custom sheet metal work
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From: v.b
custom sheet metal work
i am trying to get a custom front lip for my car made from sheet metal and i was wondering if anyone knew of any shops that do good work and could point me in their direction. thank in advance
Racetracks
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: How long is a piece of string?
Re: custom sheet metal work
Sounds like fun, but why can't you make it out of fiberglass or something like that? Is this just a flat splitter or is it something complex?
This is going to sound ghetto, but hear me out. If it's just a flat splitter, plywood covered skinned with fiberglass is super strong, pretty light, and really cheap. Think hockey stick blades; they're weak when they're just wood, but super stiff with a few layers of fiberglass.
With some minor sanding and filling you can make a near class-A finish on it too..
A lot of amateur racers do this because its so easy to make; you can smash the crap out of it, break it, scrape it, etc., and just make another one for a few bucks.
Sure beats sheet metal.
If that's not light enough, the next cheapest super stiff super strong option is fiberglass skinned end grain balsa sheet (not the same stuff you get at a hobby shop) like boat hulls use, or a urethane foam if you need something really thin. It's not carbon fiber, epoxy, and nomex honeycomb, but it's only a small fraction of the price and skill involved. Balsa and thin foam can both be conformed to non-flat surfaces too (like a bumper that comes up in the middle.
This is going to sound ghetto, but hear me out. If it's just a flat splitter, plywood covered skinned with fiberglass is super strong, pretty light, and really cheap. Think hockey stick blades; they're weak when they're just wood, but super stiff with a few layers of fiberglass.
With some minor sanding and filling you can make a near class-A finish on it too..
A lot of amateur racers do this because its so easy to make; you can smash the crap out of it, break it, scrape it, etc., and just make another one for a few bucks.
Sure beats sheet metal.
If that's not light enough, the next cheapest super stiff super strong option is fiberglass skinned end grain balsa sheet (not the same stuff you get at a hobby shop) like boat hulls use, or a urethane foam if you need something really thin. It's not carbon fiber, epoxy, and nomex honeycomb, but it's only a small fraction of the price and skill involved. Balsa and thin foam can both be conformed to non-flat surfaces too (like a bumper that comes up in the middle.
Last edited by Fabrik8; Mar 9, 2008 at 10:34 PM.
Registered member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,252
Likes: 0
Re: custom sheet metal work
Sounds like fun, but why can't you make it out of fiberglass or something like that? Is this just a flat splitter or is it something complex?
This is going to sound ghetto, but hear me out. If it's just a flat splitter, plywood covered skinned with fiberglass is super strong, pretty light, and really cheap. Think hockey stick blades; they're weak when they're just wood, but super stiff with a few layers of fiberglass.
With some minor sanding and filling you can make a near class-A finish on it too..
A lot of amateur racers do this because its so easy to make; you can smash the crap out of it, break it, scrape it, etc., and just make another one for a few bucks.
Sure beats sheet metal.
If that's not light enough, the next cheapest super stiff super strong option is fiberglass skinned end grain balsa sheet (not the same stuff you get at a hobby shop) like boat hulls use, or a urethane foam if you need something really thin. It's not carbon fiber, epoxy, and nomex honeycomb, but it's only a small fraction of the price and skill involved. Balsa and thin foam can both be conformed to non-flat surfaces too (like a bumper that comes up in the middle.
This is going to sound ghetto, but hear me out. If it's just a flat splitter, plywood covered skinned with fiberglass is super strong, pretty light, and really cheap. Think hockey stick blades; they're weak when they're just wood, but super stiff with a few layers of fiberglass.
With some minor sanding and filling you can make a near class-A finish on it too..
A lot of amateur racers do this because its so easy to make; you can smash the crap out of it, break it, scrape it, etc., and just make another one for a few bucks.
Sure beats sheet metal.
If that's not light enough, the next cheapest super stiff super strong option is fiberglass skinned end grain balsa sheet (not the same stuff you get at a hobby shop) like boat hulls use, or a urethane foam if you need something really thin. It's not carbon fiber, epoxy, and nomex honeycomb, but it's only a small fraction of the price and skill involved. Balsa and thin foam can both be conformed to non-flat surfaces too (like a bumper that comes up in the middle.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: v.b
Re: custom sheet metal work
Thanx for the insight, its alil more complex than just a splitter, im basicaly making about a 3" tall lip and panaling for the insides for tunneling the air to my intercooler, i have talked to a few people and they too have reccommended fiberglass but im not skilled in it and i think the metal would look pretty cool.
I Roll Fenders
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Chesapeake
Re: custom sheet metal work
I'm pretty sure Tony and you could get your jap hands to bend the metal the way it needs to be bent 
.
It will probably only require some patience and some dikes, haha.
PS I want a splitter/thing for my car so we can make a date out of it. <3
.It will probably only require some patience and some dikes, haha.
PS I want a splitter/thing for my car so we can make a date out of it. <3
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