This is probably going to be a weird thread, so my apologies beforehand. I'm leading a pretty cool project this summer, which will result in a tour from San Diego to Seattle in a 1975 Spider that (fingers crossed) will be sporting some 3D printed and 3D designed upgrades.
(TLDR: Teach high school kids 3D modeling and greasy car stuff to get a 124 ready for a big road trip. Or the other way round)
To start, I work for a company called Autodesk - specifically with a free product called Tinkercad - http://www.tinkercad.com . This isn't product placement, but...Tinkercad is a browser-based 3D modeling software that's super simple and easy to use for non-engineers who just need to make a thing, either for 3D printing or even some manual processes (stay tuned). I'm always trying to use the technology in weird ways, which I think make the opportunities of 3D printing more available to people who need it, but don't know it. We've seen thousands of 3D printed tchotchkes or non-functional parts the last couple of years, but my professional and wrenching lives have been pretty mutually exclusive - unless you count my commute. A few months ago, I came across a post on the FS forum where someone was 3D printing some bits like a seat belt hoop and got me to thinking...
(last year: https://blog.tinkercad.com/category/tinkertour/)
I managed to get ahold of a 75 Spider a few months ago after a couple unsuccessful attempts. It's a (mostly) runner, bad paint and tires, needs body work and interior, etc... The PO did some creative bumper 'repair' and ruined the original bars, now the turn signals are hanging by their wires, the grills are gone and the center console is AWOL. As you all know, most of these bits are available from eBay or within the community and I'll certainly be hitting them up. But, theres an opportunity for customization in a few places and I suspect it's possible to use the products I work with.
My friend and shop-mate is a teacher at a local high school and they have a 'class without walls' program where the students can get out and do stuff in the community to get some different life experiences. Fortunately, most of them were completely stoked when he asked if they had any interest in helping out with an Italian sportscar - which was only a little misleading
So we met with the kids and had a brainstorming/ideation session to look past the paint and tires to figure out how to maximize the road trip essentials - snacks, storage, tunes and a navigator - by customizing the design.
(not Tinkercad, but first attempt at visualizing it)
They had some great ideas, including hidden usb ports, some body mods like bumper eliminators and even some creature comfort modifications like LED interior lights and drink holders. Here’s some snaps from the first day.
Over the next few months, I'll be working on the Fiat with the help of the kids. I even told them the extent to which I was going to exploit their free labor and they didn't balk. In addition to the design and mods, they're anxious to get busy sanding, painting, learning electrics, tuning, and other upgrades.
The main projects will be 3D printed turn signal bezels that have some tricky electronics, radiator grills that are water-jetted with custom designs, hood and trunk badges with custom logos and fully custom center console, with phone holder and USB ports. The center console is going to be the interesting one. I am about 78% confident that I can create a 3D model, laser cut cardboard slices and stack them as a buck and use it to cast fiberglass. 78% confident. Here's a similar project we did a few years ago: http://www.instructables.com/id/Carbon- ... -Techshop/
The current plan is on July 18, my friend, the teacher, and I take off. I'm going to ship the car to San Diego (from San Francisco) and cross our fingers as we hop from city to city up the coast doing workshops on the products that we use on the car. I'd like to meet up with some other Spider folks along the way, and I'm working with a couple of dealerships to maybe have a meetup to check out the 2017 version. I know the campout in Bend, OR is around that time, I'm hoping to be in the area by then.
If you all have suggestions or must-stops along the way, please let me know. I'd love to answer questions about 3D design/printing or set up an impromptu slalom course somewhere along the way. I'll be posting updates regularly here, but it'll be a bit of slow going until mid/late May, when we start a full time push of work on the car.
Stories like this seem to work best with a beginning, so here's the car as I picked it up.
And here's the first project - I modeled the front seat mounts in Tinkercad. I might have done this with a pencil and paper, but it's nice to see all the cuts you need to make in real time.
