philosopheriam
aka: Mr. Awesome
Well, after having one poly fender eliminator crack at the bend, fall off, get stuck between my tire hugger and the tire, and rub-off half the letters on my license plate, I figured it was time for something better.
Most of the units on the market (Ebay, etc) look cheap and are overpriced. I don't like the way they mount, either. So, what is a guy to do...? Build my own!!!
Quick history:
I'm an auto mechanic and a shade-tree fabricator...
Materials used:
16ga sheet steel (16"x24"): $17.00
Front LED turn signals for an FZ6 from Ebay, x2, $13.00
Generic LED license plate light pod from Ebay (not shown, in transit), x1, $4.00
TOTAL MATERIALS: $34.00
This unit mounts to the rearmost bracket underneath the exhaust cans - the front bracket that goes between the two mufflers will not be needed.
1. To begin, I made all of my measurements and transferred them to a computerized template. I traced the template on the 16ga sheet steel and then made my cuts. All cuts were done with a jigsaw, 24tpi bi-metal blade.
2. After the initial rough cutting, I used my angle grinder to smooth the jaggies and grind-out some of the contour cuts.
3. To place all of the holes, I MEASURED MEASURED MEASURED!!! An ultra-fine tip Sharpie is the fabricator's friend! I removed the rear bracket from my FZ6 to make the mounting points as accurate as possible. I used a drill press to make all of the holes.
4. Once I insterted the turn signal lights, I traced around them, removed the lights, and went to work with my angle grinder to get the "outlines" around the lights more consistent. Because of space constraints, I had to use hand files on some areas.
5. I lined the jaws of my vise with some aluminum angle (to make them smooth), and I clamped the fender eliminator at various points to make the proper bends. All bends are 45 degrees.
6. With the bends complete, I was able to use hand files to do the final touch-up work.
7. After deburring all of the holes and dehorning the entire piece, I sanded everything with some 150 grit, and then I did the final "finish" with a 3M pad. I'm not worried about making this mirror smooth, as I am not painting a gas tank.
The entire piece will be primed with a self-etching primer and then painted with Krylon satin black. I am waiting for the license plate LED pod to show up before I begin painting. I temporarily installed the turn signal LED's for some of the photos.
I will post more pictures when it's all complete!
Most of the units on the market (Ebay, etc) look cheap and are overpriced. I don't like the way they mount, either. So, what is a guy to do...? Build my own!!!
Quick history:
I'm an auto mechanic and a shade-tree fabricator...
Materials used:
16ga sheet steel (16"x24"): $17.00
Front LED turn signals for an FZ6 from Ebay, x2, $13.00
Generic LED license plate light pod from Ebay (not shown, in transit), x1, $4.00
TOTAL MATERIALS: $34.00
This unit mounts to the rearmost bracket underneath the exhaust cans - the front bracket that goes between the two mufflers will not be needed.
1. To begin, I made all of my measurements and transferred them to a computerized template. I traced the template on the 16ga sheet steel and then made my cuts. All cuts were done with a jigsaw, 24tpi bi-metal blade.
2. After the initial rough cutting, I used my angle grinder to smooth the jaggies and grind-out some of the contour cuts.
3. To place all of the holes, I MEASURED MEASURED MEASURED!!! An ultra-fine tip Sharpie is the fabricator's friend! I removed the rear bracket from my FZ6 to make the mounting points as accurate as possible. I used a drill press to make all of the holes.
4. Once I insterted the turn signal lights, I traced around them, removed the lights, and went to work with my angle grinder to get the "outlines" around the lights more consistent. Because of space constraints, I had to use hand files on some areas.
5. I lined the jaws of my vise with some aluminum angle (to make them smooth), and I clamped the fender eliminator at various points to make the proper bends. All bends are 45 degrees.
6. With the bends complete, I was able to use hand files to do the final touch-up work.
7. After deburring all of the holes and dehorning the entire piece, I sanded everything with some 150 grit, and then I did the final "finish" with a 3M pad. I'm not worried about making this mirror smooth, as I am not painting a gas tank.
The entire piece will be primed with a self-etching primer and then painted with Krylon satin black. I am waiting for the license plate LED pod to show up before I begin painting. I temporarily installed the turn signal LED's for some of the photos.
I will post more pictures when it's all complete!
Last edited:
How long did it take you to fab it too this point?
