Firebird Aerowing/MSE Wing Hybrid
10-26-2018, 05:30 PM
#1
Firebird Aerowing/MSE Wing Hybrid
OK, so I LOVE the way the aerowing looks on 3rd gen Firebirds. I think they accentuate the lines of the car beautifully.
I saw a Mecham Macho T/A years back. I thought the blades of the wing were too short, but it made me think of how much more amazing an aerowing would be if it was wider and extended further out the back like the Mecham wing, and about half as much taller than the stock aerowing as the Mecham wing is.
That's always just been something I've daydreamed about, but as is inevitable, the factory rubber wing has gone to crap. I've looked at the replacements available, but the blades on all of them are much thicker than stock, and really bother me.
I was watching an episode of Bitchin Rides recently where Dave Kendig designed and 3D printed a custom rear spoiler for Gen 1 Camaros.
It was 3D printed in several pieces, which were fitted together. I'm guessing that became the buck for the mold for the carbon fiber version of the spoiler they now sell.
https://www.kindigitapparel.com/prod...nt=51711382150
That got me wondering whether that might be the solution for the aerowing problem. I was talking to a fiberglass guy awhile back and showed him pics of the Classic Industries and Hawks versions of the aerowing, with the thicker blades. He said they were probably thicker because blades as thin as the originals would be prone to cracking when removed from the mold. He said if he was doing it, he's do them in carbon fiber, which would be much less likely to have that problem.
With there being so many places now to take a CAD file and have it 3D printed, I wonder if there's a way to have the stock aerowing made that way, and maybe the aerowing/Mecham hybrid wing I've been imagining all these years, too?
I saw a Mecham Macho T/A years back. I thought the blades of the wing were too short, but it made me think of how much more amazing an aerowing would be if it was wider and extended further out the back like the Mecham wing, and about half as much taller than the stock aerowing as the Mecham wing is.
That's always just been something I've daydreamed about, but as is inevitable, the factory rubber wing has gone to crap. I've looked at the replacements available, but the blades on all of them are much thicker than stock, and really bother me.
I was watching an episode of Bitchin Rides recently where Dave Kendig designed and 3D printed a custom rear spoiler for Gen 1 Camaros.
It was 3D printed in several pieces, which were fitted together. I'm guessing that became the buck for the mold for the carbon fiber version of the spoiler they now sell.
https://www.kindigitapparel.com/prod...nt=51711382150
That got me wondering whether that might be the solution for the aerowing problem. I was talking to a fiberglass guy awhile back and showed him pics of the Classic Industries and Hawks versions of the aerowing, with the thicker blades. He said they were probably thicker because blades as thin as the originals would be prone to cracking when removed from the mold. He said if he was doing it, he's do them in carbon fiber, which would be much less likely to have that problem.
With there being so many places now to take a CAD file and have it 3D printed, I wonder if there's a way to have the stock aerowing made that way, and maybe the aerowing/Mecham hybrid wing I've been imagining all these years, too?
10-27-2018, 07:35 AM
#2
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Re: Firebird Aerowing/MSE Wing Hybrid
There's very little that can't be made with 3D printing / additive manufacturing. But cost effectively? That spoiler is a BIG part, and would take some time to make. Time and material = $$$. But I really don't know how much.
10-27-2018, 07:56 AM
#3
Re: Firebird Aerowing/MSE Wing Hybrid
It's much faster and efficient to cnc a mold in two pieces. A top and bottom mold, and then put the halves together. Using cnc, a mold can be produced in a couple of hours vs. a couple of days with printing. A print then would require a negative to be made from it for the mold.The molds can be done in one piece (1 top, 1 bottom) to eliminate several seams with cnc, and the molds can be used for either glass or fiber. It doesn't matter how thin the edges are, if the correct release is used. The edges would be made solid vs. hollow anyway. At a minimum of 1" offset around the profile.We've done several custom parts with this method.
11-08-2018, 12:04 AM
#4
Re: Firebird Aerowing/MSE Wing Hybrid
It's much faster and efficient to cnc a mold in two pieces. A top and bottom mold, and then put the halves together. Using cnc, a mold can be produced in a couple of hours vs. a couple of days with printing. A print then would require a negative to be made from it for the mold.The molds can be done in one piece (1 top, 1 bottom) to eliminate several seams with cnc, and the molds can be used for either glass or fiber. It doesn't matter how thin the edges are, if the correct release is used. The edges would be made solid vs. hollow anyway. At a minimum of 1" offset around the profile.We've done several custom parts with this method.
My thought is to get someone with an MSE wing to have it scanned, and have someone else with a perfect Aerowing to get it scanned, and have a hybrid made; a Mecham wing, except with the blades extending the same length and thickness as the aerowing blades. If there's standard software, and the guy with the Mecham wing is in Tuscon, for example, and the guy with the Aerowing is in Detroit, and the Industrial 3D printer is in Houston, it wouldn't matter.
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