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Gatheringtree
Senior Member
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The red carpet that my 1960 Triumph TR3A came with has a dye that rubs off into my shoes. On long rides I like to rest my foot against the transmission hump.
Since I became aware that prolonged contact with the carpet was ruining my shoes, I have had to tediously keep my foot away from the carpet. This gets old on long rides. I decided to make a custom kick pad to protect my shoes.
Kydex is much better than ABS. Kydex is not brittle like ABS, it is softer and more forgiving. It is durable and lightweight and does not readily crack. For these reasons it is used for making aircraft parts such as window bezels. Kydex cuts, files, sands, and drills with ease. I scribed it with a utility knife to cut it to size. I used .060" Kydex purchased from Amazon. It comes in 23 different colors, and it is very affordable in 8" x 12" sheets.
I took off the sharp edges by scraping at a 90deg angle with a knife edge.
Always drill plastics with a piece of wood underneath. Otherwise it will snap up on you when the drill bit exits the bottom. Never use a regular drill bit on plastic, especially polystyrene or acrylic. It will crack or chip. And that crack will eventually run. Instead use a spaded paddle bit such as shown in the picture here, and drill slowly.
The area next to the acceleration pedal did not have a simple curve. It had an extra bump in it that created a compound curve. I thought I would have to heat form the Kydex. Not so much as as if to vacuum form it. For that I would have to create a mold. I thought to heat it just enough to press form it on the carpet with leather gloves and not create any dimples or deformities. FORTUNATELY, as it turned out the .060" Kydex cold-pressed nicely over the compound curve. The carpet was a great substrate. It helped with a perfect conformity of the kick pad. I attached the kick pad with self-tapping screws.
I took a long drive afterwards and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. Having my foot rested against the transmission hump the entire way. I am very pleased with the outcome of this little project.
Since I became aware that prolonged contact with the carpet was ruining my shoes, I have had to tediously keep my foot away from the carpet. This gets old on long rides. I decided to make a custom kick pad to protect my shoes.
Kydex is much better than ABS. Kydex is not brittle like ABS, it is softer and more forgiving. It is durable and lightweight and does not readily crack. For these reasons it is used for making aircraft parts such as window bezels. Kydex cuts, files, sands, and drills with ease. I scribed it with a utility knife to cut it to size. I used .060" Kydex purchased from Amazon. It comes in 23 different colors, and it is very affordable in 8" x 12" sheets.
I took off the sharp edges by scraping at a 90deg angle with a knife edge.
Always drill plastics with a piece of wood underneath. Otherwise it will snap up on you when the drill bit exits the bottom. Never use a regular drill bit on plastic, especially polystyrene or acrylic. It will crack or chip. And that crack will eventually run. Instead use a spaded paddle bit such as shown in the picture here, and drill slowly.
The area next to the acceleration pedal did not have a simple curve. It had an extra bump in it that created a compound curve. I thought I would have to heat form the Kydex. Not so much as as if to vacuum form it. For that I would have to create a mold. I thought to heat it just enough to press form it on the carpet with leather gloves and not create any dimples or deformities. FORTUNATELY, as it turned out the .060" Kydex cold-pressed nicely over the compound curve. The carpet was a great substrate. It helped with a perfect conformity of the kick pad. I attached the kick pad with self-tapping screws.
I took a long drive afterwards and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. Having my foot rested against the transmission hump the entire way. I am very pleased with the outcome of this little project.
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