FITTING A NEW FRONT MUDGUARD

1

Renovation Spares’ universal blades are cut to length. First step is to position it so it looks right and clears the tyre; I find bits of expanded foam pipe lagging help here. 2

I’ve worked out where I want to cut it; marking across with a square will keep the cut level. Mark an apex point ahead of these marks if you want a curved cut. 3

Don’t laugh! This split log, planed off and screwed to a piece of batten, is my special tool for cutting mudguards – they’re extremely awkward things to hold... 4

You need a log of the correct diameter to match the mudguard, then you can G-clamp it inside and hold the batten securely in the vice. See, it works! 5

I find it difficult to saw at an angle; tilting the log to the correct angle in the vice enables me to cut vertically downward to produce the right curve neatly. 6

Brackets are easy to bend; the trick is to make sure it’s you, not the metal, deciding where the bend will be by use of suitable profile formers and careful clamping. 7

This lathe chuck is close to the right radius. Without the G-clamp, the strip will lift to a point at the apex like a Gothic arch, where force creates a weak point. 8

It’s a smooth curve, but I need to pull it in at the sides a bit to fit under the bead of the mudguard. Altering just a part of the curve demands a much smaller former. 9

Packing the round bar with a block enables the bracket to fit in the vice to be tweaked. Having a good selection of scrap offcuts makes all the difference!