[dataway]

That's where I'm leaning also. Without getting into the details .. printing it one way takes 12 hours, printing it the other takes 5 and change. I'm thinking print the whole thing with the Lip and a very thin "skin" with a nice finish that can be glued in.

Once we have a plan.. the same file for the decorative center can be used to cut any material, or print any material a person wanted. Woodgrain, vinyl, etc. or just use the file to 3d print a standard black insert.

It would not be included in the base files, but a person that intended on 3D printing themselves could add a silver (sort of chrome) edge, lettering or emblems on the decorative insert etc.

I'm going to start a final print of the whole thing in once piece shortly, should have something finished tonight.

[jhein]

Very cool thread and great work by Dataway!

I have a radio delete plate in my TA. No idea where it came from. The car had a radio from the factory but when it was restored it got the plate. I can take better pictures, or even remove it so you can see the back, if still needed.

[unruhjonny]

I think questions are fair, and the back and forth has been nice.

For me, if I had the option to buy a complete delete plate that didn't require using a radio bezel, that would be the best option.

I would guess that if this was nailed down, you might get more interest that you'ld expect.
I think there is a fair swath of people like jhein who have cars taht were ordered with radios, but for what ever reason, are un-interested in getting a factory radio - and would love to have a delete plate made to fit the early dash.

@ Jhein;
can you measure the height of your bezel?
top to bottom, lip to lip;
If you can, I'd wager we will figure out what you have there - I have heard that some people have made the 78-81 delete plate work, but I suspect that in doing so, it cannot sit flat, or it worked for them because they have the larger radio opening - meaning they have a later dash.

When I got my car in 1995, it had a later dash in it;
I swapped it for a correct (70-77) dash when I finally found a good one in the early 2000's - I believe mine was found in a 1975 Formula that for reasons unexplained was being scrapped.

[dataway]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say we have a "product" done.

Attached pics show the various components/options.

In the picture showing three items we have top to bottom.

Top: complete OEM style delete plate without a "decorative insert" we'll call it. Has OEM style pins in the back to attach with 3/16" speed nuts. (@ 6 hour print time)
Middle: A delete plate with no OEM style lip added, but with a nice finish that does not require the decorative insert. Can be slipped into OEM radio bezel and attached from the back with speed nuts. (@ 2 hour print time)
Bottom: The "decorative insert", for use in the complete OEM delete plate. (1 hour and change print time)

I am current printing a decorative insert the thinnest I reasonably can, the thinner it is, the less obvious it is.

For those not familiar with the 3D printing world ... this is how it works when it comes to releasing something like this into the wild. I can post the CAD/Print files to a website like "Thingaverse" which is a free to use repository for tens of thousands of products people have come up with. I would include suggested materials and 3D printer settings but the final result would always be up to the person printing, their knowledge and their machine. For instance these parts depend on having a "textured print surface" that's how we get the nice sorta OEM finish on the face of the inserts. Quality of the print depends on the machine and operator much like any CNC product still requires a machine and operator that can do the job properly.

I don't really want to be in the parts making, or selling business. I sweat the quality and service a bit too much, so whatever I could make selling them .. well the juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze. I'm going to end up with a few examples of the parts created successfully during testing that I'll send to whoever NEEDS them. But in general it's going to be a situation where you find someone that does 3D printing, point them to the files and work it out amongst yourselves

Many thanks to those who sent photos, parts for me to measure, made suggestions, and tested parts.


Photo of the three components as described above.





Photo of a complete OEM style plate with a decorative insert set in place.



Photo of the back attachment points used on the full OEM style plate, and the flat radio bezel cover (Middle in the first photo).

[cnc]

Crazy cool stuff dataway again very impressed with the work…!!!!
I'd be interested in the cad program if it's possible to get my son can do this for me pretty sure...he has a few machines at home and work place for his work in the tv movie industry
I'd like to add a delete plate to mine....

[dataway]

Another file I will post are these DIY OEM style attachment stand-offs.

You would use these if for instance you wanted to cut your own material for the delete plate, wood grain, turned metal etc.

These would glue onto the back of your material and provide OEM style attachment through the radio control holes with a speed nut on the back.

[dataway]

cnc ... shoot me a PM with your email, soon as I sort the files I'll email them to you with some guidelines on how I printed them and what they are.

[cnc]

Pm sent

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by dataway

...The issue with this project is that the visible surface must look very nice, so really needs to be printed with the visible side down against the textured PEI bed. Even soluble supports are going to leave artifacts on the finish. And at this point consumer level soluble support isn't great, and typically requires a dual extruder.....

Just curious about surface textures. Does the texture of the original part match a vinyl grain texture? If so, are these printers incapable of accurately reproducing these textures? I'm clueless but guessing the printers normally build off a flat or textured surface of some type. Is that how it works?

If so, does the "first layer" replicate the build plate? If you printed onto the right texture, would it be accurate?

I'm wondering if you could you make a silicone (or??) mold off an original and then use it as a "build plate" to achieve the exact texture.

Can you program a part to build from a non-flat surface?



And just because I ask too many questions... For the original molded polymer part, how was the texture generated on the mold surface? What machining process would generate a "vinyl-like" texture inside a mold cavity?

It's interesting to see all of you exploring this stuff... thanks for posting.

Mike

[dataway]

Yes I am depending on the texture of the build plate that in this case creates a medium coarse satin finish. No, consumer level printers are not capable of the resolution required to mimic a vinyl grain texture (not to mention the modeling is very complex). If for instance I was using a smooth build plate the finish would be glossy.

It is absolutely critical that the build plate be flat, within thousands of an inch, for the first layer to adhere properly. The first layer like the foundation of a house is critical to the success of the print. The build plate is heated to maintain this adhesion, so something like a silicon mold, while it would take the heat, would insulate too much, and one of the properties of silicone is that things don't like to stick to it .. so no adhesion.

As far as I know it is not possible to program to print on a non flat surface. To use the layer cake example again .. the top of the cake can take many shapes, but it starts on a flat surface.

I've tried to print a vinyl texture on the top surface of a part and so far no success ... there are people working on this problem though ... the printers are capable of doing better, but the software isn't there yet.

I have no idea how they produced these patterns in injection molded part dies .. perhaps stamped into the dies ... but then how did they get them in the stamping dies? I think on sheet vinyl it's done with large rollers that impress the pattern into the vinyl using heat as the vinyl is produced ... again, not sure how they create the pattern in the rollers.

[dataway]

Anyone who is interested in obtaining the necessary files to 3D print these parts can find them here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5870011

That's my page on Thingaverse ... has files for the complete delete plate, the thin glue in insert for the complete plate, a plate suitable for use with a radio bezel, and a file for attachment standoffs that can be used with your own plate should you choose to make one with a different method.

I'll update the files should we find any glaring errors. Basic 3d printing instructions are included but most 3d printers will have their own methods they like to use.

I'll have a selection of examples to give away soon, since I don't have a Bird I don't have much use for them

[dataway]

Endless possibilities

I want to make one that says "Super Duty - 455 - HO - Ram Air VI - Big Block"

[dataway]

Sorry about the link not working ...

Forgot to mention, I am a new account there, so 24 hour wait before the files are posted. That link I got was probably a temporary place holder for my use.

Will update here soon as I have a working link. Should be around 5am Thursday morning.

[dataway]

Is this link working for anyone yet?

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5870011

I'm discovering that Thingaverse, while the most popular 3d file sharing site ... is a bit hinky.

[cnc]

Not for me but I'll let you know once I get in ...

[dataway]

Yeah I'm still getting the "New users must wait 24 hours before publishing" warning when I sign in and look at it.

[dataway]

Working for me now ... someone do a search on "firebird radio delete" and see if it comes up.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5870011

[Trevor78]

Link works here.

[cnc]

Yep working here comes right up once I clicked on the link

[jhein]

Just for fun, I went to an online 3D printing service. I uploaded dataway's files. I got a quote for the "complete delete plate" and the "decorative insert". Price was 82.57 shipped. Some questions remain about the exact finish. If I was serious I'd talk to them in person, but I was just trying to get a general idea of what it would cost. I only checked one site.

https://www.xometry.com/