treetop777

Did a little searching but frankly don't know what to search for.

One surface is curved, the other is straight; i want them to meet seamlessly (as much as possible).

Thought about making a mold of the curve with fiberglass but i'm scrared to bring that stuff anywhere near the interior of the vehicle.

Appreciate any other pointers. Thanks.

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kimnach

I got a profile gage for woodworking a long time ago. When I thought to place the 8" Lilliput under the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel (88 iroc-z), I used the same tool.

Here's a link for one place you can get the tool:
<<http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=10K20.01&sid=W6600074&eid=Tracing%2 0Profile%20Gauge&gclid=CIjR9MmYnJgCFQrFGgodwnf7mQ& bhcd2=1232421243>>

rdholtz

I've used cardboard mockups to get shapes. It can be trial-and-error, or you can do a tracing.

Trial-and-error means just hack away at the cardboard 'til it lays flush, and it's a pretty coarse approach.

To trace this, I can think of two ways.

Method 1:

• Get a piece of cardstock, also called posterboard, that's wider than than the panel you're tracing (cardboard is okay, but cardstock is stiffer and has a harder, cleaner edge).
• Figure out how large the maximum gap is now -- let's say it's no more than a 1/4 inch, for this example.
• Get a block of relatively hard material that's at least as thick as that gap, maybe 5/16 inch or 3/8 inch for this example. A little thicker is fine, but definitely no narrower.
• Hold your cardstock in the same position your new panel will take -- if it's perpendicular to the interior panel, then hold the cardstock perpendicular to it.
• Put the block between the pencil and the interior panel, and bring the pencil to the cardstock.
• Keeping the block between the pencil and the interior panel, trace along the panel.

What you get should be a line on the cardstock that exactly matches the shape of the interior panel, the thickness of the block from the panel.

• Cut along that line, and you have your pattern.
• Check to see that it fits the way you want.
• Lay the pattern on your new part and mark along it.
• Make your cut.

Now, if you have a little gap right where this is going -- and it looks like you do -- it can be even easier.

Method 2:

• Get a piece of heavy paper or cardstock that will fit in that gap.
• Cut it to the exact width of the gap.
• Slip it into the gap, and hold it in place.
• Trace along the interior panel.
• Cut the pattern, do the fit-check, mark your piece, and make your cut.

You can also do Method 1 directly on your part, if you want. Instead of using the cardstock, mark directly on the part and then make your cut. But that eliminates the possibility of a fit-check. I like fit-checks.

(If you're really gutsy and reckless, you can make the tracing directly on the part with the tip of an X-Acto knife. I've done that, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. It wasn't a good idea.)

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If just enough is really good, then too much ought to be perfect.

2006 Scion xB with in-dash Atom & Lilliput 889GL -- Worklog at http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/work...res-links.html
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treetop777

Thanks very much - can not go wrong with these pointers. Thanks again.

That tool is neat, i'm going to buy me one - or two.

justanothernoob

when I was a kid we used to get these rubbery things to help us draw curve-graphs in Maths class.

Basically it's a relatively solid but bendy piece of rubberised metal (might even be lead). Once you shape it it holds that shape until you straighten it. Like I say, we used them to help draw the curves between multiple points on non-linear graphs.

Don't know if the kids still use them but if they do then it would be a cheap and easy way to get the shape / form of the surface you have to mate up to.

Good luck ;o)

rsxer63

Home Depot has some metal ones... they use them for measuring Crown molding I believe.

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