While I was quite sure one of Acad’s mudflaps had departed the vehicle decades ago in Spain, it turned out that both were still in place, albeit none of them in the shape as designed originally by Citroën. I took all that was left off the car and here’s what I got to work with:
…the one on the left at least largely represents the original shape, while the one on the right was trimmed to size by over 40 years of use (and abuse) during Acad’s former life in Spain. Both will end up in the bin, but not before the left one has been used as a template for Acad’s new mudflaps!
So what’s next?
A good friend tipped me that suitable mudflap material could be purchased for a reasonable price at the Swedisg blue-white store also known as Biltema. The material in question cannot be found in the car department but was for some reason hidden in the household department. It seems the store totally misinterpreted the material as being a cutting board (Swedish: Skärbräda, böjbar). When passing this establishment a few weeks ago, I purchased two of them cutting boards (mudflaps) for the friendly price of €2.50 a piece.
The next thing was to get the old ones off the car. It seems likely to assume mine had been on that car since birth in 1979. Each flap is supposed to be mounted by one screw (10mm head) one bolt with nut (8mm heads) and a metal clip. The most complete flap was mounted this way, but on the resized flap the metal clip had been replaced by a pop-rivet. And one of the small bolt broke while unscrewing, so I knew I had to improvise more than only the cutting boards.
Finally, it was time for cardboard creativity! Using the nearly complete flap, I cut another one out of a bit of cardboard. Then I fit the two on my newly purchased cutting board and was pleasantly surprised that I would be able to get both out of only one cutting board:
…with only a minor adjustment as the photo shows.
Assuming y’all have either graduated kinder garden yourself or have grand-children that did, here’s the result:
Next thing to do is drilling holes on the right plkaces and doing some trimming for optimal fitment on the Acad:
The final thing to do is mount them on my car. In my case, this involved browsing through my nut and bolt stock, not forgetting washers. All bolts for a lick of grease so that they will be easier to replace 40 years from now. The metal clip on the right side was adjusted and reused, on the left side, the pop-rivet was replaced by a small bolt and nut (and washers). Here’s what I came up with:
Am I happy with the result?
Well, ahhh, almost. I did get mudflaps very close to the original size and shape, but a closer look at this original shape left me wondering if that could (and should) be improved upon, which I think it can (and should). As the rear view clearly shows:
…the mudflap’s original design was focused on protecting the underside of the car against any junk thrown up by the wheel. Meanwhile, the protection straight back, where the rear fenders, or in Acad’s case, the rear car body stick out, are left unprotected.
How can we fix that? you may ask. Well, I’ve got two choices:
- Cutting new and wider shapes out of two new cutting boards, throwing the smaller one away
- Adjusting the mudflaps by adding more material where deemed necessary
As it sounds like more fun to do so, I’ll be widening my mudflaps with the leftovers from the cutting board. It’ll also add to the low budget and steampunkish character I’m aiming for.
You on the other hand are able to make the correct decision right away and cut up not only one cutting board but one for each side, allowing you to broaden the mudflaps where needed for better protection of the car body. Or you go with the original shape of course, that’s up to you.
What’s next?
- Widening the new front mudflaps
- Making new mudflaps for the back
Materials required for this job:
- Flexible teflon cutting boards (one or two)
- Scissors
- Cardboard
- Tools to disassemble the old mudflaps
- Some oil or grease
- Two right hands (if you’re a rightie) or two left hands (if you’re a leftie)
Paul, 2023-08