You'd think a flat trailer fender would be the easiest thing in the world to mount up and have look half way decent on a hardtailed frame, right?
Wrong. Well at least for me. Tried a couple of different methods and always ended up unhappy with how far the fender was from the tire and with the radius of the fender not matching the wheel/tire.
So I learned a way to slightly decrease the radius of the fender, by spreading the skirts outward. Worked pretty well and now at least it in the ballpark of the radius I want. Still need to even the skirts out. You can see in some places that it was not perfectly evenly pulled.
So then I had to make mounts that would put the fender somewhat closer to the tire. I'm not a freak about this like some are...I can handle a bit of room between tire and fender but I really don't want to see daylight, when viewed from the side. Or at least not much daylight.
So I welded a piece of angle iron going backward and up from the frame cross tube...the lowest one just in front of the back wheel. That gives me my bottom mount. On the higher crosstube - the one the back seat mounting bungs will attach to (probably) I welded coped threaded bungs to, at just the right angle. I was able to get them at just the right angle by mounting it first with this big u-clamp and spacers. So with it firmly in position I shoved, tapped the threaded bungs into position and tack welded them to the frame crosstube. Them I took it apart and welded them all the way around. Took lots of grinding to get those MIG welds looking halfway decent. Someday I would love to work with a TIG welder. anyway....
So THEN I had to make holes in the fender that would match up with the newly welded-on bungs. THAT was hard and stupid and time-consuming. Ended up making extremely elongated holes to give me some play, to fit them.
Then I welded washers over the elongated holes, to a. hide their ugliness and b. make a nice fitting hole for the bolts that hold fender to the bungs to go through.
What I'm happiest with: how I got the coped bungs located and welded on. What I'm least happy with: the DUMB way I located the holes. I tried a bunch of stuff and measured and measured and they still ended up a good 3/16 off. A fender just isn't that easy to measure, as its curved both ways.
The GOOD news is that the whole deal is hellaciously strong. Still need to figure out where I will cut the fender. Might make it shorter at both ends, or just at front bottom. Since I won't be carrying passengers its plenty strong that I don't need a mount at the very back. I may put one anyway...or I may not.
Here's some pics.
(I should win an award for the world's slowest-progressing chopper project)
http://s250.photobucket.com/albums/gg258/emzpublic/XS%2009/rear%20fender%20position%20mock%20up/back%20fender%20final%20mounts/
Wrong. Well at least for me. Tried a couple of different methods and always ended up unhappy with how far the fender was from the tire and with the radius of the fender not matching the wheel/tire.
So I learned a way to slightly decrease the radius of the fender, by spreading the skirts outward. Worked pretty well and now at least it in the ballpark of the radius I want. Still need to even the skirts out. You can see in some places that it was not perfectly evenly pulled.
So then I had to make mounts that would put the fender somewhat closer to the tire. I'm not a freak about this like some are...I can handle a bit of room between tire and fender but I really don't want to see daylight, when viewed from the side. Or at least not much daylight.
So I welded a piece of angle iron going backward and up from the frame cross tube...the lowest one just in front of the back wheel. That gives me my bottom mount. On the higher crosstube - the one the back seat mounting bungs will attach to (probably) I welded coped threaded bungs to, at just the right angle. I was able to get them at just the right angle by mounting it first with this big u-clamp and spacers. So with it firmly in position I shoved, tapped the threaded bungs into position and tack welded them to the frame crosstube. Them I took it apart and welded them all the way around. Took lots of grinding to get those MIG welds looking halfway decent. Someday I would love to work with a TIG welder. anyway....
So THEN I had to make holes in the fender that would match up with the newly welded-on bungs. THAT was hard and stupid and time-consuming. Ended up making extremely elongated holes to give me some play, to fit them.
Then I welded washers over the elongated holes, to a. hide their ugliness and b. make a nice fitting hole for the bolts that hold fender to the bungs to go through.
What I'm happiest with: how I got the coped bungs located and welded on. What I'm least happy with: the DUMB way I located the holes. I tried a bunch of stuff and measured and measured and they still ended up a good 3/16 off. A fender just isn't that easy to measure, as its curved both ways.
The GOOD news is that the whole deal is hellaciously strong. Still need to figure out where I will cut the fender. Might make it shorter at both ends, or just at front bottom. Since I won't be carrying passengers its plenty strong that I don't need a mount at the very back. I may put one anyway...or I may not.
Here's some pics.
(I should win an award for the world's slowest-progressing chopper project)
http://s250.photobucket.com/albums/gg258/emzpublic/XS%2009/rear%20fender%20position%20mock%20up/back%20fender%20final%20mounts/