Those '57 Chevy golf cart kits sell for $3K, so there's a bench mark for a higher production body.
Those '57 Chevy golf cart kits sell for $3K, so there's a bench mark for a higher production body.
Personally if it was a one off I would EVA foam cut the core, slice it up so I could remove it in pieces. Vacuum form over the top with external heat help, remove the foam in parts. Kevlar and fiberglass inside the plastic shell with it being supported and then pull it. That is how I would do it for a single part.
You can build over a foam cut if you have compatible chemistry though which is the cheapest way possible to do this and then break the foam out at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8oSfr8zjhA
Looking at 3-4K to cut the foam, vacuum mold cad be done cheap if you don't mind manually heating the plastic, 2-3K in supplies to pull the mold.
Your looking at three to four pieces to cut to get the overhangs right. Not cheap to do if you wan say 1/4 inch accuracy. Even worse it you want it tighter.
I've used cast urethane to rapid prototype console skins and other larger parts.
I wonder if you could make a silicon mold from an original body (in sections), or 3d scan and print, then make your parts in cast urethane?
You only need to 3d print once, then the mold should be good for 10ish uses, so you could probably recoup the cost and rest the market without a large investment in tooling.
I haven't used either of these companies, but they have some info that may be of use:
In reply to frenchyd :
That's IF you're making a mold. My project is a one off and the divinycell is the core material that will be covered with fiberglass... so this won't get stuck in a mold either!
Over a decade ago I did the design engineering for this helmet. It's a plywood egg crate structure with sculpted foam blocks, skinned over with woven fiberglass cloth and an epoxy hard coat layer.
As with the reusable mold method, there is a lot of shaping and sanding to do. We only needed one helmet for the exhibit, so the additional labor and material for a reusable mold did not have any return on investment.
The trade off of this approach is wall thickness; final result was around 4" - 6" thick. It looked fine on a 10' tall football helmet, but might not scale down to vehicular objects quite as well.
Keith Tanner said:Kendall Frederick said:Keith Tanner said:New business idea: SendCutSend, but for composite body parts.
With 3D scanning reaching hobbyist availability, and with 3D printing at large scale possible, I see this in the near future. I'm working on learning metal shaping skills just as they go (even more) obsolete..
I don't know if it would be better to print the plug or CNC mill it. I'll bet the latter would be a whole lot faster, and large format mills are more common than large format printers. But definitely the hobbyist ability to generate models has improved considerably.
Fun reading.
https://diyblog.commonfibers.com/blogs/process
Thanks for the link! I hadn't thought of milling foam but that's certainly cheap enough to mill out. I think you could build a big 3 axis glorified router table cheaply enough for hobbyist use..
In reply to Kendall Frederick :
There's lots of DIY's out there. One caveat is the foam that's strong enough to be milled with a good final machine finish still runs about $1000 for a 4'x8'x6" chunk. And there's a lot of cleanup that needs to be done after it's milled, as far as sanding, filling voids, priming, blocking, polishing, etc.
All that said, it's a huge time saver, but still a boat load of work. There are places that do offer it as a service as well, if you have CAD files.
https://www.wecutfoam.com/ being one of them.
A possible alternative to the foam:
When I was working in research on CAD/CAM prosthetic fitting and manufacture we used blanks made using plaster of Paris. The mixture for the blanks was a 50/50 (IIRC) mixture of plaster and cornstarch to make it easier to machine and do final smoothing/blending.
They were then machined using what was essentially a mill with a rotary table. Final smoothing and any reshaping was done with files, rasps, and sand paper. Plaster of Paris could also be used to touch up or build up areas as needed.
Depending on what we were testing we would then thermoform plastic over it or use it as form for making a fiberglass socket.
triumph7 said:In reply to frenchyd :
That's IF you're making a mold. My project is a one off and the divinycell is the core material that will be covered with fiberglass... so this won't get stuck in a mold either!
He's thinking of making a side business so several are planned for.
When dealing with race cars I'm aware that damage occurs sometimes. Not always on the race track. Cars fall off loading ramps, get run into in the garage, or run into things. Things get dropped as well.
So I make even a one off splash mold a little heavier so I can pull a second part. Repaired fiberglass is always heavier and weaker than the original.
Kendall Frederick said:Keith Tanner said:Kendall Frederick said:Keith Tanner said:New business idea: SendCutSend, but for composite body parts.
With 3D scanning reaching hobbyist availability, and with 3D printing at large scale possible, I see this in the near future. I'm working on learning metal shaping skills just as they go (even more) obsolete..
I don't know if it would be better to print the plug or CNC mill it. I'll bet the latter would be a whole lot faster, and large format mills are more common than large format printers. But definitely the hobbyist ability to generate models has improved considerably.
Fun reading.
https://diyblog.commonfibers.com/blogs/processThanks for the link! I hadn't thought of milling foam but that's certainly cheap enough to mill out. I think you could build a big 3 axis glorified router table cheaply enough for hobbyist use..
Really? I understand it can be done. But at what cost? My DIY way is go to the local box store and buy some insulation foam. Glue it up and go at it with a big coarse grinder. ( wearing a dust mask ) When it's close enough, buy a few gallons of bondo and make it right. You can make cardboard templates off an image from a projector. To ensure you get it nice and in proportion.
I realize this is actual work not just writing a check and having it done. But it's extremely satisfying.
Watch a skilled body shop guy repair a damaged fender and practice until you can do as well ( except the metal bumping part)
You know the real technique? Set a standard and don't stop until you are satisfied. The first one will take longer than later ones. But it's a skill. And you just mastered it.
MrJoshua said:Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:Contact jmc14.
..... abarth sp1000 sports racer..........
End thread.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-abarth-1000sp/
As if on cue...
Is the original photo a 3 wheeler ?
Here is one way to start , get a side view photo , know what wheelbase you want , put a grid on the photo using the wheelbase as your guide , so a 2000 mm wheelbase has a grid at 100 or 200mm.
Now make a full size print file and have it vinyl sign printed , probably less than $200
now you have something you can hang on the wall and measure from point to point.
look up Invision Prototypes on YouTube , he builds full size bodies in metal , but shows how to make a wire frame buck etc.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Yes, the original is a 3 wheeler. Which (of course) doesn't make it a prime candidate for a golf cart...
...but it DOES make me a prime candidate for anyone selling a project reverse trike!! 
SV reX said:I wanna have a body built that resembles this that would fit on a golf cart chassis
It looks to me like she would fit on a golf cart just fine as is. ;-)
But seriously, let's talk about the important things: What's that black car in the background?
In reply to DWNSHFT :
My bet is on the BMW E9 3.0 CSL
In reply to SV reX :
Not an E9
My initial thought was Ferrari and the borrani wheels definitely say Italian but it is not a common variant of a 250 or 330.
I am thinking the black car is an Iso Rivolta. I can't see the vents in the rear fender but perhaps the dark color, motion blur and old photograph things explain their absence
In reply to Trent :
Nice work!
I think I can see the vent in the photo.
I gotta say, this is super cool reading. I always wondered how this stuff was done.
https://diyblog.commonfibers.com/blogs/projects/bmw-e30-widebody-kit
It makes more sense now. That isn't a convertible Heinkel. It is a convertible Iso Isetta.
In reply to Trent :
Its an Iso Isetta Spiaggia "beach car". It predates BMW buying the Isetta.
Its not actually a convertible. It doesn't "convert". It's strictly open top.
Here is what you need to start with
that and some fresh Sawsall blades.......
Yup
Although honestly I think the ISO is significantly better looking than the BMW
I was wrong about the Iso having 3 wheels.
SV reX said:Yup
to all the Internet search guys its a BMW 600 , 1957 to 1959 ,
the search is on.......
Yes the ISO is better.......but much harder to find
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