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Could someone make something for me....?
adampage - 25/7/16 at 01:34 PM

I'm asking for help from a big wide range of skilled experts here, so i'm sure someone can do it!!!


Essentially I have a wooden template, approx. 18-20" across, roughly circular & with a big hole in the middle and small ones round the edge, which I want cut in ideally Ally or if not, Steel, about 8-10mm thick. Of course i'm happy to pay a reasonable price, i'm not begging a freebie!


Some of you might've guessed...... It's an adapter plate for an unusual combination of Rover K series from a Caterham, and a Mazda RX8 gearbox.

I know, I know, you might all say - "buy a different engine/box", or "buy a plate from a supplier off the www", but I don't think either works.
- I have both the engine & box already and don't want to sell, and we've made a dummy wooden adapter which all fits together, so just need to replicate it in metal
- I've tried one supplier (p9cyo) who's just not up to it, and another (freddy) who hasn't had demand for that combination and is busy doing the more common zetec/pinto/duratec/VX etc, so he doesn't want to do a one-off which is fair enough
- So I think I've covered all the 'off the shelf' options, and hoped someone could just cut one from my template

Anywhere vaguely near the Midlands/Staffordshire would be great, I could drop off our template with you, you scan/measure/etc it, cut the new one and we'll collect to save postage. I can't provide a solidworks/dwg/pdf file i'm afraid.

Can anyone do that sort of thing, and could you give an approximate price?

Thanks in advance
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theconrodkid - 25/7/16 at 02:42 PM

might be worth trying here http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/


John G - 25/7/16 at 03:36 PM

I would strongly recommend having it cut with a water jet. Find a local cutter and have it designed on some CAD Software.


Ugg10 - 25/7/16 at 03:48 PM

Have a chat to Freddy686868 on Turbosports forum, he has a side line in designing and making adaptors for the RX8 box, he may be interested in adding another to his list.

if you have a CAD file then I would recommend Lasermaster in Cornwall for the waterjet cutting, they have done 8mm ally plate for me before.


hkp57 - 25/7/16 at 04:09 PM

[Edited on 25/7/16 by hkp57]


monkeyarms - 25/7/16 at 07:29 PM

http://www.p9cyoplates.co.uk/

list K series to RX8 cpnversion kit


Ugg10 - 25/7/16 at 07:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by monkeyarms
http://www.p9cyoplates.co.uk/

list K series to RX8 cpnversion kit


Worth reading the turbosports thread on rx8 adaptors ;-)

http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthread.php?t=500016


[Edited on 25/7/16 by Ugg10]


DanP - 25/7/16 at 09:32 PM

I have a CNC plasma that would cut this, do you have a CAD drawing?

Like others I would recommend laser or water jet for ultimate precision but if you can tolerate drilling the precise holes yourself or slightly oversize bolt holes then plasma will be fine.


adampage - 26/7/16 at 07:48 AM

....unfortunately:

- As I said, I don't have a CAD file (I wish I did!), I only have a wooden template my dad made, old-school.

- Also, P9cyo is the one I mentioned who says he can do one, but then fails to actually supply one, and
- Freddy is the one I asked who does seem capable, but isn't interested in making one as he's had no demand for that combination.

(I could ask Freddy if he's willing to make some if I order a batch, but then I'll need to lend him my engine for a while, and I'm funding them and stuck with them until I can sell)

I really don't want the faff of switching boxes, aaargh!

Thanks again, but does anyone have any other ideas?

- I could just buy a blank, we have a pillar drill and so could drill the holes no problem, but with just small garage tools it'll be hard to get a neat cut around the flywheel, the starter cutout, and the outside

- Is there anything i'm missing?

Thanks hopefully......
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adampage - 26/7/16 at 02:19 PM

I've emailed LaserMaster as they can cut from a paper drawing or dimensioned sketch in ppt etc so I could possibly make a simple drawing of key points etc.

Fingers crossed!

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02GF74 - 26/7/16 at 07:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by adampage

- I could just buy a blank, we have a pillar drill and so could drill the holes no problem, but with just small garage tools it'll be hard to get a neat cut around the flywheel, the starter cutout, and the outside

- Is there anything i'm missing?




As long as the holes are in the right place, it doesnt need to be neat.

I recently made a mountain bike disc brake adapter from 8mm alloy, holes are not too much effort nor is using 'chain drilling' technique to shape it but sawing and filing down the rough edges took a f@@@ing long time!!!

Trust me you dont want to be doing that by hand.

(I bought more metal than needed with the idea of making 2 or 3 more, no chance of that)


marc_cowley - 26/7/16 at 08:14 PM

Hi, I have recently done this for my engine as there wasn't an adaptor available, do you know the thickness of the plate that you need? I needed bang on 20mm, which I had water cut (after drawing it up on cad) and then I had all the holes drilled and tapped. I downloaded a free version of cad called a9 cad it it did everything I needed it to do, message me if you'd like any more help.


adampage - 26/7/16 at 08:38 PM

Sounds complicqted! Impressive though. 8-10mm would be fine for ours.

Do you mind me asking what yours cost?

Thanks
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marc_cowley - 26/7/16 at 09:02 PM

Learning how to use cad was a little complicated but over time get used to it, the plate out of 20mm mild steel cost £130 water jet cut. That is material included. Cheers


adampage - 26/7/16 at 09:11 PM

That price seems pretty good to me for a 20mm plate all in....


adampage - 27/7/16 at 08:30 PM

Marc very kindly offered to knock up a simple drawing in CAD for me, thanks mate, will organise a little reward!

I've sent photo & diagram with some measurements (not to scale or pretty....!).

Thanks again
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mark chandler - 27/7/16 at 08:44 PM

I made one to join an Audi box to a v8 rover, cut the front bell housing off a rover auto box with a hack saw then milled to 2" thick, then welded to the front of the Audi box.

Gearbox adapator
Gearbox adapator


Chassis with engine in
Chassis with engine in


adampage - 27/7/16 at 09:41 PM

Nice work, I think we're some way off that ability.....


WallerZero - 28/7/16 at 07:03 AM

I would definitely look at doing it in stages thought. Get a scan of your template, get it converted to a usable file type (.iges / .igs / .stp) and you should be able to find a web browser based CAD system to freely put it on and check/create drawings (if not drop me a U2U, I can help with that). Once you have a CAD file or drawing, then find a waterjet company to do the profile and holes. After that, you can then either tap yourself or get a local engineering company to tap any holes and/or sort any counter bores.

I recently made an Aluminium adapter plate for my kit and used waterjet to get the main profile then drilled all the holes myself through a wooden template. I then used Forstner Drill bits on the aluminium to make the counter bore holes


adampage - 28/7/16 at 07:11 AM

Thanks, that's what i'm hoping to do, get a first working drawing with basic features (i.e. not every hole), check it carefully, get it cut, then do the holes and refining ourselves.

Thanks all!
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Ugg10 - 28/7/16 at 07:22 AM

If you have a flat bed document scanner/printer you can do the following -

Take a scan of your wood/card pattern, you may need to do this in sections and align and merge in a paint/photo software (draw on some lines to help alignment), output will be jpg, add a ruler into the scan for scale
Print out and check/modify/scan again
Most 2d cad packages will import the scan as a picture, put this on a new layer (auto ad can do this, imageattach is the command I think)
You can now trace this with cad lions/curves/circles on a second layer
Print/check/modify etc.
save as dwg/dxf/iges and send off for cutting.

I did this for exhaust and inlet manifolds, engine mounting plate, gearbox mount and a few other bits with kasermaster and it worked well.