Reproduction Parts

[dleberfinger]

As you may or may not know, I made reproduction side markers for the SX4 a while ago. I ended up selling off the molds for that to CaptSpillane who now is picking up where I left off. I received a great deal of praise for those and would like to continue making parts in my free time.

Now that I have my casting furnace up and running as well as material to make molds from, I plan to begin making some more reproduction parts on the weekends when I am home from college. On top of that, I finally have everything I need to recreate the Eagle mudflaps that I started working on months ago.

Below are some photos of the laser cut plastic that I will be using to make a perfect mold of the Eagle mudflap that I used for dimensions. Unlike the original piece, mine will be of higher quality with much sharper edges and an overall cleaner look from the original. As with the original, I plan to reinforce them with fiberglass.






List of parts for sale:

• Mudflaps: http://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=43066.0

List of parts in the works:

• Hatch Hinges
• Full Color Graphics

If all goes well over my upcoming spring break, I should have the first few sets of mudflaps and wagon hatch hinges for sale.

Anything that is made from cast metal can easily be remade if I can find a suitable original piece to make a mold from. If anyone has any ideas for parts, feel free to post below.

I invite anyone and everyone to post on here and give me feedback on any aspect of the parts I am making and to make any suggestions on how I may better the parts I am making. I wish for this to be an open dialogue between me and the community.

NOTE: I am well aware that bumper corners are in extremely high demand. However, I do not have the necessary funds available to begin remaking them. I also do not have a good quality original to take measurements and make a 3d model from. If in the future, I come across a set in good shape that I can purchase or borrow, I may go down this road, as I can easily CNC mill molds and begin plastic injection molding new parts.

[captspillane]

I've been slacking and am just getting back to that effort. Its good to see you haven't been idle. Looks good Dave, nice work.

[eaglefreek]

Awesome. How do you plan on making the hatch hinges?

[dleberfinger]

Awesome. How do you plan on making the hatch hinges?

I plan to attempt to cast them in recycled cast aluminum at first. I will be casting one that is original to the piece. I will then be bisecting the piece on a mill to see what kind of grain patterns are developing and test the hardness. I then plan to strength test one that is original and make a second one that does not have the webbing like the original and is solid. Depending on what kind of results I see there will determine what happens next. These tests won't happen until I come back to school.

I would ideally like to offer them to the public as soon as I have some solid ones made. The issue I am concerned about is that the original is made of steel, if I'm not mistaken, someone please correct me if I'm wrong, and aluminum could potentially be far too weak to handle it.

If that is the case, I will most likely not be able to reproduce these as I cannot cast steel at this time.

If all goes well and the hinges are sturdy enough, I will begin to offer raw, cast aluminum hinges with steel studs pressed into where they belong. If I get around $500 in sales, I will either invest in getting an anodizing setup to chrome anodize the parts, or send some to get chrome plated. If I get the anodizing going, I can offer them in a lot of different colors.

I've been slacking and am just getting back to that effort. Its good to see you haven't been idle. Looks good Dave, nice work.

Dave, do you still plan on making the louvers? I will most likely be purchasing a TIG welder in the near future and plan to make my own.

[JayRamb]

HATCH HINGES would be a big seller!!!

[dleberfinger]

HATCH HINGES would be a big seller!!!

I am aware. If my concerns are unjustified, then they will be in production very shortly.

[dleberfinger]

I'm in the process of purchasing a printer to use for printing on vinyl. This will allow me to reproduce literally any sticker or graphic that was on the Eagles. Now I just need to start collecting good samples to reproduce!

[carnuck]

How about Honcho emblems?

[Amc1320]

Very cool! I want a set of spare hatch hinges.

[rollguy]

I think solid aluminum would work as good or better than the cast steel (pot metal) that the originals were made from. It would be best to drill and tap for a stud, rather than pressed in (just my opinion).

[Prafeston]

This would be a neat decal to reproduce. I've mostly seen it on Spirits, but I do recall seeing it on one Eagle. Would be fairly simple really.

[dleberfinger]

First set is done. Does anyone know how the mudflaps are supposed to be cut? I don't have an original here. Does anyone have a problem buying them and cutting the mudflaps themselves?

Small bubbles exist on the lettering, however, they can't be seen if you're more than a foot away.

[Prafeston]

They look great man. What are you going to be charging for a set? I'll see if I can dig up some pics of my flaps. The front and rears are cut a bit different.

[Prafeston]

This is the only good pic I have of them and it's the backside. Also not sure if it's fronts or rears.

[dleberfinger]

This is the only good pic I have of them and it's the backside. Also not sure if it's fronts or rears.

It appears as though they were cut by hand, either that or they have just worn differently. As I recall, there is a set of lines on the mudflap itself that says front and rear to show how to position it height wise. Any chance you could measure the distance from the lines to the bottom of the mudflap?