E46 M3 cluster swap

[UNHCLL]

Chris,

Could you buy some clear lexan - heat it in the oven perhaps enough to make it soft and then overlay it on an existing cluster to form the shape?

Looks nice, cool to see a project from theory to application come together!

[Ray Smoodiver]

A++++ would read again.

[nando]

Chris,

Could you buy some clear lexan - heat it in the oven perhaps enough to make it soft and then overlay it on an existing cluster to form the shape?

Looks nice, cool to see a project from theory to application come together!

Possibly.. the sheet i have is thin enough to bend at room temp, but it might be too flimsy. Another concern is UV resistance, if i remember right acrylic is better at UV but lexan is more scratch resistant.

A++++ would read again.

To be honest i might have to go back and read it, i dont think i even know how it works anymore.

[nando]

Actually Chris, you may be onto something.

Random youtube video on vacuum forming:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ooVBJbYac_4

I'd have to make a mold, but its a much simpler shape than an RC car body.

For future reference:

http://m.instructables.com/id/Make-a-good,-cheap,-upgradeable-sheet-plastic-vacu/

[george graves]

I'm lost - why do you want to remake the front of the e30 cluster "glass"?

[nando]

What do you mean? Because I'm using the E30 housing? Also the E30 trip odometer "reset" is in a different spot. So I'd have to drill two holes in the E30 cover, and then there'd be the original hole leftover. It would look goofy.

I've been trying to figure out what to do about it forever. I can make the vacuum form pretty cheap, so why not? Also I'm thinking of all kinds of other things I could do with vacuum forming. :)

[AndrewBird]

I did some vacuum forming using that exact instructable a few years back. Still have my platen. Make sure you use metal corner connectors for the window screen frame. I tried plastic and they end up melting in the oven and causing problems.

Whatever you use for your mold, make sure it is absolutely perfect. I was trying to make goggle lenses with mine and even with an almost mirror polished piece of lead used as a mold, the lenses weren't good enough to see through. On a bigger piece like your doing, viewed from farther away, it should be a lot easier to get right.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Yeah, from my experiments, optical (clear) is a lot harder to vac form.

[nando]

Yeah, it could be tough. But if you look at a 25 year old cluster up close, they have lots of scratches, but they aren't very noticeable. I was thinking of using acrylic since it can be polished.

[Wh33lhop]

Yeah, it could be tough. But if you look at a 25 year old cluster up close, they have lots of scratches, but they aren't very noticeable. I was thinking of using acrylic since it can be polished.

I'd guess the nature of the imperfections of a mold probably won't be comparable to scratches.

[nando]

I guess that depends on how i make my form. :p

[UNHCLL]

I guess that depends on how i make my form. :p

Elmers glue, popsicle sticks, and fuzzy pipe cleaners should work just fine.
Then when people critique it, just claim - "You dont understand the style I was going for... I didn't want it to be clean az fuk!"

;)

[nando]

wh33lhop's just a hater!

[george graves]

the E30 trip odometer "reset" is in a different spot.

Ah, I see - yea, that's tough. Make a wire with a z-bend in it?

I've never seen vacuum forming (at home) done with anything of the thickness that you're after. That's not to say it can't be done.

How about you mill it out of transparent aluminum?

[Wh33lhop]

wh33lhop's just a hater!

Just change my post to hate hate hate hate hate :p