Clear engine cover and accessories

[OneTimeCS]

Wow! Just saw this and am impressed with your results! I really don't want to spend money but I've been needing a 3D scanner for a while now... This forum is expensive.

Consumer-grade scanners are so much better and more affordable now than even two years ago. It's still not easy to work with the data and there's no perfect scanner for all applications, but I can now develop parts completely virtually that fit the first time, whereas in the past I'd have to go through several iterations of hand measurements and test-fitting until the design gets close enough. Let me know if you ever want any recommendations for scanners. There's a lot to choose from and it's not exactly clear what the pitfalls are of each model until you've tried (and failed) to get them to work for your application.

It's cool that you have an e46 M3: my first excuse for getting a 3D scanner many years ago was to scan the headlight housings of my e46 M3 so I could design a projector lens retrofit kit. Up until this point, everyone who retrofitted FXR projector lenses used JB Weld to mount the lenses in the housings. I couldn't get myself to use JB Weld in any car project, so I got the scanner and did things right.

Screenshot 2024-12-09 202316.png (1.01 MiB) Viewed 2797 times

Screenshot 2024-12-09 201946.png (473.38 KiB) Viewed 2797 times

Screenshot 2024-12-09 202654.png (932.79 KiB) Viewed 2797 times

[Maruscmn]

It’s either that or I’m addicted to gadgets!

[ReidMcT]

I'm very satisfied with mine. I cannot think of a finer example of bling that can be justified on purely practical grounds. No more stripping and re-installing interior trim, carpets, and sharp metal. Six screws and you're into the engine.

I'm looking forward to the new center piece; the wings design looks very cool, too. Industrial artistry.

20241015_143547 (1).jpg (4.51 MiB) Viewed 2715 times

[ReidMcT]

There is a lot of talent on Carpokes!

... and patrons thereof!

[OneTimeCS]

For those who are interested in the technical details: one of the issues I have to contend with is warping of the aluminium during the laser cutting process. Cutting the mesh pattern into the metal creates a lot of heat, and that heat makes the part want to take the shape of a taco shell (or more accurately, and Pringles chip). It's nowhere near as bad as an actual Pringles chip, but in the end, the part is no longer flat once it has been laser cut.

The ideal way to avoid this is to have the part cut with a die, but that would cost tens of thousands for the tooling. Since I make such small batches, laser cutting is the best option.

The carbon fiber frame, which is flat and very rigid, has an important function of flattening out the warpage of the aluminium part. In order to further aid in flattening out the warpage, I add slits through the mounting holes that create smaller sections that can shift around a little to accommodate the material expansion that causes the warpage. These slits aren't visible once everything is installed in the car, but it's a crucial detail in designing parts that have extensive laser cutting.

Screenshot 2024-12-17 161344.png (108.9 KiB) Viewed 2688 times

[mkrporsche]

Are making this available as a kit to 718 owners? You had to know that this question was coming.
MKR
Cheshire, CT

[OneTimeCS]

Are making this available as a kit to 718 owners? You had to know that this question was coming.
MKR
Cheshire, CT

Yes, I'm actually doing this project because I've gotten so many requests for it over the years. I don't have a 718 (I have a 981), so one of the challenges is to design the parts without actually having a car in front of me. Once I've reached the stage of making real parts (which is where I'm at now), I have to be 99% sure that the parts fit. Otherwise it'll be an expensive mistake to make a batch of parts that don't work.

[dr bob]

Is water-jet cutting an option to avoid the heat and warpage?

[OneTimeCS]

Is water-jet cutting an option to avoid the heat and warpage?

That's what I had requested the shop to do at first, but for some reason they avoided water jet cutting. I'm not sure why, as it would theoretically avoid all the difficulties I'm having with laser cutting.

Perhaps the water/abrasive mixture starts the corrosion process in the aluminium, which could interfere with anodizing and tinting afterwards. Honestly I'm not sure!

[OneTimeCS]

I finally got the production parts for the turbo flat-4 engine centerpiece covers, and they look great. Furthermore, it looks as if the aluminium mesh parts were water jet cut, not laser, so there was no warpage to contend with. I did some test fitments and made some adjustments to the mounting bases.

The parts were sent out for the first installation, and here was the result:

Screenshot 2025-02-01 133107.png (1002.83 KiB) Viewed 2192 times

Screenshot 2025-02-01 133129.png (1.91 MiB) Viewed 2192 times