Chonda Exhaust Shield

[John Bartos]

We've seen far too many muffler burns (and I'm not talking about the "passionate ones" you got in high-school) as a result of the Chonda's aftermarket exhaust arrangement. To ensure my personal safety and comfort as well as that of my family and friends who will be driving my Chonda, I concocted an exhaust shield this morning. It took all of about an hour's work and probably could be made for less than $10 after a trip to Lowes or Home Depot.

The key is to start out with the ARC Racing http://www.arcracing.com/servlet/StoreFront heat shield. DJ-1415 This sells for the ridiculously low price of $20. It is also included in the kit from ARC DJ-1014 ($114) which includes everything else you need to convert the Greyhound to a Chonda anyways.

From there I used 1/16"x1" mild steel strip for the brackets and 1/8"x2" aluminum strip for the "ramp" from Home Depot to build the rest of the shield. (I probably doubled the cost of the project by using the red anodized conical washers at $2 apiece.)

In the 2010 regulations I would expect that we will require a similar type of heat shield - so it just makes sense to fabricate one now to avoid the pain of an unwanted burn. Le's see how creative everyone can get with their safety improvements.

[Mike Powell]

Having just built up a Chonda, (and enjoyed every minute), it's fascinating to walk around the pits to see how many different ways individuals have solved all the same little problems... the chain gards and heat shields seem to present some of the most elegent expressions of the art...

[Rick Miller]

As there are many different designs out there already, we need to keep safety at the top of the list in designs. Any aluminum covers/shields must not have any sharp edges or be fabricated in such a way where an edge could possibly injure someone in the event of a crash. I think the more we utilize the exhaust "wrap" the better, it certainly will protect the drivers arm and does not present a problem in the event of a crash, not to mention, its inexpensive and easy to tech the lenght and bend of the pipe. Thanks, Rick