The future of custom cars

[enjenjo]

youtube.com/watch?v=bD6zyEhrYfU  This blows my mind.

[jaybee]

Wow, I didn't know machines like that digital sheet former existed. To me it feels like there's an opportunity out there beyond high dollar shops. Lately I've been really intrigued by Send Cut Send. There model is to do rapid turnaround on laser and water jet cutting, bending, dimple dies, flanging, and a bunch of other basic operations to order from patterns sent to them by the customer. Materials include plastics and a variety of metals, and you can price them out in various materials on their web site with the buying the materials in bulk.
youtube.com/watch?v=-yoKXh0jn3A
 

It seems like a great use of time to design parts, send them out to get them cut out accurately, and do something else while you wait for the the components to come back. On the other hand, the parts are a lot cheaper per piece when you order multiples instead of just one. If you can make the same design work in multiple positions in the assembly, use them in multiple builds, find someone who needs the same parts, or remarket them the economy of scale builds up. Or balance the expense against buying metal forming tools that mostly just take up space in the shop. Cost v time, as always.

If you could use the sheet former that way, feeding it digital files and sheetmetal all day long with little downtime, those parts could become a lot more reasonably priced.

[idrivejunk]

I thought forming machines were old news by now and suppose that none of the equipment is American made. Only watched a few minutes though. It pains me to see the wedge between wealthy elite and normal mortals driven deeper in this way. Glad I work in a dirtbag craphole because shaping is the funnest part. When I heard 19,000 hours on one vehicle I mentally checked out. $500 for a gallon of oil? This is a flagrant display of wealth. It spoils things.

As usual, my opinion may not be the popular one. I am the only employee at my work who owns a carburetor and distributor. So... custom cars, OK but where is the rodding in this? And why is the technology only being used to duplicate what already exists? Seems like a waste not using such technology to advance and create new shapes never before seen. Just my .02.

[jaybee]

Matt, I don't necessarily see it as having to be that way. These guys are building their own 60's-inspired supercar out of a salvaged Porsche Boxster chassis and Ford V8. The new tools don't have to mean a lack of creativity or eliminating regular folks from the process. It's a personal project of one of the guys using tools which were once only available to manufacturers. They used 3D scanning to establish the hard points in the chassis. They duplicated those hard points by 3D printing them, building a clay model on them, then scanning the result. The 3D scan became the plan for their buck. Since then, it's been old school coach building to the Nth degree. Pure metal shaping.

The original project above isn't duplicating what's come before, it's a Preston Tucker concept which never got off the drawing board. I consider that incredibly cool. The parts are just sections of the bodywork. Once they're formed, a real craftsman still has to cut the formed parts from their surround before blending and joining them to one another. The worker with the practiced eye, torch, hammers, and dollies is still critical to the task...he's just a lot more productive than before. Acknowledging the fact that you have to keep a million dollar machine busy to make the financial model work, those time savings can make those metalwork skills more accessible, not less.

youtube.com/watch?v=0jO1opjgU5A

[idrivejunk]

Jaybee, your vid links aren't working (for me) so perhaps I've missed your point. Mine is I don't see this machine ever helping a rodder in practical ways. Sufficient demand would have to develop. If it did, it would be cheaper to tool up and make stampings instead. I see the CNC stuff as quite sensible for those who create prototypes daily, of mass-wanted things to be mass produced by other means. Window frames for Divcos and Dusenburg fender liners are niche stuff. But I am out of touch and can rarely grasp the scale of such investments. I just think we will all be dead before anyone would care that much about old cars. They are just cars. Merging two existing body styles over another chassis is just that. Nothing new, just a rearrangement.

When somebody creates an all new body with soul like our favorites have, that will get my attention. Not seeing that.

[sirstude]

That vid just showed up on my list, but had not watched it yet.  Really interesting. I liked how he said they could, at a reasonable price and time put out parts that a shop could use that did not have anyone with the ability to hammer out a part. Reasonable being a relative term.

[kb426]

I'm processing that in my aged mind. I'm so far removed from any current world pricing that I'm unable to figure out how that would be affordable to anything other than  high end build. I have seen the shop name before either at the Nationals builders display, SEMA or some Goodguys article. I would guess that his 2 machines would have cost at least 1/2 million minus training and consumables to operate. I believe he said it would make some  parts in less than 1 hour. What does somebody like Steve's Auto charge for panel fab? I would like to see some actual pricing. However, that is way cool what can be done now. WHen I saw a demo of the 1st 3d printer that only used plastic and could only make small parts, it's surprising how fast this has accelerated. One of the members on the Pro Touring forum had the air inlet elbow of his project 3d printed in plastic to make sure it was correct and then printed in alum. With that being available, you're only limited by imagination and bank account.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I have watched the advancement of this line of tech equipment on a few of Jay Leno's videos.  Jay has saved many old cars with fresh produced parts via printing machines, test fitting.  His mopar Turbine car engine was rebuilt and running via old guys with new tech recently. A few original engineers from the 1960s Turbine engine car days helped revive the old turbine engine for Jays car

These shaping machines do take it to a new level. Will the costs come down? Maybe?  It will still be high tho.

At my age , retired,  income level , health...  I am a only a spectator on this tech and the results. It is kool