DIY Phase 1 bump strip clips (part no. 7701036119)

[mrodz]

Given I was in the same predicament as quite a few of you here, I decided to act on Crossers' suggestion (http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/show...mp-Strip-Clips) and make my own Phase 1 bump strip clips. The original part number is 7701036119 and these seem to be no longer available anywhere. Not wanting to do what some suggested and get a set from a scrap car (the plastic would have been very old and brittle) I took on remodelling the easily available clip part number 7701408846.

Crossers' never got round to posting a how to thread / video that I badly hoped he would, so having gone through the trial and error myself thought I'd do a write up for future reference.

Kit:
- small saw (a dremel would have done nicely, but I'm not lucky enough to have one)
- small file (if you're pedantic and want your surfaces smooth :D)
- wire cutter or any other sort of straight, small clippers
- fairly coarse sand paper
- vice or something to keep the clip steady while you work on it

Potentially you'll manage with just a saw or file, but I found, in the absence of a dremel, the cutters greatly sped things up. Made the first one only using a file and I think it took me 20-30mins. By the time I got to the 8th one, using cutters, it was literally a couple of minutes to make.






1) Cut off the top "support" bits on either side and file down the remaining plastic.





2) On the top, centre "tab", mark the width of the slit from the bump strip (see second last photo if you're not sure what I mean) and cut/file away the excess plastic from each side.





3) At the bottom, cut away some of the plastic on either side (about half of the "angled" part) and file flat. Leave the butterfly tabs intact.





4) Pressing flat against some sand paper, file away some of the back of the clip - probably about 0.5-1mm. I found it is too thick otherwise and the top tab will not clip into the bump strip unless this is done.



5) Fit the top tab in the bump strip slit, making sure the top tab lip goes under the metal strip. Press in the bottom part, pressing the butterfly tabs under the metal strip. Presto. Clip done.





I know in the last image it looks like I've filed way too much off, as the top edge is not flush with the bump strip. You could try leaving more of the plastic. Trial fitting the clip after cutting away plastic bit by bit though, I found it very hard to get the clip in until more or less this much was cut away. Ultimately, even though the top edge of the clip is not flush, it still sits very tightly, so I was happy with the end result. My suggestion is just to work away at the plastic in little amounts and trial fit the clip to the strip (especially step 4) - you'll notice when it sits just right and will quickly get the hang of how much of the plastic to get rid of. The below shows more or less where the cutting / filing needs to happen.



Hope this helps