Front bashguard dimensions?

[silverbullet]

Don't suppose anyone's got a drawing or some dimensions for the syncro front basher? I really think I should knock one up after watching the C2C vids!
If not, I'll just have to make it up as I go along. Seems to work most of the time

[PetenAli]

I've been giving this a lot of thought - especially while following the C2C thread. I'd really like to have a go that next year. Currently our syncro has a clamshell tyre holder and thats not going to protect anything when the going gets tough.

I've done quite a lot of Classic Trials in the past and this is the skid plate on the front of my Beetle - protects the front suspension, joins flush with the floorpan which in turn is flush with the rear skid plate. It slides over rocks beautifully.





I know that you couldn't have exactly the same system on a Syncro but could you not have a skid plate that protects front suspension and diff

Be interested to know what people think

[toomanytoys]

Front wheel holder is tougher than it looks.. (Aidan has one fitted)
Std bash plate will only take so much abuse...
Ally one from syncro services is pretty cost affective IMHO... and nicely made

Diff protector... well I was going to, but havent got round to it.. and mine has had a bit of welly off road, no damage.. small area, very strong and tucked up enough so I wont bother.. unless you are doing even more stupid stuff than me (come visit on one of my local club days ), leave it open for the heat from the rad to escape...

[syncrodoug]

Baxter does one too.

[Roving Rich]

Well its not a very easy thing to measure
Its basically a wedge, but has the corners cut off and reinforcing panels pressed into it all over, and radiused edges that give it alot more strength.
It also has a couple of 2"x1" box sections welded across the back.



So its basically a 15 degree wedge....



Only the thin end is cut back to be more obtuse. And the rear corners are removed and shaped both on the underneath and sides.





So something like this...





Hope that helps.
Its lurking in the back yard so let me know if you need any more dimensions.

Cheers
Rich

[silverbullet]

Rich, You're a star! Crystal clear and much appreciated.
A good comprehensive drawing would be very handy in the syncro wiki
I think mine will end up being a little more "ladder frame and flat sheet" but it'll do the job.
Once I've got somewhere I'll add to this post.

[toomanytoys]

Std one takes a bashing.. then fit the alloy bricky/syncroservices one on top which doesnt add too much weight, but mucho strength.. no point re-inventing the wheel eh!!!

[silverbullet]

Not when you've already gone and sold the clamshell (as good as, anyway)

[guzzi]

when i went to see pete he had one on his Syncro that he told me was a VW item that was proper strong looking, box section steel and what have you. I am after one of them, am thinking of putting a aux fuel tank in it. Has anyone else seen one?

[syncrowjoker]

Think Jed has one, check the wales vids.

[guzzi]

Ah yes thats the one, i hope Jed dosent mind me doing a sreen catch of his video: -



Anyone got one?

Sorry to hijack this post by they but IHO i think this one would be a bit easyer to copy and stronger during use?

[axeman]

Ah yes thats the one, i hope Jed dosent mind me doing a sreen catch of his video: -



Anyone got one?

Sorry to hijack this post by they but IHO i think this one would be a bit easyer to copy and stronger during use?

I have givern as have many others a right clouting over the last few years (standard pressed steel one) with no real deformation to note, for me the biggest problem for me is the 3 m8 bolts that bolt it to the sub frame, sheard the heads of of them a couple of times now on the rocky sections

Neil

[syncropaddy]

I had one of those fabricated bash plate/spare wheel holder but I swapped it with Dave. I dont think they are as good as the pressed steel unit because you can get caught in the gaps on the fabricated one.

[silverbullet]

What do you mean "caught in the gaps" Andrew? Are there other snags associated with the fabbed one (which is what I was originally thinking of) other than the bolt head problem that Neil has encountered?

I'll have a go at a "best of both" design anyway and see what results. Raw materials to hand are 900mm square of 1.5mm sheet and some 20 x 1.5 erw square tube (quite a lot of that)

Closer inspection of the chassis rails of C-ARW show that it once had a pukka pressed one fitted, but like so many things, it's long gone

[syncropaddy]

What do you mean "caught in the gaps" Andrew?

With the pressed steel one you can 'slide' over a lot of stuff but because the fabricated one doesnt have a totally flat surface you could get caught. The Pressed steel one is the best option for protection but if you want to use that area as storage then the fabricated one is better as its hinged. A hybrid version combining the best of both worlds would be interesting