Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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In need of some help, u2u me 
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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What do you need to know?
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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who is willing to do it for me 
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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What sort of parts are you trying to make?
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Online
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From scratch as in not moulded?
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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Not sure Ian, wouldn't even know how to acheive it.
Ed -
The cowlings.
I'd supply the light unit and mechanism assembled, something like this -
http://www.rev9autosport.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1//5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/6/2/628-2.jpg
Would just need the cowls making, like I say, I wouldn't even know where to start.
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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Oh right, so you have the lights, but no cowlings and you want the cowlings made? Ummmm, that's actually pretty tricky...
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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Exactly.
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
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I'll have a little think and I'm sure I can give you a few pointers on how best to do it
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Online
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If you've nothing to mould from then a lot more difficult.
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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The first stage of mold making is generally always to make a plug - the positive shape of the part you're trying to make.
I think for a part like this you'd want to start with two pieces of thin plywood. With those you can cut an upper and lower template for the upper and lower profiles of the part. You can assume that the part would have parallel upper and lower profiles as you can cut the side profiles after you have made the final part, so you can glue foam in between the templates which will space them appropriately apart.
Then sand the foam back so that you end up with the basic lofted shape of the part with no headlight cut out. Make sure you use some relatively hard foam - Rohacell make stuff that is suitable for this. Some of it is as hard as MDF, some is a bit softer.
The most difficult part will be making the headlight apature. You could either finish the first plug you have made by covering it in filler, sanding it back and painting it. Then you can make mold from it and make a blank headlight off of it. Into that black headlight you can fashion the apature using a jigsaw, plastacine and more filler. Then you can take a mold from that part and then make the finished part from that. The other option is to attempt to cut the apature into the original plug. This is fairly tricky and you often need to make your own little templates and tools to do this, but it means less mold making in the long run.
I suppose there is another option which is to try and make an accurate CAD model of it and find someone to CNC machine a plug for you out of Rohacell.
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Online
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Or you could find something similar off another car and get your scrappy trousers on...
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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you could do with a pattern,easily achieved and as its a relatively small piece the tool wouldn't be too difficult-your main issues going to be any return flanges or draw angles leading to the need for a split tool.I know it sounds like Im on commission but can I recommend you search carbonmods youtube channel and watch the videos-they were made with the amateur,home laminator in mind.particularly the mould making and laminating videos,whilst they show carbon,the principals are the same for glass-Once you have a pattern,for something of this size Id recommend their mould tool making putty as its so much more simple to use in a home environment!I can't follow the link in your op on my phone so can't see the part your referring to but if its unavailable it may be worth shaping a foam block and them filling the surface to produce a pattern that you can gel boat to form your product from which to take your tooling.its all doable at home,you just need the patience to achieve a good finish.
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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Cant find a decent pic, but 200SX ones might work? Would be a good starting point at least
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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Didn't see Ed's reply but pretty much sums it up-the time investment is in producing the product-the tool making and finished product are relatively simple but you need to get the product/plug sorted.the better it is,the easier the rest becomes. the most difficult part in my opinion will be making the two parts as exact mirrors by hand.
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Tomnova16
Premium Member
Registered: 21st Jan 06
Location: Gerrards Cross Drives: Porsche 911
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I scratch after using fibre glass 
http://www.lemass.co.uk/ for all your automotive/bodyshop needs
Located in Chalfont st Peter
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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I'd like a pair as well please 
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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Soo... If I was to get something close to the shape I want as a starting point, would that help matters?
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