Reworking a set of Wind Dams

[WildBillH]

Reworking a set of Wind Dams


I got a set of older Wind Dams with the intent or rebuilding them. I liked the looks of the original smaller Wind Dams and the way the looked like the attached to the inside edges of the opening.

I reworked them and thought I would post some photos of how they turned out. I still need to put a finish coat of paint on them but I’m going to run them for a couple weeks to see how the work. Basically I cut them down to fit flush with the body and built a fiberglass edge on the front and top that match the inside body opening. Double stick 3M body tape is used to hold them in place. The key to a good fit is where you place the tape. The inside is finished with a rubberized paint to give a finished look.

 

[Gorilla]

Nice again Bill.

 

[BenO]

Job Well done.

I wish I could have done mine to mold them to have fit on the outside instead of placing them on the inside.

 

[WildBillH]

i'm toying with the idea of using these to create a mold or having them scanned, trued up and fabricated in ABS Plastic.

It all comes down to what the initial investment will be and if i can get any backing.

 

[Nana]

Bill, all those things you did look very professional! I'm really impressed with the lens over the headlight! Amazing how much difference that should make in "bug catching".

 

[WildBillH]

Thanks, California has a lot of bugs. I hope the wind dams push them away from the finders.

I should have taken some photos. I hated seeing the trike with bug streaks on the leading surfaces. I just wanted to get them off while I could. The gooey ones came off with soap and water, but the baked on ones took more effort. I kind of related it to picking food out of your teeth before you brush.

Dragonflies were the worst with bees a close second, butterflies make a big mess but clean up easy.

 

[silverdevil]

Bill I like the way you refitted and reshaped the WIND DAMS to fit inside and not over the body.
one of the problems with the Phoenix, AZ dealer is when they made them they did it for the fiberglass bodies and not for the ABS plastic bodies and the fiberglass ones were a different shape every time and the ABS ones are the same every time, they also wanted too much money for them in my opinion.
I am interested in them as mine is an 09' and is an ABS body.

 

[tomg]

I found a guy here in Florida that made me a set in his thermoform shop and I used them for a 2500 mile trip with good results. We are going to try and tweek them a little more before he offers them to the public. Right now they are clear lexan and shows the tape holding them on, but paint can fix that.
Tomg

 

[WildBillH]

Hi silverdevil,

I know what you mean that's where I got the wind dams I started with. I'm not sure if the ones for the fiberglass bodies fit inside or not. (If someone has a set I would be interested to know.) I think Jim was trying to provide a set that would fit all the Stallions. I'm guessing that is why he made them attach to the outside.

The ones I have fit the ABS bodies. Consider the market for them? How many ABS bodies have been made? What percentage of the owners would buy them? What's the cost to produce them, factor in time and materials? (don't forget the development.) Do I have a design that will sell? How hard is it to install them? The answers to all theses questions cuts the target market down. (Marketing is another whole subject.)

I'm not sure if He makes the the wind dams or if he has someone that makes them for him. I'm guessing that they built some kind of mold. The mold is no simple task starting from scratch. After reworking a set I have a good idea of what kind of time it takes to build a set. If the wind dams are built one set at a time your getting a custom set every time and the pricing is reasonable for the time needed to build a set. What is your time worth? He also has a access to a paint shop where he can have them color matched with the standard Stallion colors.

If they can be made in batches the price will go down. That is the direction I would like to go.

tomg mentioned a thermoform version of the wind dam. I'd be interested to see what it looks like and how it attaches to the trike. That is one of the processes I was looking at. Thermoform heats a plastic sheet and uses a vacuum to shape it around a mold. The angles required may be too sharp for this process with the design I have. The top and front angles need to match the body within 1/16 of an inch for it to fit correctly. This process should definitely reduce the man hrs to produce a set and is a step in the right direction to do some batch processing and reduce cost even more.

 

[tomg]

View attachment 2660

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hope these come out !!!

 

[tomg]

not sure how I got the photes on, but they are there. Click on one and they will open larger. As you can see they are clear and you can see the 2-sided tape holding them in place. This weekend I am going to meet with the guy building them and work on curving back edge out about another half inch to deflect more wind and see how to paint the ones I take off.
tomg

 

[silverdevil]

tomg
look at the 1st message by WildBillH and at the 4th image "reworked wind dam installed.jpg (98.6 KB, 34 views)"

that is what I want, not fitting on the outside like yours are.

 

[cupcake]

What you guys have done on the wind dams looks great. I ordered some of the original winddams and put on my 2010 Stallion. Helps a little. We were working on some crome winddams and found that if we put them on the outside and made them a few inches longer so they come down to the bottom break of the body, they work better in keeping the air away from the passenger. Don't have anything to show right now, since I got the others spend spare time ridding. Maybe when the weather gets colder we will start working on them again.

 

[skuuter]

Super Nice Work......:wtg:

 

[tomg]

tomg
look at the 1st message by WildBillH and at the 4th image "reworked wind dam installed.jpg (98.6 KB, 34 views)"

that is what I want, not fitting on the outside like yours are.

I did again look at the photos and part of it is still on the outside as I see it. It would be nice to have it all inside, but that will take some work !!!
Tomg

 

[WildBillH]

tomg
Great photos, I like the clear. You can get an idea of how much I cut mine down. I did extend the flair about one inch.

Your right about part of the wind dam being out. The bottom edge is on the outside of the body. I left it out because of the multiple curves at the bottom and to make them easier to install. If you use the body tape to hold the wind dams on it can be tricky getting them all the way forward without the tape grabbing before you get where you want it. I use 4 inches of tape on the front edge, 3 inches of tape near the top and the another 3 inch piece along the bottom back.

 

[silverdevil]

WildBillH
the more I look at your pics the more I like your job of the wind dams.
by making them fit inside on the top and front edge but not the bottom it looks like it would be easier to mount them and the bottom still looks like it is mounted inside due to the shape of the Stallion.:yes:

 

[tomg]

Well, we removed the air damns to rework the mold that will add more at the top and bottom. This will cut down on the air moving below the mirror and hopefully cut down on the air coming off the bottom to the passenger. After using the original ones for about 3000 miles, I can really tell the difference (big time) with using just the front section of the soft side curtains. Now I wish I had left them on until after turkey day as the guy working on them will not be able to start until then !!! Update on how they work to follow in about a month.
Tomg