Stone Guards

[Icarus60]

I have just aquired a 1958 TR3a that has undergone significant work but still needs a lot more to make good. The car does not have any stone guards fitted to the rear wings so I seek to obtain both the small and large guards - that need the minimum amount of work to make them fit. I have some experience of tweeking basic panels and brackets etc but little with compound curves on thickish materials. I would appreciate any recommendations on where to get the best parts from and any other advice based on the experience of the experienced. Thanks in advance

[stuart]

I have just aquired a 1958 TR3a that has undergone significant work but still needs a lot more to make good. The car does not have any stone guards fitted to the rear wings so I seek to obtain both the small and large guards - that need the minimum amount of work to make them fit. I have some experience of tweeking basic panels and brackets etc but little with compound curves on thickish materials. I would appreciate any recommendations on where to get the best parts from and any other advice based on the experience of the experienced. Thanks in advance

 

Well current Moss stock dont fit thats for sure. The large ones need a fair bit of fettling around the arch lip and the small ones need grinding off the upper inner lip to fit with the shape of the quarter. If you are very lucky you may come across some good s/hand ones. They can be polished up to look reasonable with a bit of "patina"

Stuart

[TomMull]

I would go with Stuart's suggestion, but just in case you have nothing else to spend your money on, check this out. stone guards

Tom

[jbenajes]

I bought new repro stone guards, and surprisingly, the fitting was much better in one side than in the other (or should I say it was worse in one than in the other). However with the assistance of a bodyman, a lot of patience and optimism, I managed finally to adapt the guards to my wings, and taking into account the starting point, the final result was really good. I can send some photos to show how all can finish. In all, the effort was probably smaller than bringing my original stone guards to a similar condition.

 

Jesus

 

 

[Rodbr]

Same boat matey,

I bought a set of unused ones from a forum member complete with the shrink wrap covers in place. Only when I took the covers off did I find the the right side had a swaging or tooling mark right up the middle from top to bottom approx 1mm deep. The left side was only storage damage marks and no tooling marks at all.

 

Careful use of wet and dry and then hours on a polishing wheel gives something that only looks 10 years old. They mark very easily and not sure how you would keep them looking pretty unless lacquer or lots of wax polish.

 

 

Not sure where they get them from but you could try David Manners. Not hugely expensive but I have no idea what the fit is like but probably no worse than any of the others.

 

Rgds

Rod

[Icarus60]

Thanks to all for your advice. Much appreciated. To get going I ordered the four from David Manners (Thanks for the suggestion Rod)and at £55 all in delivered ex stock I will be metal bashing soon. I will feed back how I get on but in the mean time thanks again.

[Don Elliott]

I bought my stone guards from Cox & Buckles in 1988 and I needed to "sculpt" them to fit properly. Then I had them chrome plated with "triple chrome" and then they buffed the shine off the chrome so they looked just like aluminium. They called it "dull chrome".

 

They have been on my 1958 TR3A since 1990 during which time I have driven over 105,000 miles and the chrome is slightly pitted, but you have to look at them from about 3 feet away to see the surface blemishes. Chrome is harder and resists better than bare aluminium.

 

Rod - If you have this done to your set (the two large ones), they are so easy to keep clean. Just like chrome on a bumper or a bumperette.

 

See mine in September 2009.

[stuart]

I bought my stone guards from Cox & Buckles in 1988 and I needed to "sculpt" them to fit properly. Then I had them chrome plated with "triple chrome" and then they buffed the shine off the chrome so they looked just like aluminium. They called it "dull chrome".

 

They have been on my 1958 TR3A since 1990 during which time I have driven over 105,000 miles and the chrome is slightly pitted, but you have to look at them from about 3 feet away to see the surface blemishes. Chrome is harder and resists better than bare aluminium.

 

Rod - If you have this done to your set (the two large ones), they are so easy to keep clean. Just like chrome on a bumper or a bumperette.

 

See mine in September 2009.

 

Nice idea Don but I very much doubt if you could find anyone over here who could chrome aluminium.

Stuart

[foster461]

fwiw, TRF lists RFK188

 

Stone Guard Kit, rear fender; includes four improved stone guards

 

$118.50

 

Are these just stuck on with glue ?

 

Stan

[stuart]

fwiw, TRF lists RFK188

 

Stone Guard Kit, rear fender; includes four improved stone guards

 

$118.50

 

Are these just stuck on with glue ?

 

Stan

 

If they are correct then the small one is held on with the bottom two wing bolts and a self tapper under the quarter panel and the large ones are held on with the first three wing bolts and the outer edge lips around the arch with a couple of tabs that grip into the arch inside.

Stuart.

[RogerH]

....rather than chroming Ali the nomal process is to 'Bright Anodise'. This gives a very shiney reflective surface equivalent to chrome and is quite hard wearing.

The header rails on the windscreens are coated thus.

If you require a dull or matt finish then that can be done also as can almost any colour.

 

There is no reason why Ali can't be chromed apart possibly from the chemicals used (corroding the Ali!!).

It is not normally chromed as it has a polished/shiney surface naturally (in fact it is one of the very few metals that remains bright when turned into filings/shavings - metalic paint).

Steel is used in preference to Ali for a chroming base as it is cheaper and easier to form.

 

Roger

[TomMull]

....rather than chroming Ali the nomal process is to 'Bright Anodise'. This gives a very shiney reflective surface equivalent to chrome and is quite hard wearing.

The header rails on the windscreens are coated thus.

If you require a dull or matt finish then that can be done also as can almost any colour.

 

There is no reason why Ali can't be chromed apart possibly from the chemicals used (corroding the Ali!!).

It is not normally chromed as it has a polished/shiney surface naturally (in fact it is one of the very few metals that remains bright when turned into filings/shavings - metalic paint).

Steel is used in preference to Ali for a chroming base as it is cheaper and easier to form.

 

Roger

 

 

Chrome guards might add a finishing touch to a great restoration (Don's do look nice) but were not the original guards just plain aluminum with a bit of a rough polish? ( I am still feeling the shock from the bill on my recently chromed handbake lever). Tom

Edited October 23, 2010 by TomMull

[Guest ntc]

They can be made to fit , it takes time I would not try it with car painted

[Don Elliott]

You can electro-plate any metal you like onto any substance. Look at all the chrome which is plated onto moulded platic parts like automobile grilles, trim pieces and headlight rings etc. You can plate onto printed circuit boards with no problems. They drill the holes in the fiberglass epoxy board material and "immersion dip" the board in a copper bath to start "immersion plating" the insides of the drilled holes. This layer is not elecrto-plated on. All they do to get a non-conducting surface like plastic to become conductive is to dip the items into a self adhering copper bath. Then the usual plating steps which follow can be electro-plated to get the thichness and surface you want.

[Don Elliott]

Take a close-up look at my stone guards back in 1963 at the end of the Rallye de L'echo. By this time I had been rallying my 1958 TR3A since 1959 and all the gravel spun up by the front tyres sent big chunks of rock etc directly impacting the surface of the aluminium. I chromed my new ones to reduce this problem. It works.

[Guest ntc]

Take a close-up look at my stone guards back in 1963 at the end of the Rallye de L'echo. By this time I had been rallying my 1958 TR3A since 1959 and all the gravel spun up by the front tyres sent big chunks of rock etc directly impacting the surface of the aluminium. I chromed my new ones to reduce this problem. It works.

 

 

Is that not why they where made in alloy? cheap to replace and absorb the stones

Edited October 23, 2010 by ntc

[angelfj]

I have just aquired a 1958 TR3a that has undergone significant work but still needs a lot more to make good. The car does not have any stone guards fitted to the rear wings so I seek to obtain both the small and large guards - that need the minimum amount of work to make them fit. I have some experience of tweeking basic panels and brackets etc but little with compound curves on thickish materials. I would appreciate any recommendations on where to get the best parts from and any other advice based on the experience of the experienced. Thanks in advance

 

 

Nothing available over here fits either, that is, not without considerable agony!

[Menno van Rij]

Nothing available over here fits either, that is, not without considerable agony!

 

 

They don't fit! No way. And it's an agony to get them right. No supplier can look you straight in the eyes without lying when he states that his product fits. I'll stop now, before I start 'ranting' about these bl**dy stone guards.

 

Menno

Edited October 24, 2010 by Menno van Rij

[Rodbr]

Thanks to all for your advice. Much appreciated. To get going I ordered the four from David Manners (Thanks for the suggestion Rod)and at £55 all in delivered ex stock I will be metal bashing soon. I will feed back how I get on but in the mean time thanks again.

 

How did you get on with the ones from Manners, what is the quality like?

[pfenlon]

Nice idea Don but I very much doubt if you could find anyone over here who could chrome aluminium.

Stuart

 

 

Hello Stuart, I do know the motor cycle lads have a lot of alloy components chromed, but I dont know if they do it locally or its an aftermarket job.

[stuart]

Hello Stuart, I do know the motor cycle lads have a lot of alloy components chromed, but I dont know if they do it locally or its an aftermarket job.

 

Next time I talk to my chromers I will ask them about it. After all they are the best (London Chroming) IMHO.

Stuart.

[Mychael]

I wonder if that crowd that were mentioned in another thread and who make the SS bumpers could possibly make SS stone guards if given a good pattern.

[stuart]

I wonder if that crowd that were mentioned in another thread and who make the SS bumpers could possibly make SS stone guards if given a good pattern.

 

It would have to be a very good pattern and even then it wouldnt work as the large ones need to have the tabs bent over the arch lip when finally in place and I cant see that being easy. Sidescreen cars are too variable in panel shapes.

Stuart.

[Mychael]

When I re-surrect mine again I'm going to try that clear polyurethane adhesive sheet that motorcyclist sometimes put over their headlight lenses to prevent stones breaking them.

Edited December 25, 2010 by Mychael

[Menno van Rij]

Mychael: that's a great idea! I remember the Huntington Group site: a few years back they stated that they were willing to produce various new products if you could provide them with a good fitting pattern/example!

 

 

Menno