Boat Tail and Wheel Solutions

[trebuchet03]

So I was loading a bike on the back of my car and I had an epiphany.... I was installing my bike stand and I realized I was holding the framework of a boat tail - some assembly required :P

I lengthened the top straps to get a better angle - can you visualize it?



Secondly, and I forgot to take a picture of this.... Check your wheel wells - does the body sheet metal come out to an edge? Or does it make a 90 degree bend inward?

I found my rear wheels come to an edge (folded over - but an edge nonetheless). I'm going to find nylon screw bosses - the type that clips onto an edge and use that to screw mount my wheel fairings. With flat head screws of course.

If you have a 90 degree bend... Well, I'm working on a solution as my front wheels are like that

[repete86]

Nice improvised aero-mod!

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by repete86

Nice improvised aero-mod!

Thanks :P I gotta figure out how much bulge I need somehow :P

[MetroMPG]

I like VW's non-90 degree lip on the wheel arch. It's one of the first places a car will start to rust from dirt, salt & water accumulating up there. Won't happen to that Jetta.

For people wanting to go hole-less on the 90-degree wheel arch lip, here's an idea I've been toying with:



Click to zoom in.

You could pad the space between the bracket and the bodywork to protect the paint and also provide better grip as the bolt is tightened. (Note the bolt is only through the bracket.)

Then you're free to attach the wheel skirt material to the bracket however you want.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I like VW's non-90 degree lip on the wheel arch. It's one of the first places a car will start to rust from dirt, salt & water accumulating up there. Won't happen to that Jetta.

For people wanting to go hole-less on the 90-degree wheel arch lip, here's an idea I've been toying with:

Then you're free to attach the wheel skirt material to the bracket however you want.

My front wheels collect all sorts of debris between the splash guard and fender o.0

I like where you're going with that clamp... Better than what I was visualizing. I was thinking of using a 90 degree bracket and a clip screw boss. The only problem with that is... if you bump it -- it could unclip quite easily :/

[MetroMPG]

I'm not sure what a clip screw boss looks like. Can you point me to a pic?

When I made my rear skirts, I had the same no-drilling restriction, so I actually used velcro. (See http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=850).

The velcro did a
fine job holding the skirt on for the whole summer & fall, but when I went to remove the skirt to have the car rust-treated, the velcro was stronger than the adhesive I used and I ripped some of it off.

The skirts went back on for the winter with black duct tape. Thus the brainstorming on the 2-part squeeze bracket.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I'm not sure what a clip screw boss looks like. Can you point me to a pic?

Fold Over nuts Screwing all the way through is ideal - but involves drilling into body work. Luckily, you don't have to - you just risk them popping off given the right amount of force in the right direction.

[MetroMPG]

Ah, OK - thanks. Didn't know that's what their name was.

[landspeed]

The way a bike carrier attaches is quite useful when thinking of a removable boat tail. In fact, my boat-tail is going to be removable, and based on the attachment method of my bike carrier

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

IFor people wanting to go hole-less on the 90-degree wheel arch lip, here's an idea I've been toying with:



Click to zoom in.

You could pad the space between the bracket and the bodywork to protect the paint and also provide better grip as the bolt is tightened. (Note the bolt is only through the bracket.)

Then you're free to attach the wheel skirt material to the bracket however you want.

Two add-ons to this idea. If you use a galvanized nut or washer, you will add some corrosion protection.

Also, if you glued the top piece of the bracket (the one next to the nut) to the inside of the lip, it would be more secure, but also easily removable.

Oops, three add-ons. If you already have some existing holes where the fender liner is attached to the fender, you can use those for additional security, without adding holes of your own. So a combination of your two part bracket and brackets affixed to the OEM holes.

I like your idea a lot.