Aluminum splash pan?

T

tchuck

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Any fabricators out there know about the possibility of making that plastic lower engine guard (splashpan?) from aluminum? I would think that an aluminum version thin enough to weigh the same as the OEM plastic unit would be much stronger. Maybe not cloning the piece per say, but creating something a little simpler that would utilize the existing mounting points? Are the mounting points strong enough to make an aluminum version worthwhile? It could even have a trap door built in for oil changes...
I thought of this while reading Turbocad's post about hitting a tire on the freeway during which he broke his splash pan...
This would be especially useful for those of us who live in areas prone to snowfall. I cracked mine last year while driving through about 16" of snow.
 
Doesnt seem like it would be that hard to do and you could make it a much lower profile than the oem I would think even with the gtspec bracing
 
well, sheet aluminum can be done, but it would need to be beaded to give it some ridgidity & then it would still dent & deform pretty easily if it was hit.would be like a race car panel. to make something that wouldn't dent easily at all then it would need to be cast aluminum or very heavy sheet which is difficult to form, would probably wind up making the piece much heavier too & overkill in my opinion. want exotic light & functional? then a carbon fiber piece could be made, but don't look at me :tongue:


personally my lower cover is sitting in my garage & I've been driving my fx for over a year without it at all, no chance of breaking it like that :cool:

I also agree though that a trap door type setup for filter change is the way to go, plan on doing that to my plastic panel before I ever get around to installing it
 
I hadn't thought of the dent factor... Would it be safe to assume that anything tough enough to deform an aluminum piece would also break the plastic version? Even if an errant freeway tire would damage both pieces, the aluminum unit would probably handle a snow drift pretty well, huh?
 
I just talked to Adam @ Z1 performance about a version of the one in StuLax18"s post for the FX. Here's what he says:

"Tim - the ARC panel for the Z is not all that thick, but because of the
grade of aluminum, and the way that it uses a box design (vs the stock one
which is all flat) it's insanely strong. I've got one on my own 350Z, and
it's been there since 2006 - it's never given me any issues at all.

I know we could design one that would not only be durable for the winter
months, but incorporate some neat features, like a removable access panel
to make oil changes easier, etc.

I would estimate in
the $300-$400 price range, but would have to delve into it with a lot more
details before any formal pricing would be set

Let me know what the interest is, and I'd be happy to explore it in greater
detail with everyone"



Its a bit pricey, but I like it. I could definitely imagine breaking one of the plastic pieces a year with as much as I enjoy driving in the snow...:wub:
 
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I mean for the protection and convinience + looks it sound good.. I mean it covers the whole bottom on the engine.
 
mine's held up to bottoming the car out on track days, rough driveways (like the one in my brothers complex...the exit ramp has a nasty incline!) even ran over various rocks , and mines never dented at all. With all the extra ground clearance the FX has vs my car, I don't think you would need to worry about any damange at all :)

the reason we don't post the price on ARC stuff is it changes too frequently with the exchange rate, and it's almost never in stock in the US anyway - people know it's expensive stuff, so it's just easier to quote it on an as-requested basis
 
that box design is a perfect design for this, that's much nicer than a flat panel suspended by the bumper, it mounts solid, almost like a light weight skid plate, I like that idea
 
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Will this item be compartible with our FX? I mean it's 300-400.. Not including shipping I think. *hit if I ever decide to buy this I might as well save 99 bucks and pass by the Z1 store in NY and pick it up.. !!!
 
Rubare said:
Will this item be compatible with our FX? I mean it's 300-400.. Not including shipping I think. *hit if I ever decide to buy this I might as well save 99 bucks and pass by the Z1 store in NY and pick it up.. !!!
Click to expand...

************

Yeah, that's the idea. The "300-400" was a ball park from Z1 for the creation of an FX version.
 
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