Undertray / belly pan build - VW Golf MK3 1.9 Turbo Diesel

[sallen]

Today I set about starting my undertray build, I wanted to build and strengthen the tray before mounting it to the car for ease of removal.

I bought 4 large sheets of 2mm correx board (see pics below) with the intention of using a couple of layers to get the correct strength. Unfortunately the rigidity was awful so I had to strengthen the tray with some pieces of roofing plastic. You can see this in the picture as the ligher plastic.

The car has a front tray fitted from the factory (which I did a little correx repair work on this morning) so today I made the mid and rear sections. Because a MK3 Golf has a full width rear axle I had to build a separate rear section. You can see in the pictures how the tray is notched to allow movement of the suspension. You will also see that I have split the mid tray in half to allow the hot exhaust pipework to run down the centre un-covered.

The rear tray is a little longer than it needs to be as I will trim it once I have the correct angle for the "diffuser" part at the back. I think this will have to be spaced 20mm - 40mm below the bumper for optimum effect. It will also cover the exhaust back box as it will be cooler at the rear of the system.

I hope to have it fitted soon and put up some more pics, just a matter of fabricating some brackets to attach it to some convenient places under the car.

[Toby]

How did you cut your material? How did you lay out the cuts?

[sallen]

Hi there,

Because the material is so thin I used a stanley knife. The sheets are almost exactly the width of the car so, I dragged a sheet under there and used a jack to hold it against the floor of the car. Then I just cut around the various suspension components and exhaust.

With the rear I did the same, I just had to keep in mind where I'd be attaching it to when I build some brackets. I also left it a few extra cm longer than I needed so I can choose a length at a later date.

[COcyclist]

Hi Sallen, Looks like a good start. I need to do this to my Golf. My Mk IV has a bunch of 15mm plastic plugs in the underbody. I keep staring up at these on my back trying to come up with a way to attach my belly pan without drilling into the sheet metal. Please post more photos as you progress and let us know if testing shows any improvement in mpg.

[sallen]

Will do, I have the same plugs in the bottom of mine, have resisted the urge to tap screws into them tho...

I don't know about the MKIV but the MK3 has 5 holes down each side in the "lip" under the sill (the bit the jack locates into). I'm going to use these as mounting points for the outside edge of the tray via some tiny 90 degree brackets.

The front will be connected using brackets going to existing bolts for the wheel arch liner, and screwed to the trailing edge of the factory tray.

I think the inside edge nearest the exhaust will be bolted to existing bolts around the exhaust tunnel. Once I have brackets made I'l post pics of the setup. I'm aiming for the tray to be easily removable leaving minimal brackets in place under the car.

It's sweet that you have the TDI Golf though, it's easily 10% better FE than my IDI engine, and has loads more power and torque. That new bluemotion Golf is amazing though, 110hp and 75mpg!

[geeteethree]

Great work on the undertray so far, look forward to installation. Can I ask where you purchased the correx? I have yet to found any local stockists, and delivery costs are a factor for these big sheets.

Hope to undertake a similar project on my Polo TDI soon. Will the undertray cover the jacking points, or will these be left exposed?

Regards, Grant

[sallen]

Hi there, I think the jacking points will be exposed enough to use the jack.

I got my correx style sheet from Travis Perkins builder's merchant. It is far thinner than sign writing correx, so it's better to make a frame from something and "skin" the tray with the correx.

[geeteethree]

Originally Posted by sallen

I got my correx style sheet from Travis Perkins builder's merchant.

Excellent, there is a branch local to me

One plan was to incorporate wheel "strakes" into the undertray, but they are ideally placed at exactly the same places as the jacking points Perhaps tyre spats and side skirt channelling will suffice; small sections hinged at the jacking points to allow the jack to slide under

Thanks, Grant

[vtec-e]

I have no connection with these guys here but it might work:Blind rivet nuts - ACUMENT-GLOBAL-TECHNOLOGIES - Nut
I found a few at work the other day and thought i could get them to work in the existing holes in the chassis.

ollie

[sallen]

Right... Finally got the bugger on!

I built some brackets and bolted them to the tray, then bolted all three panels under the car. I mostly used existing bolts for the exhaust etc to attach the brackets to.

At the rear I spaced the rear edge of the tray down from the bumper using long bolts and bits of copper pipe.

Because the tray covers the rear silencer (with a hole cut out for the exhaust pipe tip) I built a heat shield with a hammer, out of some scrap aluminum I had lying about. It separates the plasic from the silencer.

I've tested it to motorway speeds and nothing has fallen off yet...

Looking forward to results.