I am VERY proud to announce that I have been working the past few months on a project that has finally come to fruition. To make a 3 page thread into a paragraph I will briefly explain how this got started. After I put my m50 into my e30 I was disappointed that fellow e30'ers on the street believed our cars were the same because we shared the same trunk badge. This led me down a path of trying to find a new trunk badge that would symbolize that I am different. I couldn't find one. Luckily for me I just so happen to manage an aluminum foundry. Once I heard that a friend of mine had a 3d printer everything came together and I got to work. After a long time of learning how to draw in 3d and cast what what printed I began experimenting with finishing techniques. Although this is still a work in progress I was able to get some pieces finished and was happy enough with the quality to submit them here for sale to the general e30 public.
I was able to get only 4 of these to the quality that I expect, but I have many more that I can do to meet the demands here. Let me explain...
I have 2 different colors available. Black and orange. As a 2002 lover the orange is almost identical to inka orange. The black is just gloss black. After a lot of trial and error I ended up using UTEC paint on these, which is an automotive grade paint that was originally designed for use on tractors. We have painted a few of our race cars with this stuff because of how durable it is and after years on the track it still shines like its wet.
The tops of the black ones have all been ground flat down to bare metal and then polished. I did one of the orange ones with only polishing the 24v to accent it just to see what it would look like and I kinda like the results so I put it in there just to have as an option. These particular badges were not prepped to have the faces painted so if someone would like one of these in this fashion or a solid color the lead time may vary, but it is an option.
The other finish I am offering is a satin/brushed finish. I didn't include a picture of one I did like this but Im including a picture of one of our powder coated license plates that we do like this on a daily basis.
The badges are a little bit smaller than the standard 325 badge. Things look much bigger on the computer than in your hand lol. They are just a hair over 6"
These are 100% HAND MADE. Everything from the sand casting they were made in down to the polish of the face and everything in between. There is a TON of work in even getting to this point. They are made with virgin 356 aluminum which is great at resisting corrosion and fading. How you apply these to your vehicle will be up to you. I installed one on my wifes car using thick double sided tape and after this hell of a winter it is still there shining... at least when the car is clean ;) I would imagine glue would work as well but I haven't done it so its hard to say.
I am selling these for $40/piece shipped and Ill do 60 if you want 2. I have 4 black ones polished and ready to ship and about 12 orange ones that are just painted and need finished. it will take a day or 2 to get them finished but should ship quickly. If youre looking for a particular color or a black one finished differently than the 4 offered it will take about a week as I am out of paint and need to go to the body shop to get more. The paint is quite costly as its automotive paint so if there is a color I am not offering it would be cheaper for a group of people to decide on one color and then I can keep the prices reasonable. If you would like a bare metal one ready for finishing I can sell one for $20 and can have it ready in a day or 2.
I have BIG plans for the e30 community and their trunk badges and by saying that I am just scratching the surface is an understatement. I have almost completely changed everything about the way every part of these are being made (other than the casting), so if this piece is something you find intriguing I will urge you to buy one because these will not come around again for a long time like this. Im hoping that the sale of these will provide enough funding to take this to the next level.
I would like to keep this as a for sale thread only. The original post that started this project a few months ago can be found here http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=339526 I would prefer if we kept new badge ideas there and if you visit the link you may get a sneak peak at whats in store for the future ;)
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