Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Rubber flaps

My missus asked me why the endurance-rally-prepared Maxi and Morris 1800 we saw at teh weekend had big rubber flaps sticking out from the front bumper. I didn't know - do any of you chaps?

For the stones?

Well yeah - they look like mud flaps - but mud flaps are usually to stop mud (and stones) flicking backwards up onto the bodywork under forward motion. It seems that these flaps would catch any flying debris and direct it up towards the lights! They don't seem to protect what I would consider to be fragile - lights and radiator - or the sump or steering.

These sort of flaps are quite common on rally cars in Africa, as many of the laterite soil (murram in East Africa) roads are comprised on a mixture of graded earth and sand with, an often generous, mixture of small stones. Radiators are normally protected with an additional mesh, but headlights and especially windscreens are especially vulnerable, especially when two cars pass.

If not regularly graded the roads develop a washboard surface, but that is another story.

Time to head off for a sundowner now...

wouldn't protect the rad as it's positioned along the inner wing like a Mini

The simple answer to the problem is :

They serve to act as conventional mud flaps when going in REVERSE.

so simple really?

Usually found on Italian rally cars I believe as rumour has it!

Almost correct Rubymorgan, I used to do rally driving (in my previous life) and recall we had to put these "front mud guards" on, mainly for the high speed mudroads. You might have noticed that when driving at high speed through a mud pool, the mud splashes as much to the front as to the back (actually to all directions). The mudflaps kept the lights clear of mud.
And btw not only on Italian rally cars;

I think that Ruby may have been referring to the 1-forward and 4-reverse gears that certain camouflaged vehicles in Italy were reputed to have!

I'd go with that- also quite useful on some well known Welsh rally stages
G

I like Midas' explanation - it makes sense. And I should have thought it about really from the mess I make of my Land Rover when I tackle the mud runs: