Mud Flap Brackets

[blueg33]

My mud flap brackets have corroded to dust (top marks to lotus for using un painted mild steel on the one part of the car most likely to be exposed to water and salt!)

 

I have new brackets from Lotus, and plan to paint them before installation, but does anyone have any installation instructions?  I looks like I need to remove the lower body panel behind the front wheel and the wheel arch liners. 

 

Any hints, advice, pics would be much appreciated

 

Edited July 10, 2015 by blueg33

[TomE]

Colin P has done this: http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/69257-i-live-in-a-world-where-lotus-do-no-wrong-but-this-made-me-mad

[Colin P]

Write up on other post, copied here for ease. Hope this helps.

As far. As instructions are concerned, it is relatively straight forward.

Remove sufficient scrivets from the wheel parch liner to enable you to peel it back once the mudflap is off.

You won't be able to undo the 4 screws in the mudflap because they will be rusted solid. By all means try, but I don't think I got any of mine out. What you need to do is carefully wiggle the mud flap back and forth until the remaining metal snaps. You can try getting some tin snips or wire cutters in there as well.

Getting the remnants off the wheel arch lining is the most difficult part of the job, I managed to get most off by carefully using a junior hacksaw to cut through the bolts.

To remove the A panels, there are 2 bolts under the car, re,I've these. You then need to pull out the foam from inside the wheel arch. There are 2 bolts inside the wheel arch at the top of the panel. Remove these (note, there are spacers held in by these bolts so take note of where they are or you will be fiddling with them on reassembly to line up the panel.

The A panel can now be removed.

Next stage, drill out the rivets securing the old bracket. Rivet on new one.

Reassembly is reverse of removal.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Colin P

[Don262]

A useful tip I got from Christopher Neils when I replaced mine was to cut the foam, that fills the gap around the panelback, sufficiently to stop it touching the bracket. This should help stop more corrosion on the new brackets as the foam holds moisture. The other thing I did was to put several coats of paint on the new brackets and put plently of copaslip grease on all the fixings and mudflap screws.  

[blueg33]

Thanks guys. Do I need to remove the wheel arch liner?

2 costs of hammerite applied to mine. All threads and bolts will be greased.

I assume i will need a riveter to replace the rivet the gets drilled out?

How long do you reckon to go one side?

[Don262]

You don't need to remove the wheel arch liner, I just folded it away from the work area. Yes you will need a riveter. It took me about half an hour each side, just be aware of where the spacers fit on the bolts, and take a little time to get the panel alignment right before you finally tighten it.

[ephancock77]

Hoping someone can point me in the right direction I'm currently replacing my mudflap brackets but need the replacement screws, where can I get these?

[Colin P]

Deroure 

https://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?TBL=6692&MAK=1&MDL=20&SMA=0&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0

They are a £ each plus vat. Don't forget the washers.

[Stuart Monument]

I have just placed an order for brackets through the chap in classified adds as they are stainless and should last. Might be worth a look

 

 

[Miguel]

Hi chaps. I make stainless steel mudguard brackets, checkout the ad in the for sale section. They're 316 marine grade stainless steel so should last the lifetime of the car. Also lighter than the bog standard rusty ones ;P

[Stuart Monument]

Stainless steel brackets arrived today and I only ordered them yesterday. Look very well made. Thanks @Miguel top man 

[Alfa2Evora]

If it weren't for a liberal application of bodywork seam-sealer around the edge of my mudflaps, they'd have parted company with the car by now as the OE brackets looked like this when I went to investigate why they were flapping (no pun intended) around.................................................

I contacted @Miguel after hours on Thursday evening, a couple of emails were exchanged and by Friday lunchtime he was advising me that a pair of his stainless brackets were on their way to me by courier - fantastic service, especially as I hadn't even paid for them at that point!

A package arrived about half an hour ago, and upon opening, these beauties were revealed.............

Hopefully, I'll get them fitted later this week (once the weather permits working outdoors) and by their apparent quality these brackets should outlive the rest of the car.

[Bibs]

I was very pleased to discover they are fitted to my Evora  

[Registered]

So apart from the stainless steel brackets what other parts are required?  What size replacement bolts and how many?  Are the rivets that you drill out metal or plastic?  Any other special tool required?

I will need to replace mine in the spring.

 

Thanks

Edited March 19, 2018 by Registered

[Alfa2Evora]

@Registered All the parts you'll potentially need are listed here : https://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?TBL=6692&MAK=1&MDL=20&SMA=0&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0

#8 is the part that @Miguel manufactures, so it's #9,10 & 11 that you're interested in.

[Stuart Monument]

Just fitted these tonight. Not to bad to do. Metal rivets drill out easy enough as you can take the bodywork panels off and work with on a bench. Just take note of the washer type spacers you remove on the bolts which bolt the panel to the car. Makes for refitting the panel quicker. 

[Alfa2Evora]

The weather kept defeating me so in the end I 'cheated' and got them fitted 'professionally' as my car was in at Craig Moncrieff in Edinburgh this week for its pre-season service and health-check.

His comment on this little job was that the mudflaps were being held in place "by magic" as the only remaining parts of the original brackets were the mountings. I hadn't made the task easy for him either, as my barge boards had been fitted using copious quantities of seam sealer so removing the A-panels was not a quick 5 minuter, .

[steamdriven]

Just took delivery of a pair of Miguel's fantastic marine grade stainless mudguard brackets, having disassembled the wheel arch of my recently purchased launch edition Evora in order to 'get at' the sealed light unit (another story !).  There was only 'archaelogical' evidence of a bracket having been there at some point !  Only a few slices of rust stuck to the mudflap.

I got intouch with Miguel, ordered and got delivery within 24 hours - plus a really interesting 'Lotus chat' on the phone.

Being a long-time Lotus fan and owner of a couple of Esprits, I am so dissappointed to find the amount of untreated mild steel brackets  - and also clearly unprotected interfaces between metals promoting galvanic corrosion - on the Evora.  That and the sun damage-prone facia is just not what you would expect to find on any reputable vehicle construction.

Well done Miguel for creating these brackets - which will outlast the car itself I am sure.

[CocoPops]

I have just found my set of Miguel’s brackets, never fitted.

anyone interested in them?