Thread: Tread plate accessories

It does make you wonder. I bought a 3mm sheet and had it cut into a bonnet protector, both wing tops and two trailer mudguard extensions and pressed to shape with LOTS left over for just over $300....

yep, did the same thing but used 4mm for the bonnet which I then made my own second spare carrier for - much stronger than the LR 'reinforced' bonnet, i also reinforced under side of the bonnet with 2mm

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...et-mount-1.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...ries-air-1.jpg

Looks pretty good, have you fitted a gas strut for the bonnet??

Originally Posted by Marty110

yep, did the same thing but used 4mm for the bonnet which I then made my own second spare carrier for - much stronger than the LR 'reinforced' bonnet, i also reinforced under side of the bonnet with 2mm

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...et-mount-1.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...ries-air-1.jpg

I like to do / make as much as I can, but sometimes due to lack of equipment or lack of time, you just buy it for the convenience of it or the time saving.

Originally Posted by Carlos

Looks pretty good, have you fitted a gas strut for the bonnet??

Nope - just did a body building course...... yep its heavy - I took off the fold up bonnet stay and got a heavy duty solid stay from an earlier model - fit strait onto the same holes. That Deefer is now sold - wish I had kept it, the new owner trashed it for a year or so then rolled it 3 times - lucky it had my custom roll bar in it. He should have parted it out as it had a lot of good custom made mods like overdrive, rear axles, diff lock etc. oh well.......

Originally Posted by Marty110

yep, did the same thing but used 4mm for the bonnet which I then made my own second spare carrier for - much stronger than the LR 'reinforced' bonnet, i also reinforced under side of the bonnet with 2mm

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...et-mount-1.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...ries-air-1.jpg

I still love the concept of the spare on the bonnet...

I know and agree with all the arguments for not having it there, but IMO a County/110/90 or Defender just looks "right" with it there.

I've even toyed with the idea to see if I can get a spare Puma bonnet from the wreckers and play at making an "occasional" arrangement for carrying the second spare (on my Defender 90 Tdci). As we all know, swapping the bonnet over is 2 minute job with a second pair of hands...

I was thinking of the bespoke bent and shaped Puma aluminium bonnet protector and strong slimline bracing on the inside. I've check vision angles with a spare on the bonnet (with a blanket protecting the paint obviously), and it looks do-able as a pet project (even if not completely practical ).

I imagine the ADR would have an issue with it though?

Cheers,

Lou

Ha! No way would I even consider doing this. The chequer plate that I bought has nicely rounded corners and curves to fit the shape of the car.. how are you going to curve your chequer plate... what about colours?.. And the paint or powdercoating costs - not to mention the spray guns, time and frustration.

and what about the gaskets that you get with the bought plates?.. You would have to source something else for that to ensure that you don't get moisture, dirt etc under the plate to eat away at your car..

And how much exactly is a 'cheap' jigsaw, and lets face it if you don't already have one the chances of you 'needing' one are slim at best..

Not to mention the time involved, my time is money and personally to save at best $80.. not a chance would I even consider doing it myself.

I do everything on my Defender myself, YOU can too.

I HATE Checker plate on Defenders for the sake of Bling , it looks so crap.

If your going to walk all over it thats another thing, but its still looks crap.

Agree with Carlos, Its even cheaper to buy checker plate from bunnings, its So easy to cut , bend, round the edges & soften the curves, Buy some & try it. You just need basic hand tools.