Guys, I'm doing some upgrades on my truck and just can't stand the gutter guards issue anymore. I'm going to embark on a project to fix this issue once and for all. By way of background, I am an engineer by training and I have a company that develops and manufactures medical devices. We have extensive additive manufacturing capabilities and deal with vendors all over the world. My plan is:

1. Model the right (or left) rear (DBC101400) and print using our SLA printers. I'm going to try both PETG and TPU.
2. Concurrently, I'll start with @scsand model of the front finisher. I'll try that in both PETF and TPU.
3. I think we can get the front finisher on our Form2 SLA, so I'll try that with the durable material.

For the long, straight pieces, I would like to try a different approach. We have vendors that build custom gaskets out of both rubber and silicon material. I would like to model rubber material to replace the long plastic pieces. I believe the rubber will be more durable and last longer than the long plastic, especially off-road.

Finally, if it all goes to plan, we could check in on some of our Asian vendors to see how much the injection molding tool would cost. Looking at the shape of the part, it might require one or two actions, which could make it too expensive to make sense; however, I think it is work exploring. If it is close, a Kickstarter might be in order to get the tool done.

I have a couple of questions for the group:

1. How much would you be willing to spend for a set of the four corner pieces?
2. How much would you be willing to spend for a roll of rubber to cover the entire drip rail?

Finally, I am looking for a little bit of help. My parts are so beaten up that they're too far gone to model! Does anyone have a rear corner they could loan me so I can put it in CAD? Additionally, does anyone have a non-broken long piece that tucks into the corners? I only need ~3" of it, so if there's that much remaining, I can get it done.

Thank you for all your help!

E

 

what gutter guard issues are you having?

since OEM/copycat parts are like 100$ for one rear drip guard...you price would have to be less...and quality equal or better....

 

The issue is that they're all beaten to hell. The $100/part ($570/set!) is the entire point of doing this project... all for old plastics that will just crack again. We can do much better.

 

many of us have roof racks and the mount design is made for certain thickness of the side rails. keep that in mind. I would consider purchasing a set that closely matches OEM for 200$ or less......

 

There was a thread that I saw recently that someone used door edge guard on the drip rail. Just another options to have to compete with.

Keep going though, I'd like to see what you come up with.

 

Here's the thread for the door edge guard. I just ordered some and will check it out. That's the idea that I'm thinking of, but would be more substantial.

 

Also an engineer here. For the long pieces you may want to consider having the pieces extruded instead of injection molded. Been a while since I worked in the extrusion industry but you should be able to buy an extrusion mold for relatively low cost and extrude long pieces in PP for relatively low cost (less than $1 lb) and the press rate should be able $70/hr. The problem will likely be the minimum order quantity they want. https://www.northlandplastics.com/ex...-extrusions-2/ I thought someone already modeled the corner pieces. Hit up one of the breakers for a corner piece in good shape. I would recommend ABS for the printed pieces, although unless you are subcontracting out to hobbyist type contractors rtv molding is likely to be lower cost.

 

there are hundreds of styles of universal/generic types of rubber trim for auto and other uses:
https://www.grainger.com/category/ha...dge-trim-seals

but they look like rubber trim, not the original. Here is one that is somewhat similar:
https://www.grainger.com/product/TRI...f-Liner-48RL38

I'm sure there is another one out there that is even closer...with a U channel and peel n stick...

I used the pure rubber U channel (without the internal metal clamps which tend to rust quickly) to protect the inside sill from the rack. You can just see part of one in this pic.....

 

Interestingly enough, I found the same product on my own after searching for an hour or so on Amazon:
I think it's better than factory, I've had a Voyager rack and a Front Runner rack on my Disco, which are what destroyed the gutter trim. I used that material and cut it around the feet of the rack so they can clamp on metal, which looks better anyhow because the feet are flush with the trim. It looks just like factory otherwise. The trim comes with 3M tape and sticks very well.

 

hey Jacob, did you use the .5 or the 1inch height trim for this project? Also how did you get the new non factory trim to fit under the front and back curved end pieces?