well everyone with a 3rd gen camaro knows that the cigarette lighter and the headlight are in the same spot on either side of the guage cluster. im in a design manufacturing class and our final is to make something on the lathe. i was lookin around my car thinkin of things to make out of aluminum. i came up with the idea of covers for those 2 things, the cig lighter and the headlight switch. they are going to be polished aluminum, and will have an iron cross etched into them. any ideas on what else i could machine? and what are your thoughts on these pieces?

 

if you have time you could machine me some 18" IROC rims

 

red,

You might want to consider taking a look at the following thread:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=168540

Powermite made many peices out of aluminum for his interior...and I think it looks great. I'm pretty sure he made his gauge cluster/bezels on a lathe from aluminum tubing. I'd guess at a size tubing that is large enough, since I'm sure that the size you need for that would be exactly what they make... Then turn down the od to what you want, and then bore the id to what you want. face or contour the front lip, then use a cutoff wheel and you have yourself an aluminum gauge bezel. I think it would be a great idea. The headlight switch and cig lighter would look great along with this!

good luck

 

well this semester is a lathe project, next semester is a mill project. ill be making my own radio bezel out of aluminum at that time. im just in the process right now of designing those covers, so if anyone has any other ideas, id like to hear them

 

a short shifter!

i was going to do that on the lathe but then i figured i could just take the stock shifter, cut out an inch or so of lever and weld it back together. but i think having a machined aluminum shifter would look awesome

 

yea a short shifter would be nice if my car wasnt automatic...