Technical Unobtainium plastic parts?

What are some of the REALLY hard to find plastic parts you've never been able to find (or afford)?

My son is starting to research a little side business to develop.
The first thing that popped into my mind is taillight and turn signal lenses for the orphan makes
The NOS supply has got to be drying up, right?

He want's to do something with a 3D printer, and I've been training him how to create 3D CAD models.
If you've got a product idea you wouldn't mind sharing I'd appreciate it.

Thom

 

I would love to see a Roth shift knob, perhaps black plastic with the pattern cast in to be filled with contrasting paint...but someone would probably sue.
A lot of stuff I'd like to see in plastic for Old Fords is available in repro, but thoroughly mediocre repro. The barely adequate catalog parts probably kill the potential market for accurate parts...

 

Here is a link to a guy that does some great work.
http://www.famelessmonsters.com/
To artistic for his skill set though lol

 

Tail light lenses for 1960 Chrysler

 

How big are those?
They look frigging huge


Full Kustom, drunk mobile posting

 

he better get in a hurry and start producing.....lots of guys are already in...like was said maybe not the best re-produced...check the want adds for what guys are looking.....just when you think the stuff is unobtainable....it pops up on ebay.....

 

I had a friend that needed the interior side light lenses for a 38 Buick sedan - he made molds and cast them himself, it was an incredible amount of work. Doing these with the logos and such would be a lot easier with the 3d printer.

 

I have some ideas also...would love to discuss it with you and your son pm me..

 

Here's mine next to a 12" rule. I would love to find a new set.




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Dash plastic (waterfall, instrument cluster, knobs, etc.) for early packards such as the 1941. Usually brittle and broken. There were some sources of resin cast replacements. Not sure if anyone has repopped in plastic?

 

I already do this. People send me parts and I reverse engineer them or laser scan them for printing or cnc


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It is a nice side business.


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Many owners of not so old (60s) full size cars with tilt columns need turn signal cancel cams. I know for my 68 DeVille with tilt/telescope column they simply don't exist. Could be an easy piece and even USED ones, if found, sell for 200-300. Just a thought. Lots of the pieces within steering columns would be good candidates.

 

You have to use some really good quality plastics in places that get sun exposure or they will fog or fade out really bad.
A good example of bad plastic is the repop crap from China.

 

Oh, I'm not intending to snatch business from you.
PM inbound

Yup, I'm an enginerd working on plastic parts daily. Nothing worse than parts that disintegrate.
I'm doing a bunch of research on what's available

 

'39 and '40 Merc dash plastic!

 

What's plastic on those? It looks mostly metal
About how big are they? Doing research on how large of a machine we need.

 

This stuff:
This is heavily painted her, the ribbing...stock, it is matched to dash and interior colors and is generally warped, cracked, and unobtainable. Many just remove the wreckage, some people have milled substitutes from wood and painted that to match!

 

My 61 Galaxie,223, 1bbl holley, has a plastic cam-detent thing that crumbled.
Exposure gas, Arizona heat, 56 years, a friend made me a handful from his 3-D printer.
They work perfect.

 

X2 on Packard dash plastic, 40-42. Yes there is resin cast stuff available but requires a liberal app of KY to purchase. There's 4 colors for 41, not sure how many were kept for 42 or offered in 40. Getting good copies will be the challenge.

 

It looks like the biggest piece is the one with the clock. How big is it?
I'm looking at a machine the will do 18" diameter area

 

I'm using a set of 54 ford ranch wagon tail lights on my 25 studebaker...I know there's a few nos sets of lens on eBay but would love for someone to be able to make me a set just a bit of a different shape but still fit in the original bezels


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Hey guys, thanks for the ideas.
My son has a large format printer up and running now., It's busy making Halloween stuff lol.

 

Add '40 Chrysler dash plastics to the list of 40's car dash trim that could be reproduced. Granted, not near as much demand for it, but you'll be the only one making it, and in the 10+ years I've had a '40 Chrysler I've never found a single piece of dash plastic for sale for any price, and nearly every car I've ever seen needed it.

 

not for me, but check out what the resto guys need, dials, knobs, button covers etc...
If you can get this off the ground good luck to you, I've been trying for a year or two to get some CAD side work from the freelance sites but everyone wants an engineer or an architect.

 

We've been hard at work, doing some small pieces and experimenting with different materials.

Here is our latest creation
Hood bird


Full Kustom, drunk mobile posting

 

We found some translucent red material. It looks good with just a single layer but that would be too weak for the real world. I reversed these glass chevy lenses
They give a good light dispersion but my lux meter shows quite a reduction in light transmission
Raw bulb 200 ft candles
Glass lense 100
Printed lense shows 60

Back to the drawing board

Full Kustom, drunk mobile posting

 

A few different settings, and a model change gives quite a nice lense



Printed one on the right.
I like how it diffuses across the whole lense

Full Kustom, drunk mobile posting

 

interesting stuff

 

How about a set of 55 Pontiac wagon lenses?