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Has anyone 3d scanned the a and c pillar covers? I would but I don't have either on the wife's 04. And my 02 only has the c pillar covers but they are in very bad shape. If I can either get sets of either scanned or physically in hand I plan on making some with a metal 3d print unit I currently have access to.
I used about 3/8" x 4" silicon tubing to attach it to the drain corner, so I could do it on a work bench. Silicon was injected with a syringe in order to seal the connection. Otherwise it doesn't seal, because the surface is very rough. You can snooth it out, but sealing it with silicon is much easier and guarantees 100% sealing.
Hose secured with a wire, corner glued with urethane glue to the pan. Urethane glue remains flexible, but also makes a very strong bond.
The silicon hose is very flexible, it minimizes the stress due to vibrations.
3/8" nylon barb connector to connect to the existing drain hose. Silicon hose was secured with a wire, drain hose (black) sits very tight (requires silicon grease and hot air gun to get over the barb connector).
Proposal for improvement of the 3D printed part: instead of the printed barb connector make a female thread, so you can install a barb connector from hardware store. That makes the hose connection much easier.
Working on adding rear air from my parts D2 to my D2. Also doing headliner, sunroof drains, and making test parts for a, c pillar covers, and the wiper cowl. No I'm not making these out of plastics of any kind. Sunroof drains are being printed on a metal 3d printer, the other parts are going to as well. Have to make a test parts for the covers and cowl then scan and clean up for 3d print. I get it plastics are cheap to make for companies, but damn even in other countries and environments they just don't last for some of these components. We are here in Florida right next to the Gulf. Tons or recyclers say they parts just aren't worth selling at they are broken or break upon removal. Same response from recyclers all over the country. So I reached out to family in England and same issue they are just as bad. I can't justify spending the funds for plastic replacements for the ridiculous prices they charge. I can 3d metal print for less.
However again if anyone has the a, c pillar covers, or the wiper cowl they can 3d scan or anything that will help with making replacements would be appreciated. I do have a huge list of parts that will be getting replaced with alternate materials that will far outlast the original types. Just figured a pillar and c pillar covers are a major appearance items as is the wiper cowl. So hopefully I can get these done reasonably soon and post for anyone that wants to print with whatever they choose.
Last edited by Betty_White; 03-28-2022 at 07:43 PM.
I recently installed a new wiper cowl on mine, so it's in pristine condition. I don't know of anybody in the Denver area that could scan it yet though. My A and C pillars are in good condition as well. I'd love to help get this stuff printable if possible... Anybody in the Denver or Colorado area got a scanner we can collect the data with? Have parts, will travel, lol
Those are a few I find quick links for. The rear lower trim for the quarter panel to the bumper. The upper section that caps the rear bumper at the body. C pillar covers. The dash cover for cluster. Panel for the radio and climate control. And numerous other parts. I'm more concerned about exterior parts at the moment. Such as gutter trim prices but I have found a door trim roll that actually fits very well. I'll post once I find the link to it again. Allows to eliminate the harder plastics and replace with a flexible rubber trim that still give similar appearance. There are engine bay ann interior parts that tend to get brittle and crack as well. If go well metal printing maybe viable. If not I can make sheet metal replacements for some. Fortunately we have all kinds of tools in my shop to do just this sort of thing.
That center intake molding gets bathed in heat from the engine. It should have been made more heavy duty from the factory. Sign me up for a titanium printed one!
Those are a few I find quick links for. The rear lower trim for the quarter panel to the bumper. The upper section that caps the rear bumper at the body. C pillar covers. The dash cover for cluster. Panel for the radio and climate control. And numerous other parts. I'm more concerned about exterior parts at the moment. Such as gutter trim prices but I have found a door trim roll that actually fits very well. I'll post once I find the link to it again. Allows to eliminate the harder plastics and replace with a flexible rubber trim that still give similar appearance. There are engine bay ann interior parts that tend to get brittle and crack as well. If go well metal printing maybe viable. If not I can make sheet metal replacements for some. Fortunately we have all kinds of tools in my shop to do just this sort of thing.
I reached out to some local laser scanning companies, and they are asking what kind of CAD files we would need, they say STL/OBJ/STP/IGS/Feature Based Solidworks are the types available. I'm new to the world of scanning and printing, so I'm not sure how to answer....whatchya think Betty_White, what's gonna work best ya think?
03-16-2022, 08:06 PM
