JMJR
- Comment
While I work at a custom metal fabrication shop, I figured ~$270 was fair for a proven design and I wouldn’t have to throw my car up on a hoist to take measurements. Living up in Canada, the total after shipping, border fees, taxes and exchange came to $530 CDN ($390 USD), which was kind of steep, but I understand that those additional costs are beyond Corksport’s control. I just wish they had a Canadian distributor to help decrease those costs.
I elected to modify the belly pan slightly before installation, in the hopes of making it last longer and improve serviceability. I radiused the sharp inside corners, especially near bends, to decrease stress concentrations since aluminum fatigues and could start tearing over time. I also gave the belly pan a coat of aerosol truck bed liner to cover the bare aluminum and prevent corrosion. I bought stainless steel fasteners to replace all the OEM steel fasteners I was expected to reuse (to Corksport’s credit, all their new hardware was stainless steel). Finally, I chose to drill out one of the threaded drain cover holes and loosely install a stainless steel bolt with a nyloc nut. This allows me to swivel the drain cover out of the way for service as Corksport intended, but I won’t have to fear the small machine screws would work their way out due to vibrations and cause the cover to fall off on the highway.
Installation of the belly pan was a breeze, thanks to the use of my dad’s hoist and Corksport’s great colour instructions. The cover fit great and now I feel more secure pushing through snow and driving on the highway. If I could offer any suggestions for Corksport, I’d recommend they add in some radii to their laser cut file for the belly pan to decrease stress concentrations and throw in complete stainless steel hardware, which should only add about $5 to the price.