Front fender aero testing
#82
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That would be a cool product. Cut fenders and bolt on filler panel, done. Factory fenders are getting harder to find for cheap so the old way I did it is becoming less of an option, and it's a very small % of guys who are up for making their own body panels.
#85
If you're looking for a full replacement fender you'll be best building your own.
I'm thinking in the direction of supplying the filler panels with a cut template, just trace it on the factory fender, cut the section away and rivet / bolt the new filler plate on.
It's smaller and therefore cheaper to make and ship, and the cars already have fenders on them... much like Ryan offering his hood vents as opposed to a vented hood
I'm thinking in the direction of supplying the filler panels with a cut template, just trace it on the factory fender, cut the section away and rivet / bolt the new filler plate on.
It's smaller and therefore cheaper to make and ship, and the cars already have fenders on them... much like Ryan offering his hood vents as opposed to a vented hood
#86
I have followed most of the Morpheus build but your fabrication skills are an order of magnitude above mine. I loved the finish panels but am unsure the process in which you used to get the shape. One of the better cuts I have seen using just a single fender is a recent one in the aero sticky. I would probably us a cutting tool with a bit less width but the execution looks good.
#87
This is timely for me as I'm just modifying my guards to fit some 10" rims. What do you guys think of this design?
I photo modelled the front guard, re-skinned it in 3D then shaped some louvers over the wheel arch. The gap between each 'gill' is around 10mm so it's an equivalent cross section of around 70sq cm or a 3.7" round hole.
Mould:
I can CNC machine a female mould from chemiwood easy enough. It's a simple 3-axis cut and I already have the material. I don't have any experience in making fiberglass or carbon fibre parts though so I need some advice as to what way to form it from here. Like can I just sand, and paint the female mould and form up directly onto that? Alternatively I could gut the male part as a solid plug and then lay up a mould over that.
I photo modelled the front guard, re-skinned it in 3D then shaped some louvers over the wheel arch. The gap between each 'gill' is around 10mm so it's an equivalent cross section of around 70sq cm or a 3.7" round hole.
Mould:
I can CNC machine a female mould from chemiwood easy enough. It's a simple 3-axis cut and I already have the material. I don't have any experience in making fiberglass or carbon fibre parts though so I need some advice as to what way to form it from here. Like can I just sand, and paint the female mould and form up directly onto that? Alternatively I could gut the male part as a solid plug and then lay up a mould over that.
#88
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
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Welllll yeah, you used one set of fenders, but then you had to make a new rear section from scratch... it's a great execution and lighter weight but it's also the more complicated option of the two, not the simpler one. The point was you can't just cut up one set of fenders and be done - you've got to either scavenge a back section from a second pair of fenders OR you'd have to make new rear sections from scratch.
That said, plenty of guys HAVE done similar stuff with just one set of fenders that takes only simple cutting and no significant fabriction... they just don't have a rear section
That said, plenty of guys HAVE done similar stuff with just one set of fenders that takes only simple cutting and no significant fabriction... they just don't have a rear section
#90
Mould:
I can CNC machine a female mould from chemiwood easy enough. It's a simple 3-axis cut and I already have the material. I don't have any experience in making fiberglass or carbon fibre parts though so I need some advice as to what way to form it from here. Like can I just sand, and paint the female mould and form up directly onto that? Alternatively I could gut the male part as a solid plug and then lay up a mould over that.
I think this great. Could you not just make the mold solid, lay some fiberglass over the top, cure, then use a rotary tool to cut/grind the rest out? I have limited use with fiberglass, but that is probably how I would attempt it.
#91
eBay to the rescue - Vented Fenders (front) Na For Miata 90-96 Mazda eBay
They are good for the people who want looks however.
#93
This is timely for me as I'm just modifying my guards to fit some 10" rims. What do you guys think of this design?
I photo modelled the front guard, re-skinned it in 3D then shaped some louvers over the wheel arch. The gap between each 'gill' is around 10mm so it's an equivalent cross section of around 70sq cm or a 3.7" round hole.
Mould:
I can CNC machine a female mould from chemiwood easy enough. It's a simple 3-axis cut and I already have the material. I don't have any experience in making fiberglass or carbon fibre parts though so I need some advice as to what way to form it from here. Like can I just sand, and paint the female mould and form up directly onto that? Alternatively I could gut the male part as a solid plug and then lay up a mould over that.
I photo modelled the front guard, re-skinned it in 3D then shaped some louvers over the wheel arch. The gap between each 'gill' is around 10mm so it's an equivalent cross section of around 70sq cm or a 3.7" round hole.
Mould:
I can CNC machine a female mould from chemiwood easy enough. It's a simple 3-axis cut and I already have the material. I don't have any experience in making fiberglass or carbon fibre parts though so I need some advice as to what way to form it from here. Like can I just sand, and paint the female mould and form up directly onto that? Alternatively I could gut the male part as a solid plug and then lay up a mould over that.
#95
Any suggestions to changes in the design? I'm trying to keep them fairly flat like shark gills so that they don't break the laminar flow. Most of the GT and lemans prototypes look similar.
#96
Similar enough that I think they could be made to fit. I've got a spare NB guard in the shed, i'll try lay it against my NA for some kind of confirmation.
The other consideration is, are they... erm "mirror-able", or would left and right sided moulds be necessary?
The theory is simply to alleviate high pressure air, so i agree the design should be perfect provided there is enough space for the required airflow. I'm not clever enough to be able to 'calculate' the size necessary..... so just go on gut feel
I just take inspiration from the fastest of cars (as you mentioned, GT and lemans prototypes):
The alternative is, a completely exposed fender such as my go-to car for inspiration:
The other consideration is, are they... erm "mirror-able", or would left and right sided moulds be necessary?
I just take inspiration from the fastest of cars (as you mentioned, GT and lemans prototypes):
The alternative is, a completely exposed fender such as my go-to car for inspiration:
#97
I think the time attack car style vents are more for an aggressive look rather than ideal flow. You wouldn't expect those sort of vents on an F1 car which says something about the aero effect.
The vents are mirrorable... but I can machine both moulds easy enough.
I think I'm going to lift the base a bit so they can clear fender flares and maybe add an additional 'gill' on the back. This will make them a bit less chunky.
If you wrap some tape in stripes over the NB guard, draw some squiggles on the tape and take a series of photos in an arc at different elevations I can photomodel them and see how different they are. Nest to do it in ambient lighting so you don't get lots of specular highlights and reflections.
Like this:
The vents are mirrorable... but I can machine both moulds easy enough.
I think I'm going to lift the base a bit so they can clear fender flares and maybe add an additional 'gill' on the back. This will make them a bit less chunky.
If you wrap some tape in stripes over the NB guard, draw some squiggles on the tape and take a series of photos in an arc at different elevations I can photomodel them and see how different they are. Nest to do it in ambient lighting so you don't get lots of specular highlights and reflections.
Like this: