DIY $18 1/4 thick mudflaps

T

Taiden

New member
Here's my quick writeup of my DIY mudflaps. Total cost including everything $18 (18 wheeler 1/4" thick mudflap + hardware)
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THE MATERIALS: a bigass mudflap for an 18 wheeler (from NAPA, just ask for the biggest one they got... $12). THIS THING IS HUGE! That's a 36" yardstick layed out on it.

three strips of thin sheet metal ($0.10 a piece at my hardware store)

8 1" sheet metal screws

2 2.5" sheet metal screws

2 1" nylon spacers

10 fender washers

Tools:

a box cutter with a fresh blade

a yardstick/meterstick

drill

screwdriver

Mounting Instructions: THANK YOU RALLY ARMOR!

LINK

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CUT EXACTLY IN HALF

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CUT EXACTLY INTO QUARTERS

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this **** is THICK!

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What we're going for

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Lay the fronts on the rears so you can copy the curve

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Curve copied

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Curve copied on both rears. Later you will copy the curves on both sides... you'll see what I mean.

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Cut your sheet metal about this big

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Fold it over and drill a smaller hole... I went two sizes smaller than my sheet metal screws. Your sheet metal screws will tap it and you want a real tight fit so your fasteners last long.

I have no pictures of fitment because there is no way I can help you over the internet after this point. You'll do it if you can do it, you won't if you can't. For me it's really easy, might be different for you. But here is more or less what my fronts looked like before I mounted them.

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I mounted them per RALLY ARMOR's directions. I figured if anyone knew anything about mounting mud flaps for street use, they would.

http://www.rallyarmor.com/store/gc8_instructions/rallyarmor_GC8_classic_mud_flap_mounting_instructions.pdf

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The rear installed. I wanted to keep the inside from flapping so I drilled a hole in the neighboring seam and threaded a ziptie through it. I also used the predrilled hole in the napa mud flap to mount the top.

SOME PICS INSTALLED

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that's pretty much what i did, except i traced out my rally armor basic flaps after they warped on me

 
Yeah I think that tracing Rally Armor flaps would be the best!! Good write up though!! They look good

 
those look pretty beefy
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like mine? and just so everyone knows, i've been running some just like it for a year, good durability, minimum distortion after many turnpike drives, and after much abuse on dirt roads. they ain't the prettiest, but it beats $100 for the good rally armor. kudos for the write up, i meant to but hate taking pictures

 
Yeah Rally armor is expensive!! One set I have came on the car I bought, and the Forester ones I got for a great deal, but I probably would have made my own if not!!

 
I didn't have any rally armor mudflaps to trace, so I just made my own.
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Oh, and I did an offroad excursion today and backed up to a boulder, managed to roll over my mudflap, pulling it right off my car!

So notes:

-these mudflaps are very low

-the fasteners are a perfect mix of heavy duty and light weight, because it pulled my flap right out without damaging anything!

 
yeah i need to upgrade my hardware, i used the cheap plastic stuff that came with the rally armor kit. but steel speed nuts are cheap enough!

 
Great writeup. I've got the i-wagon special and they've heald up great, and if you follow me on here, you know my car gets used.

Funny how the only people running "rally" armors are the show cars, might as well rename them poser-armor
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If I ever move to urethane, I'd go the big sheet route like katnip's sti.

 
Nice write-up dude. I thought of using a semi mud flap to make some larger mud flaps, I don't rally or anything but I have plenty of dirt roads around my house that are awesome.

Right now I have the stock ones for the impreza, and although they look nice because they fit the body nicely and all the curves, they do not stop much of the spray up the side of the door or small rock chips.

 
So something semi hilarious happened.

I didn't notice this until today, but when the mud flap was pulled out by me running over it in reverse hitting a boulder on an offroad excursion, it pulled my bumper right out of my rusty quarter panel on one side!

So now I'm going to travel 1.5 hours tomorrow to borrow my buddies welder so I can start fixing the rust on this thing. hahaha

Shows you how strong those sheet metal fasteners are!

 
So something semi hilarious happened.
I didn't notice this until today, but when the mud flap was pulled out by me running over it in reverse hitting a boulder on an offroad excursion, it pulled my bumper right out of my rusty quarter panel on one side!

So now I'm going to travel 1.5 hours tomorrow to borrow my buddies welder so I can start fixing the rust on this thing. hahaha

Shows you how strong those sheet metal fasteners are!
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this thread is a great reminder, thanks.

Remember the old subes? very hard shapely plastic..one piece, barely flexed. I never ripped one off, even with rusty quarters and chunks missing..but the softer stuff seems a good idea (get wind pressure out of full wheel wells) I play the ecomod games with a 1781cc sube.

maybe make a cage, like rigs have , for some of it... let the bottoms flap around
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that was a grear write up, my rs currently has no protection but i think once winter starts rolling around ill be doing this.....thanks again

 
That reminds me, why do some rally teams use the stock Subaru hard-plastic mud-guards?
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they meet the rules. they are usually free with the car. and they work. they are usually lighter than the urethane ones, and if they do get ripped off, they dont take the entire rear bumper or quarterpanel with them.

i know they dont "look" the part... but think about as often as some of these cars get painted, body parts replaced, or cars destroyed..

 
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