Posted to hopefully be helpful, but also because my interest is piqued. In my mind there is much more length between the rear wheel well and door frame on the Europa, which might push the driver back behind the b pillar. Maybe not too big an issue, but definitely a factor.
Also note how the Europa's windshield doesn't really begin until the end of the front wheel. I'm wondering if taking 6" out of the Europa behind the door and pushing the wheels out in all directions might make it aesthetically pleasing. Neat project, no matter what.
NOHOME said:
Not sure that this a mold making project but rather a fiberglass fabrication project.
Molds would only really come into play if you plan to make more than one part.
If you just want to stretch the Europa body over the Elise chassis, then cut it as required, support the gaps and fill in the gaps with fiberglass so as to make it all one piece again. In theory you would do all this work in the first place just so that you had a plug to make a mold FROM.
The above wont leave you with the lightest part possible, but functionally it should do the job of disguising the Elise as a Europa.
Most time I made molds I made one part. A splash mold is entirely different from a production mold. Yes I can usually make more parts than 1 with a splash mold,. But typically it's only one or two layers of Matt. Not even a Gel coat base. Plus I don't squeegee a mold. It's not about getting it light. It's just making a pattern that can be copied. If I kept my chopper gun I'd just spray it, hang the weight.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF IS CALLED REVERSE DRAFT. Or having the part trapped in the mold. If you have that issue the skill is were doing you put the split?
A production mold will use 2 pieces of plywood carefully contoured to exactly follow the body. Holes drilled every few inches for the bolts to locate and hold everything together. The joint faces heavily waxed
A splash mold can use a couple of stiff pieces of cardboard and a couple of holes to locate with clamps holding the rest together. The joint faces heavily waxed.
no matter which you use there will be a ridge mark that needs to be removed.
one of the tricks I use is whenever I'm working with Fiberglas I keep touching the overhang. There is a point where Fiberglas starts to get leathery but hasn't fully hardened. That's when you trim it using a new utility knife blade. It's sooooooo much neater than waiting for it to fully harden and then grinding it off with itchy dust flying everywhere. You can even crumble it up and not waste a bunch of space in the trash.
In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah I think you might be right about the sort of odd dimensional differences. It seems to me the greenhouse/cabin of the europa is a lot more quashed and smaller and the rest of it is larger compared to the elise which has smaller front and rear ends but a larger greenhouse. ANd the elise windshield has more of a curve that extends further.
In reply to frenchyd :
Got it, so the splash mold is supposed to be the plug that I use to make the actual body, a male mold sort of?
Any more good fiberglass tips?
