Pic's or it didn't happen?.............OK

    I hit a raised manhole cover today, luckily only going about 5 MPH. I was only 5 minutes from home, so I turned right around. I pulled the whole front clip off, and got to work. The aluminum framework was bent in two directions, and the factory plastic is cracked in multiple places. My splitter is destroyed. I disassembled everything, bent the framework as straight as I could, and bolted on some plastic plates to hold it together. I need to replace everything except the painted panels and the mesh insert.


    Then the dog and I continued our trip to the Flight 93 Memorial.


    It was a $1500 mistake, and all my fault. The main part of the spoiler is on backorder until September, so that sucks.


    The splitter from DDM is out of stock also. The splitter is the only part that broke though. The 3D printed braces for the splitter stayed intact, and there are two metal braces that I already straightened. I have found a solution though. I am going to order a 48" x 96" x 1/4" sheet of marine grade HDPE, for $145. Out of that sheet, I can cut at least two splitters, and I think I will be able to get three out of it. The material is something I have been machining for years. It has a textured matte finish that is a closer match to the black plastic on the Slingshot, than the ABS material of the DDM kit.


    I am going to use the existing splitter as a template. I plan on drilling the bolt pattern holes, bolting the bad splitter onto the sheet, and using a router to cut the shape. I can also use a round over bit to apply a small radius to the edge using the same template.

    Quote from DJohnson

    I have used that stuff on several boat projects it is great to work with.

    Yes. After I saw your post, I noticed that it is also called Seaboard.


    Crashed on Saturday, and I already have all the parts to fix it by Wednesday, except for one piece that is on backorder. Of course it is the actual front end itself.


    The sheet of plastic ended up being $245 with shipping, because it had to come freight. I will be able to get two splitters out of the sheet. I already ripped the sheet down to the sizes I need to work with.

    I am machining my own front grille, to match my hood vent grilles and doors. I have enough plastic left over from the material I bought to make my splitters, to make a couple grilles. I may try a larger hex, and/or thinner webbing. This design has .875" openings, with .125" thick webbing.


    After drawing this and creating machining programs, I went onto Slingmods to see what's available. I saw that someone already makes grilles with the hex pattern, and you can have your own text added, for $140. I considered adding text to mine, but I would rather have all the airflow I can get.


    Quote from Oomp

    I am machining my own front grille, to match my hood vent grilles and doors. I have enough plastic left over from the material I bought to make my splitters, to make a couple grilles. I may try a larger hex, and/or thinner webbing. This design has .875" openings, with .125" thick webbing.


    After drawing this and creating machining programs, I went onto Slingmods to see what's available. I saw that someone already makes grilles with the hex pattern, and you can have your own text added, for $140. I considered adding text to mine, but I would rather have all the airflow I can get.


    That looks great and is already an increase in airflow over stock. If you decide to add text, I would suggest putting it at the bottom for the best visibility. I made some grills and started out with the logo in the center, left to right and top to bottom, and when you're within 20-30 feet from the front of the bike where you can actually see it, you only see the bottom half.


    BTW, your text doesn't have to be solid if it's large enough to have openings within it.

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    I finished my grille. I tinkered with text, but I just didn't like how it was working out. The material I used is a little thicker, than the stock grille. I had to measure the gap of the tabs on the front end clip, and the gaps were different top and bottom. I thinned the material accordingly, and it fits tight and won't rattle. You can't see it, but I chamfered the hex openings to almost a knife edge, leaving about a .01" flat on the face.


    I am going to tweak the shape of the splitter a little, so it has better symmetry. I am not complaining about the splitter that I bought. I would have just bought a replacement, and been happy, if they weren't out of stock. Since I am going to put in the work to make a replacement, I have to address the things that bug me.


    One issue I want to address is that the front does not protrude evenly. I do not want to extend the very front, but it is the left and right front sections that can be evened out. You can see that towards the outside, it protrudes a little further. The difference is about 1/4 inch.





    The other issue is the tips. I don't like that everything is staggered when you look straight down at the tip. It goes white painted part, then steps down to black plastic, then the splitter comes up short. I am going to extend the tip just enough to make it symmetrical with the white painted tip. The cardboard represents my modification.



    Front clip is assembled with a new splitter, my grille, and stainless steel hardware.





    Check it out @SoCal. I put rubber caps on all the exposed bolts. I have rubber caps all over my Sling, because I don't want to get caught on anything when washing or working on it. I cut them to length to suit each bolt.



    look at you with the thread caps!! Nice touch!🙂

    We’ll get there when we get there and not a minute before. 😎

    I just use Stainless steel cut to length and polished.

    What dimensions did you use for the plate?

    Always Remember...You can drive it like you want to drive it tomorrow! 8)

    :HEADERSS::SUPERCHARGERSS::COILOVERSS::ROTORSS: