Custom Machined Parts For Your 370Z

AgStacker

Wow we have lots of designs now, but we'll have to agree on just ONE (front and rear) for the time being. I want to make all the popular styles and please all the people following this thread, but realistically I'm afraid that wont happen. It's a lot of work to make these badges, and the window of opportunity for me to get these parts on to a machine is very small, you see its like this....

I do not own the machine shop that these parts will be produced in, but I have been working there for 8 years. The owner is a very good friend of mine and allows me to use the equipment for my own projects from time to time. So... obviously these badges will take a back seat to the day-to-day business of the shop. The owner does not give a sh!t about 370z badges with the new style Z, at least not yet.

This project will not be allowed to disrupt or interfere with the normal flow of the shop in anyway. What that means is basically this:

There are 21 CNC machines in our shop. Only 4 of them meet the criteria required to produce these parts. ( ball nose milling is a PITA) The only time I can use these machines would be from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning 6 am. Since this project can not interferer with the shop's business, I must wait until one of these machines has finished a production run on a Friday/Saturday and would otherwise sit empty over the weekend. I can NOT "tear down" a production set-up, make my parts, and then replace the original set up before the shop re-opens on Monday. Thus I must wait until the perfect opportunity arises. When will that be? I don't know, not too long, but If I were going to make 4 or 5 different styles it would probably take months of waiting.

That said I vote for ZF-2A, and ZR-2A.

scruffydog

I can totally feel you on this; which is why I would advise everybody to be realistic about which one you pick. Like AGStacker said, he is working really hard to fit a schedule in for these prototype emblems to be made. Unfortunately, these are not parts that we can mass produce and expect people to buy them like candy, so they will never be seen as a high priority in ANY machine shops. Unless of course, hundreds or thousands of these are sold and we're trying to make a business out of this, then that's a different story.

Anyhow, I'm on the same boat as AG with the ZF-2A and ZR-2A right now. As much as we all like to have the middle portion (fillet) of the emblem to be color matched to body color (whether if it's powder coated or painted), it's best to leave that as a second operation (for you guys). I suggest if we're applying any finishing to it, we should do it to the whole badge.

As for the people that don't like the fillet part, you can either paint it yourself, or I think it's best to just have the body shop (or yourself) to shave off whatever tabs that's protruding into the hollow parts of the emblem and paint it prior to applying the emblem. Because at the end of the day, you're spending that much work to get an emblem that's machined, you might as well go all the way and do it right.

As for the two piece idea, it's a good idea except it's really not ideal because it's not cost effective way just so we can have a 2 tone surface. Double side tape can be really tacky. Another method is we can have (which i don't recommend) is have the top piece pierce through the bottom piece and have it sandwich between the bumper. And then we can have it thread into a lock nut on back side of the bumper. Of course this will require drilling 2 holes, but now for sure it'll be secure and nobody can steal it. But I can see this being super hard to machine and will cost super expensive.

AGstacker, do you need me to send you the files again, or do you have both the front and back? I think you only have the front files.

AgStacker

yes please, I don't have ZF-2A, ZR-2A since we changed the tabs.

scruffydog

k, I'll send those files over today

AgStacker

Spent a few hours at the shop today after work. I started laying the ground work for the g-code program I will be creating. I imported one of Scruffy's models into some software created to work in conjunction with the software he used to design the parts. It's called CAMworks (Computer Assisted Machining) This type of software allows the user to reproduce compound geometry with out the use of specially made tooling.

I will be honest and tell you that this is a very challenging part by my standards. I have never made a part that forced me to rely so heavily on CAM. Usually I take a much less sophisticated approach to my programs that only requires me to CAM when absolutely necessary . But the fact is the entire visible surface of this badge must be CAMed. It's the only way.

So, I set out to do it and I must say that I am very pleased with myself. The program is by no means complete, but after a couple hours of trying different approaches I had made significant headway on the most difficult steps in the process. I left the shop with a feeling of accomplishment and a big smile on my face.

A few more days like today and the program will be ready, and I will be waiting for the opportunity to bring these parts to life.

I'll make some screen shots of the software, and post a few updated photos of the shop over the coming days to keep up the interest in this thread. (print screen + ctrl V = awesome, thanks Kevin)

scruffydog

HAHA, I knew it was not gonna be a piece of cake. It's hard to not think of the machining process while I'm drawing up the badge. But knowing that you and the use of CAMworks was able to get you somewhere, I'm very impressed. Sorry it's taking me some time to send you the file for the Rear emblem. I have the dimensions on my table somewhere, I just need to modify it to the front one. I realized that you do already have the ZF-2A already. It's the last file I sent you.

I did forget to mention something last time....about the fillet circle, the current thickness is 4.3 mm or something like that, since I don't know what the height of the tabs are (esp the front ones being so big), we may want to increase the thickness of the fillet part if necessary? I guess worst case if these tabs get to be too tall, we can always shave a little bit and it's still cover by the fillet circle.

AgStacker

ah yes, I've found the file for ZF-2A, thank you. as for the 4.3 mm thickness, please refer to the pictures I posted at the top of page 9 in this thread. I think we're ok on the front, but those rear nubs look pretty damn big. To me it looks bigger than 4.3mm. Did you say you are trying to keep your bumper cover in perfect condition to re-sell it after upgrading to Nismo? or is that just for the front?