Splash Shields Installed on '64 G-10!

First off, a big thanks to member No1Rascal who sold me a better shape belly pan than I had plus the matching side "splash" shields.  I cleaned them up, painted them and installed them and wanted to share some pics and thoughts on them as I always see these being asked for and apparently many others are missing these.  Here's what they look like:



Extention of belly pan....



You can see they extend the sides of the belly pan back to the frame crossmember.  They attach to the crossmember at the rear with two threaded inserts that were already there with bolts in them when I got the van, didn't know what they were for, do now.  The top edges attached to the underside of the frame with more threaded inserts and they attach to the belly pan with snap in 1/4-20 speed nuts and short bolts.  As for function, not only will the protect the brake lines and ignition from splashes, I have noticed a drop in engine temperature, they seem to act as air deflectors pushing air up and over the exhaust manifold on the drivers side and forcing cold air up to the air cleaner on the pass side, or they are forming a tunnel that forces the fan to pull more air towards the back and out of the doghouse?  However they work, all I know is that my temp gauge is reading 5-10 degrees lower at all speeds since I put these in.  After installing them, I can see why so many are missing, they were a F***ing PITA to get in place, the holes didn't line up and they needed twisting and massaging to get them to fit, I can see why many servicemen probably left them off!  As for the rarity and need for these, they are made of flat sheet metal with all angled bends and I would think could be easily copied and fabricated out of aluminum sheet or duct work by anyone handy with a bending brake?? Has any one tried this?  PS, I made a similar post over at VCVC and thought some here would also like to see these...

Thanks for this post Vantasia. These shields are indeed a PITA!

Looks great! I have the belly pan and left splash shield but sadly the right one is missing. What are the chances someone has just the right splash shield? For now I will have to settle for drooling over yours. Nice work.

I agree with Vantasia, I think one could make their own splash shield without too much trouble if they have access to a bending brake. Would certainly help to have one to look at for reference though.

morbank wrote:I agree with Vantasia, I think one could make their own splash shield without too much trouble if they have access to a bending brake. Would certainly help to have one to look at for reference though.

If you have some to copy, this would make a great learning project for a local high/tech school metals class, they'd make a few sets for free and the teacher would love it!

Magic Potion wrote:Looks great! I have the belly pan and left splash shield but sadly the right one is missing. What are the chances someone has just the right splash shield? For now I will have to settle for drooling over yours. Nice work.

I have the right splash shield but I am missing the left one..    But I have the belly pan installed made a big difference for me..!!!.. .Anyone have a left side for sale..???.. .

Joe Van wrote:

Magic Potion wrote:Looks great! I have the belly pan and left splash shield but sadly the right one is missing. What are the chances someone has just the right splash shield? For now I will have to settle for drooling over yours. Nice work.

I have the right splash shield but I am missing the left one..    But I have the belly pan installed made a big difference for me..!!!.. .Anyone have a left side for sale..???.. .

I have a driver's side coming my way and also purchased a belly pan

Perhaps I can see if my guy will make some duplicates.  He has a machine shop and rebuilds engines on site.  Not sure if he has a bender, but he can fab stuff and isn't a plasma cutter kind of guy...

Luckily, my van had the belly pan and side shields intact and in place when I found her in the woods.

Lazarusvan wrote:

Joe Van wrote:

Magic Potion wrote:Looks great! I have the belly pan and left splash shield but sadly the right one is missing. What are the chances someone has just the right splash shield? For now I will have to settle for drooling over yours. Nice work.

I have the right splash shield but I am missing the left one..    But I have the belly pan installed made a big difference for me..!!!.. .Anyone have a left side for sale..???.. .

I have a driver's side coming my way and also purchased a belly pan

Perhaps I can see if my guy will make some duplicates.  He has a machine shop and rebuilds engines on site.  Not sure if he has a bender, but he can fab stuff and isn't a plasma cutter kind of guy...

A gutter/house trim guy could do it, they are wizards with brakes making corners for the roof eves, making the side shields should be easy for one of them, even in aluminum sheet or duct tin from Home Depot/Lowes would work.  They are all flat with angles and a few mounting holes, no curves. At some point, I may take mine off and see what it would cost to have a trim guy make about ten sets for re-sale, let me think on it, that would be after there is nothing left to do on my van....hope and pray....

Hi, all.  I got the name of a roof guy/sheetmetal guy from another roof/siding company.  I took my splash guard by and he said he could make it.

Because it was pressed originally, it won't have every contour like the original, but I don't see why that matters.

He would have to charge $100-$150 to make one, and then copies would be $85/each thereafter.  He said it would take a few tries to get it correct and that it would have the raised edge.

It would cost me less initially if I allowed him to flatten out the original to make the copies (I don't know why this is easier for him but that is what he said.)  I don't think I want to do that since it's an original, hard to find part.

He also said that he could reverse it to make a copy to fit the other side but that a photo of how they attatch would be ideal.  If anyone has a better photo than what has been presented so far, that would be a big help.

So, if you are interested in a splash guard made of aluminum for $95, send me a PM.  If enough people are interested, I will move forward. I added $10 to actual cost in order to recoup the initial cost of fabrication.  Both sides would cost $180.

I can try finding another source that might be cheaper if you guys think that sounds high.

That seems really high for $1 worth of sheet metal and maybe 15 minutes worth of work.

Yeah, a little high, but Sometimes you overpay for one thing and get a bargain on something else. I was thinking galvanized duct work sheet metal would be better than aluminum. If it was flattened, a pattern could be made to precut it and then just make the bends. They are slightly different shaped on each side, not mirror images. Over the winter I might take mine off an to some fabricators and see what they say, but I!m sure it will be about what you were quoted, $180 pair is really not that bad if they are real nice. I'll try to take some directly below pics for you.

Magic Potion wrote:That seems really high for $1 worth of sheet metal and maybe 15 minutes worth of work.

I didn't get the impression it was that easy since he said it would take a few attempts to get it right. He suggested a certain gauge aluminum that was easy to bend. I was hoping like $50 a pop.

This guy doesn't need the money. He has a bunch of old cars, including a $90,000 Corvette resto project. He does copper roofs, etc. Perhaps I need to find someone cheaper. I hate to have him ruin an authentic part to get a cheaper cost on copies. I was just hoping to pass along a part to guys who need one.

Can anyone address what the raised flange is for on one side? Vantasia?

Vantasia wrote:Yeah, a little high, but Sometimes you overpay for one thing and get a bargain on something else.  I was thinking galvanized duct work sheet metal would be better than aluminum.  If it was flattened, a pattern could be made to precut it and then just make the bends.  They are slightly different shaped on each side, not mirror images.  Over the winter I might take mine off an to some fabricators and see what they say, but I!m sure it will be about what you were quoted, $180 pair is really not that bad if they are real nice. I'll try to take some directly below pics for you.

Sounds good and that makes perfect sense. If he just made a mirror image for the other side, do you think it would still work? Not sure, either, what the slight indents are for. They necessitated this being a factory pressed piece vs. a strictly cut/bend piece.

I told him van guys were on tight budgets trying to get the price cheaper...

Maybe I'm not looking at it right. Since I bend steel for a living I know how easy it is to fab a simple part like that. Unfortunately I don't have the equipment to do it at home. And the company I work for frowns on you using their equipment.

If they will allow you to make some copies, I will mail you mine. Perhaps you can offer them a few dollars in return..

Drivers side,,,,,,

The lip on the edge is to stiffen it?

I think its galvanized,,,,,,it is pretty thick metal,,,,,but nothing fancy,,,,,a person could probably put a bolt in on the frame on a flat sheet of metal and pound it into shape to fit the other 2 holes,,,,,,it does not have to have all those bends in it to prevent water from splashing up onto the alternator and distributor,,,,,2nd Gens have plastic splash shields,,,,,,,maybe getting a plastic cutting board at the 99 cent store and using a hair dryer or heat gun to form it could maybe get the job done,,,,,,

I still think this is a great project for a HS or Tech School metal shop class?? do they still have those in this country??, not sure, hate to have to send them overseas! LOL try that route locally...

donivan65 wrote:I think its galvanized,,,,,,it is pretty thick metal,,,,,but nothing fancy,,,,,a person could probably put a bolt in on the frame on a flat sheet of metal and pound it into shape to fit the other 2 holes,,,,,,it does not have to have all those bends in it to prevent water from splashing up onto the alternator and distributor,,,,,2nd Gens have plastic splash shields,,,,,,,maybe getting a plastic cutting board at the 99 cent store and using a hair dryer or heat gun to form it could maybe get the job done,,,,,,

Definitely not galvanized, at least not my piece. Mine is pretty rusty, so pretty sure it's steel.