Swedish car parts and Legacy manufacturing

Post by **ZionXIX** » 06 May 2019, 20:23

Thought I would throw out a topic this evening.

As we all know time marches onward unendingly and as such our beloved vehicles only grow older. I am the type of car owner that typically never sells their vehicles. I consider a personal challenge to see just how far I can take a vehicle with good maintenance and driving habits. They become almost like family heirlooms.

Anyway the topic I would like to discuss is one that has been touched on in a few recent thread and that topic is longevity (cosmetic). As we all know the cosmetic portions of our noble steeds are dissolving or breaking and will eventually need to be replaced. I have follow Swedish car parts for many years and have purchased their heater core and drink holder. I notice they really cater to the older models such as the 240s. As the P80 ages and enters into the "classic" years, will we see more aftermarket manufactures producing more cosmetic parts such as interior panels, rear lights and dreaded dashboard components?

If only backyard injection molding was more practical.

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 06 May 2019, 21:26

ZionXIX wrote: ↑06 May 2019, 20:23 If only backyard injection molding was more practical.

There use to be a place in the local mall where you could go in and do your own 3D printing. That place is gone and I have no idea how the 3D print shop is doing as a business model.

Post by **abscate** » 07 May 2019, 09:54

I bought a new dome light assembly from Lisle for the S70. It was made in 99 and the plastic was like new

We still have a lot of NOS parts availavle for these cars. Junkyard parts have their place but plastic parts is not one of them,

Post by **ZionXIX** » 07 May 2019, 11:34

I recently jumped into 3d printing and still have a lot to learn. I'm hoping to experiment a bit and see if anything usable could be printed at home. The biggest drawback is limited size. My unit has a max of 300mm square base and 400mm high. Im fairly proficient at 3d modeling but some of the organic curves are taking a lot of time.

Post by **j-dawg** » 07 May 2019, 13:20

There are a few online services that will 3D print or CNC parts at relatively reasonable prices based only on a CAD file and maybe a print if you have special requirements. Their machines are much more capable than the typical <$1000 desktop printer.

A friend just bought a brand new reproduction mirror for his old Explorer from eBay for $40. We will never have that. I'm pretty jealous.

Post by **Goupil** » 08 May 2019, 13:20

I made that to fix a broken fog light

That's's about an hour of modelling, 3 prototypes and 50 cents in PLA instead of a 40$ fog light, I'm quite happy with it

I can't see 3d printing being used anytime soon for parts of a decent size tho.
Not that it's impossible, but plastic molding is still cheaper for bigger parts

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 08 May 2019, 17:20

Unfortunately, no matter how well you make plastic, after 20+ years of being out in the sun, heat, and cold it will break down.

3D printing is definitely an up and coming industry for vehicle restoration. Plastic parts are easy to remanufacture. Mechanical parts not so much, but I think we have at least a few decades before we need to worry about that.What I'm most worried about is decaying wiring.

Goupil, could you share the cad file for that fix? I've seen so many fogs in the junkyard with the same problem.

Post by **Goupil** » 09 May 2019, 13:07

WhatAmIDoing wrote: ↑08 May 2019, 17:20 Goupil, could you share the cad file for that fix? I've seen so many fogs in the junkyard with the same problem.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3619373