Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Dans car is actually airbagged all around, so in those pictures it is sitting on the ground. His normal ride height will be about 4 inches higher. I think it will be a mindblower when he pulls into a cruise night and sits it on the ground. Also, the tank in the back looks like a nitros tank, so I bet a lot of people will think that's what it is.


I haven't seen that RP you are speaking about, but I can envision the look. Bet it is cool.

Good luck with your own plans.

Don

Don,
The process is really simple.
Basically you fab up a plug out Expanded Polystyrene foam, the white stuff cheap coolers and drinking cups are made of (there's a reason I didn't refer to "Styrofoam" but that's a whole nother story) to the shape of the inner tunnel.
You can get this from a variety of sources in sheet, block form.
Working tools can consist of any of the following-Bread knife, hacksaw blade, utility razor, band saw can all be used for cutting.
Rasp, surform, D A , 40-80 grit abrasives for shaping, finer grit for finishing.

Once you've shaped the plug to fit, you seal (assuming you're using Poly resin) it. Sealers would include any of the following. Water based acrylic enamel paint, Latex house paint, or even a coat of thinned Elmers glue. Absolutely no solvent base materials.

Once the sealer has dried/cured use of a parting agent is optional but recommended.

Lay up your glass over the plug, if the working side of the glass is going to be finished ie. exposed to open view, take appropriate steps to facilitate (build).

Allow the glass to fully cure.

Once cured flip the plug over and carve a basin in the center of the plug.
Fill the basin with Acetone and set aside in a well ventilated area away from sparks or open flame.

The acetone will dissolve the EP, you more than likely will need to clear the cavity and add fresh Acetone until the majority of the foam is dissolved. If you used a parting agent in conjunction, you should be able to break the plug free prior to complete dissolution of the foam.

Clean, trim, fit your new tranny tunnel!

So in the application I am doing, I would form these sheets around the transmission (allowing some clearance), coat it, and use that as a male plug?

If so, how do you join the sheets together at the seams? Tape of some sort?

Sounds interesting. Tell me more.


Tom.........I looked for the post you mentioned to me. Couldn't find it. Have you done it yet? PM me at the other place.


Don

Think of the game Battleship

Don,

The method I described would be stand alone. Layed up off the vehicle.
Lay out a 1" grid on 2 posterboards then locate the centerlines in both axis's and highlight them. From the centerline dividing the width, assign the letter A to the first line right of the centerline. Assign the letter B to the next, C to the following line (continuing working to the right) D to the next and so on until you've ran out of lines.
Moving back to the centerline assign letters to all the lines to the right of the centerline using lower case letters ie. a,b,c,d, etc.
Repeat the process for assigning lines for both fore and aft of the centerline for the length poster board. However use numerals for designators such as 1,2,3, on the lines fore of the centerline and -1,-2,-3 aft of the centerline.
Do this to both boards.

Youll pull your dimensional measurements from the cut out in the floor pan for TOTAL length divide it in half, and transfer these to both posterboards locating out from the centerline both fore and aft, draw a line across the width of the sheet at 90 degrees to the length centerline at both fore and aft locations. Lets say these lines intersected at 18 (fore) and -18aft (for a TOTAL length of 36".
Now measure the widest measurement at the cut out on the firewall for the bellhousing and it was 24" divide it in half (12") and transfer this measurement on both sides of the width centerline on FORE line 18. You should now have indicators on 18L and 18l Now take the width measurement at the aft position 10" again divide by half 5" and locate on Aft line -18at the E and again at e positions.
Lay a tape measure/yardstick along the cut out on the floorpan and working from the bellhousing back transfer the contour of the cut out onto the grid using the steps above. You don't have to indicate every inch, just where the contour changes.
Once you've completed this, you can connect the dots and you have a accurate but rough outline of the Topview of the tunnel.
Refine by eyeballing curves and contours and adjusting on the grid.

Repeat the process on the second board using the highest point of the bellhousing for total height and locate points of contour on the A,B,C / a,b,c, gridlines.
Label this side view.

Now that you have both layout patterns you can obtain the needed amount of EP for the plug.
If you are making your plug up from several pieces you can use Carpet Tape to affix the pieces together to form a rectangular block.
Once you have the block, draw centerlines in both axis's on all sides using a sharpie.
Cut out your patterns and trace the outlines on to the blocks aligning the centerlines from the patterns to the centerlines of the block.
Cut the sideview outline on the block first, making sure you remark the centerline back on the block after cutting.

Now cut out the Top view sections off the block and again replacing the centerlines after cutting.

Using your patterns you can now shape to finish form.

Clear as mud huh?

I've got to crash, I'll follow up tomorrow with diagrams that might pull this all together.

No, it is actually pretty clear. How does an electric carving knife work for this? I've used one of these in the past, and it cuts some foams well, so probably would work ok here too.

Thanks for the detailed info, I may give this a shot if I can figure out exactly how to measure my trans/bellhousing accurately enough. I'm not good at measuring stuff, so I usually have just put something over the top of the trans and laid up the glass over that. However, I saw a guy building an entire car on TV one night, and he did it essentially the way you describe.

Thanks again Tom.


Don