Cutting the boards off with a grinder.
Note, I had no trouble at all cutting through the Aluminum with this.
Note, I had no trouble at all cutting through the Aluminum with this.
Installation and Review: SKINZ Air Frame Running Boards
- Thread starter christopher
- Start date
The cut aluminum before any deburring.
There is a small steel plate along the inside of the foot-well that must NOT be cut.
That is why there is a small jog in the line as you have to go around the little plate beneath the boards.
That is why there is a small jog in the line as you have to go around the little plate beneath the boards.
First Test Fit of the new boards !!
You can clearly see that there is still plenty of deburring and trimming yet to be done.
You can clearly see that there is still plenty of deburring and trimming yet to be done.
So.
Now that I am finally getting close to actually INSTALLING these things after months of very slowly getting the sled prepped, I am wondering about the 0.75 inch lip that Skinz had me cut for the boards to rest on.
As you can see from the photo there is more than just a little of that lip protruding under the main tube that rests against the tunnel wall, and I am wondering just how much of that I can safely trim back???
While I am not there yet, my guess is the Rivets are the reason they want the extra metal left hanging there, but I am really not sure yet.
As I said earlier, my plan is to epoxy the boards to the tunnel first, then drill, then rivet them with the expectation that the epoxy will add a "Lot" of additional structural integrity and stiffness to the whole system.
Now that I am finally getting close to actually INSTALLING these things after months of very slowly getting the sled prepped, I am wondering about the 0.75 inch lip that Skinz had me cut for the boards to rest on.
As you can see from the photo there is more than just a little of that lip protruding under the main tube that rests against the tunnel wall, and I am wondering just how much of that I can safely trim back???
While I am not there yet, my guess is the Rivets are the reason they want the extra metal left hanging there, but I am really not sure yet.
As I said earlier, my plan is to epoxy the boards to the tunnel first, then drill, then rivet them with the expectation that the epoxy will add a "Lot" of additional structural integrity and stiffness to the whole system.
Went looking at the Skinz site that now has the boards advertised and saw this image. Looks to me like I can TRIM that lip WAY BACK.....
M
Wow! Those look like they will work good.
Ya you can take more off....it will be harder to keep a nice straight edge though, and make sure you clean it up real nice when your done. Whats this epoxy idea all about?
Y
Not to get to far off topic but...
Looking at your pictures above I see you are still running the stock track. Are you replacing it while you have your sled apart? Huge benefits from both CE and Powderclaw.
Looking at your pictures above I see you are still running the stock track. Are you replacing it while you have your sled apart? Huge benefits from both CE and Powderclaw.
B
Looking good....If I may suggest...drill your hole's first and debur them as well so you are not fighting the epoxy and drilling and riveting at the same time...
Thisstle it's a structural epoxy for extra strength.
BC.
Thisstle it's a structural epoxy for extra strength.
BC.
Ya, seems like there is more than enough lip, so I think I will trim it back a bit this afternoon and see if I can't clean it up some to make a nice smooth edge.
One of Skinz testers used the new epoxy that Polaris is using to glue their sleds together to save weight and reduce rivets. He said they had VERY good success with it, so I bought a couple tubes of the same stuff.
The stuff is thermal active, so you can run a hot air gun over it to cause it to release. Would trash my powercoating, but if I ever had to get them off the tunnel, I could drill out the rivets and then heat the epoxy up so it will release.
Yes.
Everyone has CONVINCED me to replace it.
Just as soon as I muster up the required intestinal fortitude to crack open the chaincase and remove the shaft that holds the anti-ratchet sprockets, I will take off the track.
But I am told that the next batch of tracks won't be ready till the end of October, so there is really NO big rush at all on this.
Isn't that going to make laying the epoxy a bit of a bear?
Trying to make sure the bead doesn't interfere with any of the deburred holes, AND the alignment will have to be EXACTLY correct???
QUESTION for any of you.
I am planning on polishing the tunnel.
Any idea if a polished aluminum surface will cause problems with adhesion of the Epoxy??
I am wondering if I should leave that lip UNpolished or even ROUGH it up a bit to make sure I get a good strong seal with the epoxy...
I am planning on polishing the tunnel.
Any idea if a polished aluminum surface will cause problems with adhesion of the Epoxy??
I am wondering if I should leave that lip UNpolished or even ROUGH it up a bit to make sure I get a good strong seal with the epoxy...
The Lord 400 series adhesives are a super high strength two part structural adhesive.
When you simply use rivets spaced out on the assembly you have stress risers localized to the rivets. When you use a structural adhesives, the loads are distributed along the entire interface between the two parts.... much stronger and more resistant to damage from accidents that come our way.
This turns the board/tunnel into a Monocoque assembly similar to high end performance autos and other power sports equipment.
This also helps to keep the chassis rigid and less prone to damage.
The beauty of the Lord 400 series is that if you heat it above, I believe, 500 F, the adhesive releases in the event you need to replace the part. Polaris uses this in their new Pro-Series sleds. Good stuff with a long track record.
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The 406 is not an epoxy... it is a high strength acrylic structural adhesive...much different from epoxy.
YES... the polished surface will NOT bond as well as one that has some "tooth" to it.
Polish the tunnel, mock up the boards... mark it with a china-marker where the parts will get the adhesive....
Pull the part, use some good quality 3M green masking tape on the polished surface... rough it up with 60 grit where the parts will join.... Wipe it off with acetone until you get a clean rag...
For the Airframe parts... do the same marking and sand off the powder coat where the adhesive will be and wipe that as well.
You wont even need to use as many rivets on the tunnel/board junction with the adhesive as the adhesive provides the majority of the strength in the joint.
Heck...Caterpillar uses this same adhesive in a lot of their new earth moving equipment for panels and cab parts.
Good luck!
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You have to have all of your ducks in line...
Have all of your parts laid out.. the adhesive ready... rags, acetone, nitrile gloves, rivet guns, rivets etc.
If you don't have a pneumatic rivet gun... buy one (Grizzly.com has a great one at a great price ... the Harbor Freight one is a POS and costs 75% of the Grizzly)
OR
Borrow one.
Don't try this operation with a hand-powered rivet gun.
The "6" in the "406" indicates the open work time... so you have to be fairly quick with this stuff.... Get someone with focus and patience to help you.
Do a dry-fit exercise before going to the adhesive so you know what to expect and you don't have any bottlenecks.
Have all of your parts laid out.. the adhesive ready... rags, acetone, nitrile gloves, rivet guns, rivets etc.
If you don't have a pneumatic rivet gun... buy one (Grizzly.com has a great one at a great price ... the Harbor Freight one is a POS and costs 75% of the Grizzly)
OR
Borrow one.
Don't try this operation with a hand-powered rivet gun.
The "6" in the "406" indicates the open work time... so you have to be fairly quick with this stuff.... Get someone with focus and patience to help you.
Do a dry-fit exercise before going to the adhesive so you know what to expect and you don't have any bottlenecks.
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Yes.... That is What Clecos are for... Drill one hole... put in a Cleco....drill the next, cleco... etc... that way, all of your holes are pre drilled and perfectly aligned.
You cant expect to use the adhesive and "drill as you go" after you put the adhesive on... it cures too quickly for that.
Cleco set
You can get them on Jegs.com Amazon, Ebay, Summit racing.com or from any aircraft tool supply...
They come in different sizes, so order the proper size for your rivet holes.
Use a good sharp (new) bit for drilling so that your drill does not wander.
CLECO kit.
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I have never even heard the word before!!
These temporary, reusable fasteners are the fabricator's best friend. Once you've used them you'll wonder how you ever managed without. Install them as you drill holes that are to be riveted at a later time. The Cleco will clamp the parts together and maintain perfect alignment. When all holes are drilled you can quickly disassemble the piece for deburring or for other fabrication steps. The standard Clecos have a 1/4 inch maximum grip
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