Making a lexan skidplate protector for Optima

[Coelacanth]

I've been seeing all these Optima Mids with those lexan bathtub under-body trays, and was thinking it would be quite easy to fabricate one using the Optima (non-Mid) skidplate as a mold. My idea would be to cut a long, rectangular piece of lexan approximately the same length as the skidplate, and with about a 1/2" overlap on either side, then see if the lexan could be heated on top of the skidplate, causing the sides to droop over the skidplate sides. Then one could just ream some holes to match the skidplate bolt-holes, and it would mount right onto the skidplate using the skidplate screws themselves.

I've never done any molding with lexan and my guess is it would probably all shrink and bubble, and perhaps vacuum-forming would work much better. Has anybody done this already, or would anybody want to do it using my skidplate as a mold, assuming it's not doable with a heat-gun?

A layer or two of lexan protecting a newly-anodized skidplate would be the bee's knees!

[ROH73]

That's something I've wanted to do for a while with my vacuum former (actually want to make an full undertray too), but haven't gotten around to it. The heat gun method probably won't work with Lexan, but it may with PETE/PETG cut from a 2 liter soda bottle. It's worth a try, I think. If that or something similar doesn't work, PM me and I'll make a simple mold for my vacuum former and do it that way. I have plenty of Optima skidplates to use .

[Bormac]

Having owned the original Optima back in my teens I tried making a few different undertrays and with the crude materials and tools I had at my disposal was able to 'hodge podge' up a couple of rough but functional underguards.

In plastic work at school i managed to make a 1 plastic undergueard that was about 4mm thick. It was rough and heavy and looking back I wonder what I was thinking. Oh the joys of learning.

[Brandon G]

Vacuum forming is going to be the only way to get nicely formed 90 deg edges in a complicated shape to fit a chassis into. Don't bother using a heat gun with anything other than a straight line bend.
With that said, you could always trace out the chassis onto a flat piece and add "flaps" around the straight edges of the chassis and simply bend them up. When you do the bends, just make sure you have a straight edge along the bend line and you shouldn't even need heat to get the job done.