Drape molding Lexan - Headlight grills

Well done Jim!  I was going to ask what holds them in place but I re-read above and, well, never mind...

It's amazing what can be done in a kitchen oven; I've baked suspension and brake pieces after spraying 2 or 3 coats of Tremclad.  Let them dry overnight first, then preheat to 150-160°F, bake for 30 minutes, let cool and they come out amazingly tough!  And since most of the off-gassing occurred overnight, 1/2 hour later (after opening a window or 2) the kitchen smells fine and the wife will never know what you've done!

I LOVE this DIY mentality! Carry on...

Nicely done! Thanks for the pictures.

Nice job, Jim!  

My wife just said "Don't go getting any ideas!"

Very useful information Jim.  I've tried this with regular acrylic "plexiglas" but not "lexan".   Didn't know about the outgassing .  Where did you learn about the outgassing  or do you just know these things Sir ?....................Bruce

But a mold could be made and then used to create a vacuum molded unit I would think but it would be a lot of work creating reverse molds etc etc.  

Nice work indeed.

This is a great solution if your main goal is to actually protect the headlight glass, but the real reason I like headlight stone guards is because they look cool.

^^THAT^^

@Troy Sloan posted:

This is a great solution if your main goal is to actually protect the headlight glass, but the real reason I like headlight stone guards is because they look cool.

They do look cool. The issue is to try to keep the water out. I would have installed mine years ago but for that.

New headlights (the whole thing less bulb) are like $25.

https://vintagespeedsterparts....eadlighthousing.aspx

@aircooled posted:

Very useful information Jim.  I've tried this with regular acrylic "plexiglas" but not "lexan".   Didn't know about the outgassing .  Where did you learn about the outgassing  or do you just know these things Sir ?....................Bruce

Bruce, Lexan has a how to guide with lots of useful information. It's free. Funny how I tend to look for that kind of stuff after I've screwed up the part.

"Funny how I tend to look for that kind of stuff after I've screwed up the part."

Don't we all.....

"Real Men Don't Need Instructions" - Tim the "Tool Man" Taylor

if im not sure how to do something i go to YOUTUBE,,these guys have already screwed up whatever they explaining so U dont make same mistake,

Those lessons you pay for are the ones you remember.

I hope I don't drift too far, but this story just happened a couple weeks ago.

I have a set of AC gauges and a vacuum pump. A friend of mine has a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer(bought it new, it's in great shape) and his AC just went out. He's the guy that got me my vacuum pump for free so I always take care of his AC needs.

We're trying to find the high pressure service valve and it isn't anywhere we look. Low pressure valve, no problem: right there by the receiver/drier. So, Youtube to the rescue, right? First click this guy is yacking on and on and on, so I fast forward until I see the high pressure valve is hiding up by the radiator under a plastic cover.

In order to properly evacuate any air and moisture from the system, you need both high and low pressure valves. So, we suck it down, then check for it to hold vacuum. It's good, so I figure maybe there is a very slow leak, sometimes it permeates the older rubber hoses. After all, it's 20 years old on the same fill, right?

So, I charge it up(refrigerant goes into the low pressure side), get good pressures and 40 degree COLD air at the vents(it was 75 out). Pretty good for R134a.

Then I disconnect the hoses, and here hisssssss out of the darn high pressure Schrader valve.

That's what the guy was yacking about in the Youtube video LOL! GM high pressure valves leak after a while, because they are JUNK and leak eventually.

My friend bought a new valve and I charged it back up for good a week late. It only cost two 16 oz. cans of freon, a few dollars for a valve, and a couple hours time.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this earlier, but after you cut lexan you can get rid of the “frosted” edge of the cut with a heat gun. You just have to be careful because the temp between when the plastic melts and blends back into itself isn’t far from where it starts to “boil” and creates bubbles.
It’s easier to do this with a small electronic/heat shrink gun than a big-assed hair dryer-style industrial heat gun.
If you’re really good, you can do it with a butane torch, too, but there you have to be careful because it’s really easy to burn it and get a soot spot.

What happens to the paper protection on both sides of the lexan when you heat polish the edge ?........Bruce

@aircooled posted:

What happens to the paper protection on both sides of the lexan when you heat polish the edge ?........Bruce

You need to take it off prior to heating it.

ps: You can do the same thing with MEK if you’re very careful. (If you get ANY on either of the flat surfaces, it will leave a mark.)

Thank you for that. The reason I ask is because I have to leave the protective paper on my Wind Wings to prevent them from being scratched for manufacture to customer. I've been hand polishing them for this reason. The last batch were flame polished by the cutter but it's not as nice. It doesn't give the nice radius edge that hand polishing does. Occasionally I have to touch up the flame polished edges..............Bruce

For the record... @aircooled

The Wind Wings , as well as Bruce's other custom accessory items, are a thing of beauty!!

THey are especially cool where "It never rains in California"

@MusbJim posted:

For the record... @aircooled

The Wind Wings , as well as Bruce's other custom accessory items, are a thing of beauty!!

Cool, where can we find these?

You buy them from west coast Bruce aka @aircooled

Thanks Guys !  I'm totally out of stock on my Visors and Wings !  Sierra Madre Collection and Vintage Motorcars bought out all my inventory last week !

My CNC guy says it will be two months before he can get to my order because of a huge job he got from JPL over in Pasadena.  He even offered me a job to help him get some other work out while he does the JPL job !  That would be weird !  Go to work and and get paid to work on my own job order ?  I don't know Jack about operating a CNC machine but maybe I would just feed it aluminum and it would spit out my parts !  We'll see.

American Work Mule.........You can buy my Wind Wings from the above mentioned companies. I'm pretty sure they have them in stock.  Ha ha !

I should mention that I DO have plenty of my Driver's Left Foot folding Foot-Pegs and Quick-Change front License Plate Brackets in stock.  Shipping is free for SOC members in the USA................Bruce

@americanworkmule posted:

Cool, where can we find these?

Even though they are a REALLY nice accessory, us Spyder guys don't need no stinkin' tops or side curtains or wind wings LOL!

Just busting on the "Mule".

True. If I had a proper windscreen instead of a windshield...

@aircooled do you have web store?

Carlos......No I don't have a website. A friend will make me a nice one for about a  $1000 but that's more than I want to spend. Plus I don't think I have enough different products to justify it. My prototype cup holders are on the back burner right now for the same reasons. The CNC guy has no time to write the program and make me a few sample prototypes of them. Sales have increased every year since I started making and selling these accessories. It's worldwide now . This is the first time I've been out off stock.  Here's a couple photos of my Folding Foot Rests and License Plate Brackets........Bruce

how much is a cnc machine

How much money do you have liquid to send me? ALL of THAT!

New CNC's about $50,000.    Used about $12,000 then refurbish it........Bruce

@barncobob posted:

how much is a cnc machine

How much is a car?

"CNC" stands for Computer Numerical Control - it takes a digital file, and converts that file into a process. How elaborate the process determines how much the machine costs.

The short answer is: lots. How much depends on how elaborate the machine. A 3 axis mill will be deep into 5 figures. More is more.

Another thing to remember here is that a hobby machine is NOT equal to a production machine.