Headlamp Covers

[biggles]

A while back I was researching making a 250 GTO replica and came across some info on the web about perspex shapping. Chap made a plug out of plaster of paris (ie plaster cast bandage type stuff), placed over a very rough cut perspex section and used a heat gun to gently heat the sheet until it settled over the mould under its own weight (I guess similar to the draping that Jan mentions?).

I'll try and track it down and post the link.

Cheers
Biggles

[Westfield 129]

The best results are heating the whole thing in an oven. It is evenly heated, and drapes itself over the mold. Then, all you need to do is trim it to size. Using a heat gun will result in ripples and distortions.

This is how just about all of the custom racing windscreen manufacturers make their plexiglass screens, including Westfield's contractor.

I am sure that there must be a good racing windscreen/aircraft windshield manufacturer in the UK that can handle this for you. You may even be able to supply your own mold, or make a group purchase that would interest the company to supply the mold for free. It's not a difficult part to make, unless you try to vacuform it.

[biggles]

the even heating point sounds very sensible. I did have a look around the interweb this afternoon and found a couple of references:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ber ... sage/11834 - regarding not using vacuum forming

and this seems a common way to heat form:

http://tech.240sxone.com/404/how-to-mak ... ht-covers/

regards all
Biggles

[jonclancy]

Looks like a reasonable technique in the second link.

Chappy, can we borrow your headlamp covers for a bit, please?

[erictharg]

Found an outfit in Corby that do this kind of stuff. Plan to be their way tomrrow doing a shakedown run in the car so will stop by and see what their tooling and piece part estimates look like for headlamp covers.
I'm guessing that if reasonable most of you would take a pair...

[biggles]

chap on locostbuilders a couple of years ago made a template and moulded a run of sylva covers, for about 60 quid per pair, and they were asymmetric, to give
you a rough idea of what could be done...

regards
biggles

[sgrant]

I'd definately be keen on this - the replacement ones are so expensive, and they are always vulnerable to stone chips, etc....