Sexmnypwr@aol.com wrote
> Daniel,
>
> If you vacuum form a clear plastic over foam, you will not get a nice
>clear finish on the inside (to see the chromed stacks). It would be
>textured unless you spray a catalyzed primer over your foam buck and sand
>it smooth. This is time consuming. If you want a nice "showpiece" type
>airbox to show off your velocity stacks, I would go with the polycarbonate
>(lexan). Keep in mind over time with the heat in the engine compartment
>the plex won't stay nice and clean/clear. It will yellow, then get
>brittle and start to crack eventually.
> I would create a layout drawing of the carb/air filter mounting holes to
>create a template for the mounting side of your airbox. Use "Weld-On" to
>bond the edges of your plex box, this is the molecular type bonding
>liquid. There is nothing stronger as it fusion welds the plastic edges
>together.
> Good luck, it should look sweet when you're finished.
>
> Stan Wada
>
Not only will you need to prime and sand (at least) your foam master, it
will need to be released with wax or something equivalent. Thermoformed
plastics sometimes grab primer. It will need a *perfect* finish, any
piece of dust will show up. I think the jury's out on polycarbonate.
It's harder to Vac-Form, if you overheat it the moisture in the plastic
boils and you get bubbles. Will Acrylic or Polycarbonate stand up to
engine compartment heat? Not to be a party pooper, but you could
potentially get in $$$ pretty deep pretty quick with custom vacuum
forming on non-standard bucks (Foam, that is)
-Marc T.
-Marc T.
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