Sidecovers

[Artic_rider]

Could one of you guys do me a big favor please. Was wondering if someone who has an 80 special would be able to take the mesurements of the sides, as well as email me a couple of pictures...front and back of both sides. Not about to pay 300 + for a new set, and ebay...well ya. Thanks guys

Artic

[Dennyz]

'80 Specials can have a number of different side cover configurations. They are all the same visially from the outside.

The mounting tabs is where they are different. '80 Specials side covers can have the same mounts as a '79 Special (flat tabs), as a '81 Special (round pins), or some where in between (tabs on one side, pins on the other).

[Artic_rider]

Going to be making these from scratch with fiberglass, so tab location isn't too much of a concern. I can figure that out once I have the shell made. Oh ya, if anyone does have the pics/ dimensions, you can email it to rjengen@telus.net

[John]

It is my experience that it is the 80 Standard that has the slots on the right side, and the round holes on the left. I have a left side cover for an 80 Standard. It has round holes for mounting. Both frames for my 80 Special had round holes on both sides, and my 81 Special has the round holes on both sides. The right side of te 80 Standard appears to be the same as the 79 Special also.

[Dennyz]

Sounds like what you needs is a set to make molds from. I might have a couple that would work for molds. I will have to look through my XS stuff. What does you seat look like? I think that might make a difference also. Do you have the solid aluminum seat bar or a chrome tube?

[Artic_rider]

I have the solid aluminum bar there Dennyz. Just finished roughing out the right side with some aluminum sheet metal, going to fiberglass them tonight, and work on the edges in the morning with more fiberglass and bondo. Keep you all posted on how they turn out.

[freebird01752]

on ebay now

Hey guys just saw these on ebay buy it now for $60. they are for a special

side covers


steve

[Artic_rider]

item was removed from ebay, musta been sold...anyways, I am on a mission to fab these up myself, and if they turn out half decent, make some molds and offer em for cost and a case of beer...

[Geezer]

The Mongrel started life as an 80 Special and takes the round pin side covers. There is a chip out of the right cover but it more or less stays put.

One of these days I plan to hand form some aluminum side covers that fit better with the standard seat but round toits are in short supply right now.

If you PM me, I'll take pix and send them to you

Geezer

[Ken Talbot]

Originally posted by Artic_rider
I am on a mission to fab these up myself, and if they turn out half decent, make some molds and offer em for cost and a case of beer...

A few years back, I talked to some folks at a plastics shop down the road about vacuum forming. If I could make a solid form, they could take it and vacuum form shells for real cheap. The trick would be to make four or five or six forms so they could lay a standard size sheet of plastic over it in their vacuum press and get that many shells all in one forming. You then trim the shells and punch or drill whatever you need in the top edge for attachment points. The tricky part come in molding the bottom locking tab (left side) or round pointy bit (right side) to hold in the bottom of the new cover. I tried simply filling the inside of one of my covers with plaster of paris thinking that would be an easy to make the needed form. Wrong! And what a hell of a mess it was by the time I got all of the plaster of paris out of the inside of my sidecover. I still think the locking tabs are easy enough to fabricate with some of today's molding and casting urethanes. I just haven't pursued how to make a decent form for the vacuum formers to work with.

[Artic_rider]

Haha...you should have seen me this winter working the body filler on my tank...Messed up so bad I figured I would be better off to reblast it, and start again, and ya I learnt the second time round