I'd be down for the reproduction rear piece but...

Why is there such a demand for a metal front piece? what possible benefit could there be? more weight? more tedious fitment? more prone to mounting point breakage? ability to be dented/ misshapen?

 

^ I think it is because the front pieces are hard to find?? I am just getting the rear one.

 

really? i have a couple lying around

 

in all honesty your best be would to to find a sheet metal fab company, i've been a welder/fabricator for about 8 years now and that is deff a peice that would require a pressbrake of sorts and some special dies to form, im currently stationed in pensacola for AM "A" school but when i get back the the shop if someone with a pan could take measurements i could give ya a realistic price on one. not trying to jack the thread but there would have to be about 150 or more people to get the price down to 60 a peice.
--joe

 

+1

 

I think the thought is that it wouldn't break as easily as the old plastic.. [Mine's gotten kinda ratty, but still holding together enough..]

 

The metal would break more easily than the plastic. Trust me. FB's had metal, and they break at the mounting bolts way too often.

 

Im down

 

Hmm I'd be down for the front and rear. Let us know when you have a price....$60 would be cool but hard to do. I agree with Fast87t2 about calling a sheet metal shop. It will be a lot cheaper than doing it with CNC as they will just need to press, bend and cut a flat sheet into the correct shape. lol and if you can get it for $60 let me know where cuz I got some work for them...

HozzmanRX7 - If what you say is true, would it be better to make them out of fiberglass? Or do you think that would also be too ridged?

haha - we can always make them out of carbon kevlar!! =) but that would be expensive but definitely not a $60 part hehe....???

 

If 60 bucks is the actual price I would consider having it shipped across the border.. or pick it up in buffalo

 

+1 from another Canadian

+1 for BOTH pieces for an S5 (if different)

 

Fiberglass might be too brittle. It really need to have flexible like the stock one. Kind of like the durablility issue of a fiberglass front lip vs the OEM stock flexible one.

 

shipping would kill the price point

 

bump, any updates?

 

I'm pretty sure the quote came back way above 60 bucks with all the pressed contours and lip. I'd still be interested though.

 

hell, id buy one in CF.i betcha that would be easy to produce.

 

Too bad animals that have become roadkill would be the only ones to see it. One a more serious note, cf or fiberglass would be way easier to produce on a small run than the aliminum the stock one was made of. I think this thread has shown there is interest for anyone that wants to take up the reigns and make this in CF/FG.

Also, since this bolts to the subframe only, vs the various mounting surfaces of the plastic undertray, you shouldn't have the flexibility/fit issues unless your subframe is tweaked. Assuming the part is made correctly.

 

We could easily drill our own mounting holes too. And since its plastic, do we really need the indentations?

 

I have to believe Mazda went aluminum for this part to deal with heat issues that plastic, cf, or fiberglass couldn't. The main belly pan has good air spacing from heat sources that this oil pan belly pan wouldn't. For that reason, aluminum or other metal is the practical way to go.

 

They make those bumper guards out of cf, as close as that is to the exhaust im sure that runs hotter than the temp coming off the bottom of the oil pan, heat does after all rise. BUT the only possible reason i can see for making this out of cf would be aesthetic reasons, which are utterly pointless at this location. Aluminum would be just as light and better priced to have road grime and rocks thrown at it and oil dripping on it.

 

B-B-B-B-B-Back from the dead!!



Hope to start cutting some within a week or 2.

 

good ****, what was the material again?

 

I tried making one just like that a while ago by hand.
The lip on the cutout needs to dealt with. The factory one is rolled up and hard to replicate by hand. Sharp edges there will make oil changes a hazardous experience.
The factory tray has vents and embossing which are also hard to do by hand. Their necessity is up for debate, though.
Keep up the good work!

 

keep in mind you need spacers to make it sit flush with the sub-frame, the factory one is embossed to make up the height difference. i made one a few years ago and was going to do a group buy but i changed jobs and no longer have access to a punch press.

 

Sweet- forum's not as dead as I thought LOL.

We'll be using 0.080" aluminum, CNC plasma cut.

Good call on the spacer blocks-- I'd spec'd some nylon ones out from mcmaster carr, I'll have to test them in terms of how they hold up from the ambient heat of everything. We'll see.

Hope to hae a proto this weekend!