Making my own side vents~
- Thread starter bradburck
- Start date
it all depends on how nice you want them to look....
i dont have pictures of mine caus ethe sled isnt with me, but i just used a jigsaw to cut out a few squares on my side panels, then gorilla glued some pet screen from home depot on the inside....works good and doesnt look bad, but it also doesnt look amazing....
good luck
i dont have pictures of mine caus ethe sled isnt with me, but i just used a jigsaw to cut out a few squares on my side panels, then gorilla glued some pet screen from home depot on the inside....works good and doesnt look bad, but it also doesnt look amazing....
good luck
have done the same thing to all my sleds, works great and is very inexpensive. i used windshield urethane. $15 a tube and you can do a lot with one tube.
The white rev's vent was made out of aluminum, and the blue one out of thicker plastic. I just used plastic mesh screen, put a bit of glue on the inside, then rivet them in. A jig saw works good for cutting panels. I doubled up the screen mesh on the clutch side. Both work great and no belt slipping at all in 4 feet of pow.
i went to my local fabric store bought some vinyl mesh and i put velcro all around the holes i cut out and then put some on the vinyl mesh stuck it on and put a few rivets on it. they turned out pretty good
Home made vent materials for sale.
I just got done doing a couple of sleds. I used 3/16 ABS plastic for the frame, and pet screen from Home Depot. They turned out great. I'll try to get some pics, pretty easy to do. The nice thing about the ABS is that you can heat it up and form it to any shape on your machine. I have a 48"X48" piece of extra plastic and extra screen that I would like to sell if you are interested, will sell plastic for $3.50 a square foot and the screen for $2.00 a square foot. The plastic has a light texture on the front and shiny on the back, great for making a layout. I used black silicone to hold the screen on the back of the frame. Put double sided tape on the hood where the frame is going to go, heat it up and press it on. I routered a 45 degee bevel around the edges to make it look clean. If you need more info just ask, was a pretty rewarding project. I can e-mail pics if interested, can't get images to post.
I just got done doing a couple of sleds. I used 3/16 ABS plastic for the frame, and pet screen from Home Depot. They turned out great. I'll try to get some pics, pretty easy to do. The nice thing about the ABS is that you can heat it up and form it to any shape on your machine. I have a 48"X48" piece of extra plastic and extra screen that I would like to sell if you are interested, will sell plastic for $3.50 a square foot and the screen for $2.00 a square foot. The plastic has a light texture on the front and shiny on the back, great for making a layout. I used black silicone to hold the screen on the back of the frame. Put double sided tape on the hood where the frame is going to go, heat it up and press it on. I routered a 45 degee bevel around the edges to make it look clean. If you need more info just ask, was a pretty rewarding project. I can e-mail pics if interested, can't get images to post.
Where can you buy the ABS sheets? Also has anybody ever tried KIWI "camp Dry" on the pet screen to keep out the moisture? Camp Dry works great on clothing to keep out the moisture but still stays breathable? Just a thought I had http://kiwicampdry.com/
mcmastercarr sells abs plastic that is where I bought mine to make vents. Just go to www.mcmaster.com
L
LRD
Well-known member
I have making my own vents this way for 4 years. Pet proof screen door material from Home Depot, and 3M black super weather strip adhesive glue.
When glued on from the back properly will not come off, period. One year I decided to rescreen with bigger holes, ended up having to a pint of 3M's adhesive solvent to completely get all the old glue off, had to tear the screens off.
How they look will depend on your skill in cutting the holes in your side panels and how careful you handle the glue.
Advantages for me, I think looks better than any you can buy, no wrinkles, nothing sticks out when following buddys through trees, lighter than any you can buy, $15 for enough screen for two complete sleds etc.
Good Luck
When glued on from the back properly will not come off, period. One year I decided to rescreen with bigger holes, ended up having to a pint of 3M's adhesive solvent to completely get all the old glue off, had to tear the screens off.
How they look will depend on your skill in cutting the holes in your side panels and how careful you handle the glue.
Advantages for me, I think looks better than any you can buy, no wrinkles, nothing sticks out when following buddys through trees, lighter than any you can buy, $15 for enough screen for two complete sleds etc.
Good Luck
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My brother in law picked it up at a plastics distributor in the twin cities. Had to get a full 4x8 sheet, and pick it up. We used 12"x 48" piece to do the vents that we wanted. I want to get the extra plastic out of the garage. It looks like Mcmasters charges about $7.00 a square foot. Shipping on a 24"x24" should be around $10.00.
The piece I ordered from mcmastercarr was 24"x24" x1/16 thick, it was not textured on one side it was smooth on both and it cost ninteen dollars and change shipped to my front door
