Seemed like a nice, easy unit to use. Only complaint is that the working area is very small. My mould just BARELY fit! Very lucky it did just clear, however.
Here are some PETG sheets along with one of the moulds. Blue protective plastic is removed during the process.
Here are some "learning experience" sheets below. It takes some trial and error to dial in the right heating time and how hot to get the plastic before forming. Some of these reject lenses were used for the "hammer" test to also explore the effect of over heating on the impact resistance of the material. I will post a hammer test video tomorrow
And here are some lenses that went well:
I will get a few more pictures with them popped out of the moulds.
Now here is the slight set back:
During the trial and error process, we tried something that didn't work out so well. Long story short, we were not aware that we were heating up the mould quite a bit. We ended up burning the mould and it required some last minute (and very crude) rework. A "good" lens was still pulled from this mould after it was reworked but it wouldn't meet my expectations for quality to sell it to anyone. So, I will either have to rework the mould more, or have a new one cut. At the very least, the "good" lens I got from it will be used for test fitting etc. since it is dimensionally accurate. The finish is just a little bumpy. Nothing that can't be eventually fixed.
In the end, we got the process dialed in perfect. I will post more pictures in a little while and trim the excess material from the lenses this weekend. So far so good!
(Also, when I refer to "we" in these posts, I had some friends with me who wanted lend a hand. Always helps to have a second and third set of hands and some extra brains for problem solving!)
Just a little excited so I pulled out some mock up card board buckets and lights. Threw the lens on top (untrimmed) just to give an idea of how things are shaping up:
And one with a shroud on one of the lights:
Its tough to see the shape of the lens when its clear with no paint. I put them over a black stove so you might be able to see it better:
that looks great .the mdf is not going to hold up by the looks of it .i know RC body makers use some kind of high temp plastic to make their forms out of .maybe get billet aluminum forms made up ? either way , the prototypes look amazing , just like i pictured them .
that looks great .the mdf is not going to hold up by the looks of it .i know RC body makers use some kind of high temp plastic to make their forms out of .maybe get billet aluminum forms made up ? either way , the prototypes look amazing , just like i pictured them .
Actually, the MDF held up wonderfully. The only reason the one got damaged was 100% error on our part. We under heated a lens and tried to form it, and then decided to apply heat to the plastic while the mould was still in it to see if it would still form. With the heating element over the plastic and the mould, you can't really see whats going on. We left the heating element over the mould/plastic way too long and burnt the crap out of it. The wood glue on the mould started to blister and it has to be refinished now.
Normally, we would never have the mould exposed to the heating element... just some experimentation gone wrong haha. All a part of the learning process.
[This message has been edited by doublec4 (edited 02-18-2012).]
Check out the "hammer test" video for these lenses I just put up on youtube:
I was very happy with my material selection. As you can see, a very hard blow with a hammer won't even crack these lenses. Keep in mind that was a "failed" lens that was overheated as well. Overheating this plastic will decrease impact resistance. So the actual lenses that were successful would be even stronger. There was also barely even a scuff in the lens from the hammer. I can try and take some pictures of the mark it left. Its hardly noticable so I'm not sure the camera will capture it.
I wish I got a video of my friend stomping on one of these lenses. He was able to pop one "inside out" and then it actually popped right back into place. We were able to eventually crack one with repeated blows with a hammer. We came to the conclusion that unless you drive into a hail storm of hammers, then road debris and rocks should never crack one of these.
Tried doing some trimming/cutting today with a dremel on a scrap lens. Not the ideal tool. I think I will go out tomorrow and pick up a scroll saw... if that doesn't work, it will come in handy for something else!
I'm intrigued, I would like to see what this is going to look like when it's on the car. My fear is that its going to look like those "gator" lights. but good job on the vacuforming, it definitely is an art!
Well that picture there is what I'm shooting for... I will have some other options available for people who like fancy lights and some bling. I don't think they will look like "gator eyes" because they are not the exposed lights like the PISA kit. The clear lens on top will keep things looking stealth when painted.
Some good news though, I have been able to repair the mold that was damaged, so I don't have to have another one cut.
Hope there are some people interested in these things when its all said and done! I keep sinking money into this project lol Next week there will be no progress as I will be in sunny Mexico. After that, I'm building my own vacuum forming machine. Stay tuned!
i definitely want a set .i think these will sell well .there has yet to be a set of fixed headlight fiero kits that give a proper light spread .i really believe this should be as good as the stock lights , hopefully better .my car is available if you want to test fit sometime before you can get at your car .
i definitely want a set .i think these will sell well .there has yet to be a set of fixed headlight fiero kits that give a proper light spread .i really believe this should be as good as the stock lights , hopefully better .my car is available if you want to test fit sometime before you can get at your car .
I agree. This is why I designed the covers with a "bubble." This way the lights can be pushed up and forwards so their beam pattern is not obstructed by the hood. As for the amount of light, these will blow the stock units away. Especially if you have all 4 projectors on for low beam use.
I have a bit of work to do before the test fit stage, but if I need a test car I'll let you know. I know you're not far from here
and tested it out to trim a headlight lens. Worked great and I didn't even have in the proper blade. Much faster than the dremel and a much, much cleaner cut. No plastic melting either, and seems pretty straight forward. I bought some proper blades for plastic use. I'm pretty excited!
Yes there will be shroud options for the other headlight. I just threw whatever I had in there at the time because I was excited lol. Im having more shrouds shipped to me of a different style as well so people can choose what they like.
I will also be trying to make a vanity "cover" of sorts for the area in front of the lights.
I will be away for the next week so if you have any other questions I won't be able to respond right away. I'll definitely respond when I return.
Thanks!
EDIT: I believe the different style shrouds I ordered are a different size as well. We'll see when I receive them. You will be able to mix and match or whatever you prefer. ------------------ Check out my build and my website! https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum3/HTML/000100.html Embrace Racing
[This message has been edited by doublec4 (edited 02-22-2012).]
Could you use one of the "good" lenses as a mold? Fill it w/ plaster and let it set-up. Pop the plaster mold out of the lense and use it for further production of lenses... Maybe plaster wouldn't be the best, but I am sure there are other resins one could use??
Will these be pop-up headlights or fixed position? I think they would look cool as pop-ups under the stock Fiero door; nice and low-pro, but still stock looking when closed...
DISCLAIMER: If prices requires a testicle or other body part to be sold to afford mod, then Hulki's interest in the project could possibly be terminated. Seller's version of affordable may not directly match Hulki's version of affordable, and may therefore terminate Hulki's interest. Economy and Uncle Sam could terminate Hulki's interest to buy at any time. Not valid in the state of California.
Will these be pop-up headlights or fixed position? I think they would look cool as pop-ups under the stock Fiero door; nice and low-pro, but still stock looking when closed...
It would really be pointless to have those as pop-ups. They are meant to be fixed like the NSX headlights:
[This message has been edited by yellowstone (edited 02-29-2012).]
I see what you mean. OK, it is not pointless but I don't think it's the intention here.
I understand... But what if the OP made two different headlight mods; maybe tweak the stock flip-up bucket to accept this new pod... He could sell twice as many
Just tossing some ideas out there. I like the idea of PFF members offering these unique parts and just offering a li feedback on what "I" would like for "MY" Fiero IMO, the flush-mount headlights look a bit out of place on the Fiero's 80's design. The only one I think looks decent is the one on the Norms flipper front ends...
I understand... But what if the OP made two different headlight mods; maybe tweak the stock flip-up bucket to accept this new pod... He could sell twice as many
Just tossing some ideas out there. I like the idea of PFF members offering these unique parts and just offering a li feedback on what "I" would like for "MY" Fiero IMO, the flush-mount headlights look a bit out of place on the Fiero's 80's design. The only one I think looks decent is the one on the Norms flipper front ends...
Agreed, it is not the intent, but more so there have been other "slim-popup" versions already offered for those who are interested. What is being done here is for the other option that is less readily available; a "fixed" headlight. As for fixed headlights this is an amazing step forward in style and practicality (much needed light exposure) !
Muchas Gracias for the comments everyone. Just got back from Mexico so hopefully tomorrow I can get something done and post another update.
Right now I think I will focus on the fixed headlight version until I have it ready for being sold. I'm still uncertain on the price because there are several pieces of the puzzle still missing.
The lenses should hold up to the UV rays just fine for a number of years. I've read into and it seems PETG is good for outdoor use. However, I still wouldn't recommend leaving them exposed outside in the desert sun all day everyday. I would take care of them like you would take care of the paint on your vehicle.
Regarding the issue of heat.. also keep in mind that the lenses will regularily have air passing over and around them; drawing heat away. I don't think that they will be able to reach their forming temperature of appx. 120 degrees celsius and deform or melt. I'll do a test and run some projectors under a lens that is just sitting on a table and see what happens
I was able to trim one of the lenses with the scroll saw yesterday. Worked out quite well for my first time cutting curves with the scroll saw. I will also get faster at cutting with practice. Anyways, I will get some pictures a little later of the lens sitting on the hood of my car. Hopefully the picture turns out because it is in storage in my parent's garage right now.
Here are a couple shots of the lens sitting on the hood. Sorry for the poor quality and poor lighting. The car is in the garage, under a lift and I can't move it outside at this point. On to the pictures:
The lens also fits perfectly into the headlight cover hole in the spare hood I have in the background. So far so good!
Any concerns about light diffraction though the new lens?
Nolan
Yes, some concern. I just threw a spare (barely working) HID kit on one of the lights and tossed the lens cover over it. The cut off isn't quite as sharp, but its not horrible by any means. You can see the comparison pictures I included below with no cover vs. the cover.
Some things to keep in mind while looking at the pictures. I have H4 bulbs in those projectors which are meant for H1.... so they really aren't being used properly for this demonstration. Also, I'm only 4ft from the wall. Not exactly ideal. And finally, the lens cover was just thrown on over top. Its not properly aligned. I didn't have time to adjust it when taking pictures because the ballast kept dying on me. When it comes time to actually install and aim lights with working ballasts, we'll see the results. Either way, its not too bad in my opinion and I'll see what I can do to improve it. I won't be trying to hide anything from you guys. Take a look:
No cover:
Cover thrown on:
And also the second choice in projector shrouds came in. They are translucent smoked grey and the ring around the front is supposed to "glow" with the lights on:
Thats it for now until the next update!
[This message has been edited by doublec4 (edited 03-04-2012).]
