Wind deflectors

[Rich A]

Hi. I would like to try out a pair of wind deflectors on my car but unsure whether i'll keep them long term, don't want to pay quite as much as the parts shop are asking.

 

If anyone has a pair gathering dust and would take ~£40 for them, please get in touch.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

If you can lay your hands on some suitable acrylic sheet and are handy with a saw and file, try this template kindly shared by a BC member:

 

 

You can see them installed here:

 

 

and here:

 

[Rich A]

I had considered trying to fabricate a set. Thanks for the template!

 

My skills as a craftsman are not particularly developed however, so still open to offers if someone wants to part with a pair of pre-made deflectors.

[Kit Car Electronics and Essex AO]

Rich, I can thoroughly recommend a pair of Andy Abbey's deflectors, you can contact him on here as member AA composites for a good price. In short, they let you breathe- what's not to like?

[Steve (stevel)]

Rich A you have PM

[Rab (bombero) Reid]

@MOTCO, how do you bend the acrylic? (apologies for thread hijack).

[Steve (stevel)]

Heat but you have to be careful with polycarbonate it soon bubbles 

Steve

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

As Steve says, with a hot air gun carefully used. The material I used was acrylic (Perspex) and this is certainly easier than PC - and cheaper. I gripped it in my Workmate just below the bend line and heated each face alternately until it was soft enough to bend along the crease line. The Workmate made a useful jig to ensure a straight bend IYSWIM. It is a bit hit and miss if you're not careful. I was amazed at how well mine turned out given that I am pretty impatient and not known for nitpicking detail attention.

[Yanto]

Major differences between Polycarbonate and Acrylic is that the former won't shatter with a stone impact, the latter could and unless acrylic is UV stabalised it will yellow and become more brittle.

 

I've got some polycarbonate to make mine with, it's 6mm thick though, so bending it might be impossible.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Yeah, I've still got scars from Perspex (Acrylic) shattering on me in a school CDT lesson when I was 15 or 16.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Acrylic (polymethylmethacrylate) is one of the most naturally UV stable polymers, but polycarbonate will definitely yellow with exposure. In fact PC is yellow/clear naturally and has to be compounded with a number of materials to 'blue' it up a bit. Certainly PC is phenomenally impact resistant but it is also very notch sensitive which means it behaves like that crisp packet material that almost tears under its own weight if it is nicked at the edge or, in the case of a hard sheet, scratched. PC and acrylic are both easily damaged by solvents such as carbon tetrachloride and similar volatile materials. Acrylic will cloud very quickly if exposed to solvents but PC will craze and virtually fall apart. Polycarbonate is the best material for applications where stone impact is likely, but for wind deflectors my choice is acrylic due to the ease of thermoforming. 

[Yanto]

"Acrylic (polymethylmethacrylate) is one of the most naturally UV stable polymers, but polycarbonate will definitely yellow with exposure. In fact PC is yellow/clear naturally and has to be compounded with a number of materials to 'blue' it up a bit. "

 

Doh - note to self "never rely on memory especially as i'm senile"   But as I'm senile I will forget to remember the note and make an  of myself again!

 

I'm making mine today, i will try bending an off cut first to see if i can do it before attempting the real thing,  I'll let you know how I get on.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

"Acrylic (polymethylmethacrylate) is one of the most naturally UV stable polymers, but polycarbonate will definitely yellow with exposure. In fact PC is yellow/clear naturally and has to be compounded with a number of materials to 'blue' it up a bit. "

 

Doh - note to self "never rely on memory especially as i'm senile"   But as I'm senile I will forget to remember the note and make an  of myself again!

 

I'm making mine today, i will try bending an off cut first to see if i can do it before attempting the real thing,  I'll let you know how I get on.

I am more senile than you if senility is measured in aeons! My polymer knowledge dates back to the days when Arkle was alive and I was trolling back and forth from Ealing to Holloway Road to the National College of Rubber Technology. The Hillman Avenger was the new kid on the block. I may well have forgotten a lot since then!

 

For what it's worth, one source suggests than PC can be bent cold with good results - worth a try on a scrap piece? It's new to me I admit.

[mi7rennie]

Are you still looking for a set? I have some for sale.