Dune Buggy Wind Deflectors Project Is Completed!

Another banner week here at the workshop with putting the finishing touches to the dune buggy wind deflectors project upgrade and completion. No major issues with the changes that I had made to make the deflectors stronger and smoothing everything out to give all the parts a nice glossy coat of black paint.

As before with my earlier version of the wind deflectors the new upgrades that I had made did not detract from the look that I was going for with the design.  In the photo above the deflectors are pretty much invisible.  

The mounts now are much stronger because of the internal brass rods that I installed into them and they are thicker as well.  I had originally thought that I would paint the mounts red but with them being glass black they blend in very well with the rest of the cars interior roll bar and seats. 

Here's a good look at the lower mount for the driver's side of the dune buggy. I am happy that I took the time to smooth the 3D printed parts out and primed and painted them.  The 3D printed parts have a 60% infill so they are very solid and should hold up very well.  The fact that I painted the parts also will protect them from being in the sun as unpainted 3D printed parts will fade over time.  So again it was worth the effort. 

When I first tested the original mounts I had high winds (28 mph) to deal with and both of the lower mounts had failed and needed to be removed from the dune buggy.  I was driving 55-60 mph and then add another 28 mph and now we're talking 88 mph winds on the deflectors.  I am surprised that they even stayed on the car at that point.  So with the lower mounts failing and having to be redesigned I decided to also upgrade the upper mounts as well.  This only made sense to me as now to beef up the design on all of the mounts.  The upper mount pictured above now matches the lower mount and is just as strong.   

The maximum that I could angle the deflectors outward comes to right around 40 degrees. To get a larger angle on the deflector I would have had to move the deflector farther out from the windshield. This in turn would have made a larger gap between the windshield and the deflector.  Something I did not want to do with the design. As of right now the deflector is only around an inch away from the windshield.  I think it will do the job nicely.  

From any angle the dune buggy is a looker so the wind deflectors will only add just a little more to the looks of the car and a lot more to the comfort of driving it down the road. 

I was fortunate enough today to have the enough bright sunshine, no gale force winds  or low temperatures to contend with so I was able to finally put my seal of approval on the new wind deflectors.  The wind that I did have while driving down the road was no longer hitting me in the face but rather was directed around me and was now coming from the rear. Which is normal for a convertible. Something I remembered from years ago when I drove another small convertible that I had owned.  Good memories renewed with my little test drive. 

The wind deflector modifications that I had made look to be the right solution to the design as there is little if any vibration with the deflectors now while driving down the road.  The mounts feel more solid as well so the deflectors should serve me well in the coming years of cruising.  Plus the fact that the cost to put the wind deflectors together was half the cost of buying ready made ones. ($150 instead of $300) So smiles all around for this addition to the little car. 😁