastic fender for looks mostly. I also used some well nuts where the two fender pieces joined to make it easier to remove if that day would come. I gave the dimensions in a prior post, at the very top you will see where a support gets in the way, I just cut a small notch in the flap to allow it to clear the support. I also added an extra small flap of rubber right in front of the area that holds the modules up near the top of the fender. Just wanted to keep the excess mud and water from getting into that electrical area. The rubber I used was from the farm/home/family store, it is a stall mat for animals, and it is big all for about 20 some bucks. Could make about half dozen mud flaps so if you cut one wrong you have plenty to make over. I worked carefully until I got one just the way I wanted and when I was happy with the fit I just turned it over and made a symmetrical one for the other side.
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Where the flap attached to the metal frame I used SS self tapping screws with SS fender washers (they are larger in dia) Also used a SS self tapper going into the plastic, most of the weight and strength is coming from the screws into the frame, the screws in the plastic are just there to keep flap up tight against plastic fender for looks mostly. I also used some well nuts where the two fender pieces joined to make it easier to remove if that day would come. I gave the dimensions in a prior post, at the very top you will see where a support gets in the way, I just cut a small notch in the flap to allow it to clear the support. I also added an extra small flap of rubber right in front of the area that holds the modules up near the top of the fender. Just wanted to keep the excess mud and water from getting into that electrical area. The rubber I used was from the farm/home/family store, it is a stall mat for animals, and it is big all for about 20 some bucks. Could make about half dozen mud flaps so if you cut one wrong you have plenty to make over. I worked carefully until I got one just the way I wanted and when I was happy with the fit I just turned it over and made a symmetrical one for the other side.
Ok thanks. I will probably try an do this pretty soon.
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I bought my mat today fro TSC. Airshot I assume you removed the wheels when doing this? Or can you just turn the wheel enough to allow clearance to get in there and work?
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You may choose to try it with the wheels on but why fight it? Remove the wheels so you have plenty of room to work under there.
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Airshot can you explain a little better where and what you did with the well nuts you spoke of? Also on the area over the top near the electrical area. I'm getting ready to do this soon, I have bought the mat. Also what length self tapping screw did you use in the frame? One inch??
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Your only going thru the mat and then 3/8- 1/2 into the metal or plastic so 3/4 long screws would be fine but longer won't hurt. If you have to remove the body panel connectors, those little plastic screws that go into the plastic insert to hold the panels together, they can easily be ruined due to the fact that they are plastic. I bought wellnuts off e-bay for a 10-24 or 10-32 screw thread and then used SS screws. You drill a hole small enough for the wellnut to go into, you have to push a little, make sure it goes thru both panels then when you tighten the screw the wellnut expands and keeps them together, best part is they are easily removable and reusable. I also used a couple of them on the mud flaps where it wanted the mud flap to stay against the inner fender. When you put the mud flap up inside the fender you will see a bracket sticking out in the way, I just made a slice in the flap to go around the bracket so the flap goes all the way to the highest point inside the fender. On the drivers side there is an electrical gizmo with relays or something so I made another flap of material and rolled it up and over that electrical box so mud and crap would not fly up there off the tires. Just made the flap long enough to attach to the front of the box and roll up and over the electronics far enough to hold itself up there. The electronics appear to be sealed but did not want to have to use a high pressure spray to clean that area so the added flap helps and it has never unfolded itself. Just something I thought might help a potential problem down the road. I fitted the drivers side flap first and once I was satisfied with it, I just flipped it over and traced it for the passengers side. I have a lot of the mat material left over and have been watching what areas might need added protection but so far nothing else has appeared. I did some mudding on Saturday, we had some unusual warm (60 degree) weather and after all the rain we been having I got the itch! And yes it was muddy, I will probably have to resurface my own trail when it dries out but boy was it fun! Yes that little machine went thru anything I threw at it without a stutter. Bad part was it took an hour of cleaning for 3/4 hour of riding but the mud flaps did their job and protected all those nooks and crannies from accumulating all that mud.
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Your only going thru the mat and then 3/8- 1/2 into the metal or plastic so 3/4 long screws would be fine but longer won't hurt. If you have to remove the body panel connectors, those little plastic screws that go into the plastic insert to hold the panels together, they can easily be ruined due to the fact that they are plastic. I bought wellnuts off e-bay for a 10-24 or 10-32 screw thread and then used SS screws. You drill a hole small enough for the wellnut to go into, you have to push a little, make sure it goes thru both panels then when you tighten the screw the wellnut expands and keeps them together, best part is they are easily removable and reusable. I also used a couple of them on the mud flaps where it wanted the mud flap to stay against the inner fender. When you put the mud flap up inside the fender you will see a bracket sticking out in the way, I just made a slice in the flap to go around the bracket so the flap goes all the way to the highest point inside the fender. On the drivers side there is an electrical gizmo with relays or something so I made another flap of material and rolled it up and over that electrical box so mud and crap would not fly up there off the tires. Just made the flap long enough to attach to the front of the box and roll up and over the electronics far enough to hold itself up there. The electronics appear to be sealed but did not want to have to use a high pressure spray to clean that area so the added flap helps and it has never unfolded itself. Just something I thought might help a potential problem down the road. I fitted the drivers side flap first and once I was satisfied with it, I just flipped it over and traced it for the passengers side. I have a lot of the mat material left over and have been watching what areas might need added protection but so far nothing else has appeared. I did some mudding on Saturday, we had some unusual warm (60 degree) weather and after all the rain we been having I got the itch! And yes it was muddy, I will probably have to resurface my own trail when it dries out but boy was it fun! Yes that little machine went thru anything I threw at it without a stutter. Bad part was it took an hour of cleaning for 3/4 hour of riding but the mud flaps did their job and protected all those nooks and crannies from accumulating all that mud.
Ok thanks, I got some #10x1" and #10x3/4" self taping and some 1" washers SS for the hardware. I'll see what I come up with. Good ole trial and error I suppose. Shouldn't be to hard though
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Remember to start a little big, you can always trim some off, but it can be a real problem trying to add some on!! I used a sharp fish fillet knife with the mat on a piece of plywood, and yes your correct a bit of trial and error to get the fit you want.