Reproducing HeadLight Covers input needed from the community

[RSR240]

Also very interested - please keep me/us posted when you get to it!

[Metalman5151]

Just a minor update. I was talking to a friend who does industrial fabrication. He has a really nice waterjet and is going to cut the revised forms for me. That is going to save me a ton of time. Once he cuts them for me I simply have to shape (curve) them to fit the buckets (following the tracing of the Original I was provided) and then I'm in business.  Should cut down on the fab time significantly.  Stay tuned.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Metalman5151
forgot a word

[HS30-H]

How is it possible to make the correct profile (asymmetric 'U') channel with a waterjet? 

I still think you are not grasping the full detail of the parts in question. They sound - even look - simple, but they are complicated to make properly and require some quite expensive press tooling to replicate the original manufacturing method and- therefore - the original look.  

 

[Metalman5151]

13 hours ago, HS30-H said:

How is it possible to make the correct profile (asymmetric 'U') channel with a waterjet? 

I still think you are not grasping the full detail of the parts in question. They sound - even look - simple, but they are complicated to make properly and require some quite expensive press tooling to replicate the original manufacturing method and- therefore - the original look.  

 

I don't know about the u shape Looks flatter than that like in the above pic. What I'll be making will be very close to those. All the water jet will do is cut out my forms so that I can shape them to fit a headlight bucket and my tracing. By forms I mean hammerforms. That is how I will make them once the forms are completed.  As for the asymmetric part all the blanks will be oversize, I'll simply trim to fit. One side high, one side low. Then finish (very slight roll)the edges.

Look I get that you don't think I can do it. Do I care what you think? Not really. . Spread your negativity somewhere else please. If you had any experience in sheetmetal fab you would know this is not anywhere near impossible. Google "Cass Nawrocki" He did stuff that most considered impossible. Hell most Ferraris in the 50's and earl;y 60's were formed with little more than a stump, hammers and a helve hammer. Crude basic tools but in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing they created beauty.  Will I replicate the shape exactly? Probably not. Will it be a very nice approximation? I definitely think so, and I think that is what people will want.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Metalman5151
spelling

[Metalman5151]

Couple more things Alan, maybe if you had provided me some reference pics when I asked you for your help instead of telling me "I don't think you can do them so I'm not going to help" I might have a better grasp of them.  Also you make a big deal of the asymmetric part. Of course they are going to be asymmetric, the inside edge of the trim ring is going to be shorter by the thickness of the cover. If not they wont fit on the cover correctly. 

[sweatybetty]

i think they look very nice. would you be able to do them tinted? i could powdercoat the trim black.

[240260280z]

I'll buy a set when ready. 

Will you consider making surrounds for Gnose after you get some sales?  As in a previous post, there is a clear lens supplier for the Gnose... your surrounds would work nicely.

 

[HS30-H]

9 hours ago, Metalman5151 said:

I don't know about the u shape Looks flatter than that like in the above pic. What I'll be making will be very close to those.

So you still don't have a genuine set to use as a reference? That is why I'm thinking you are unlikely to fully succeed with this project.

Look I get that you don't think I can do it. Do I care what you think? Not really. . Spread your negativity somewhere else please.

What you call "negativity" is - where I'm looking from - probably better described as rationality. You started this thread almost exactly a year ago and you still haven't produced anything yet. You don't appear to have a sample to reverse-engineer from and you don't appear to have grasped the fine details that will be the difference between something that looks *right* and something that doesn't. For example, I see you talking about cutting countersinks for the screw holes when the originals have a pressed countersink.

I think there's a very good chance that the repros from our fellow member 'esprist' - through his company jdm-car-parts.com - will hit the market before yours, and will be more faithful replicas in both detail and the all-important *feel* than you will be able to achieve. 

   

 

[HS30-H]

9 hours ago, Metalman5151 said:

Couple more things Alan, maybe if you had provided me some reference pics when I asked you for your help instead of telling me "I don't think you can do them so I'm not going to help" I might have a better grasp of them.  

Couple of answers from me then; First of all, as far as I understand it this is a commercial proposition. You're in business, right? You're here to sell your product but you also appear to want the help of the 'community' that you intend to sell to. Why do I have any obligation to help you with that? There are other people currently working on reproductions that I would trust - from their track record - to make a better job than you. 

Secondly, the classiczcars.com 'community' has - over the years - probably done more to provide you with photos and data than any other web based resource. We have discussed the nuances and details of these factory parts many times, and we have uploaded many original factory documents, period photos and examples of The Real Thing which you will no doubt have used in your research(?). I have been a participant in much of that, so I don't think I owe you anything except perhaps the honesty of a reality check... You'd probably prefer a few more sycophantic clicks on the 'Like This' button, but all those virtual claps on the back will not get you very far in the real world. 

I still find it hard to believe that anyone would think they can make an accurate reproduction without having an original to use as a datum point. As I've pointed out before, this is as much about the elusive *feel* of the product as it is about measurable dimensional accuracy. Anybody who has had a set of originals in their care, let alone actually fitted a set to a car, will hopefully know what I am talking about.   

[Metalman5151]

Thank you for your input sir. I have no wish to argue with you or anyone else. My intention was/is to try and make these as I want a couple of sets for my car and I have seen over the years where others have desired them as well. Being that I have a background in high end automotive restoration and I had done similar lenses over the years for other cars I thought I would try. No one else was, so I thought that I could sell a few to recoup my time and  money invested in them.  That is still my goal. I am by no means trying to make this a business. This is a labor of love and passion for these cars. Nothing more, nothing less.

My point with you is this. What do you gain by telling me or anyone else you can't do this (or something else). Do you owe me anything? Of course not. But I did ask you and you declined which is your right. But then why keep posting that I can't/won't do it? Just go on about your business and ignore me and this thread. 

I have never claimed they will be exact reproductions of originals. But with the information I was provided they will be the same width, and shape of the original that I was provided a tracing of. I think they will be darn close.

  I do wish to thank you sir for providing me with a little extra motivation to see this through.

 

[Metalman5151]

Perhaps this will make it a little more clear how I will do this. These tracings give me all the info needed. I will then have 2 sets of forms(top and bottom or male and female) for each side cut from 1/4" to 3/8 " steel After that I will shape the forms to fit the headlight bucket and lens.  When that is done I will clamp a blank of 20 gauge stainless between the 2 forms (top and bottom) and hammer them around the bottom form using corking tools such as hardwood and steel until the desired shape is achieved. Then trim the sides to the desired length.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Metalman5151

[psdenno]

For anyone interested in reading a little more about the varieties of headlight covers and trim rings, check this link:

There are several more threads in the archive that mention many earlier tries at replicating the rings and covers.  Lots of good intentions.  But, so far, no results.  It's a complicated process.  Good luck to anyone who can make it happen.

Dennis