Best waay to cut bodys???
09-12-2005, 03:05 PM
#1
Best waay to cut bodys???
I am going to get into drifting and I want to make my bodys look as real as possible, is there any tips on cutting bodys?
Thanks
Thanks
09-13-2005, 04:31 PM
#2
i use utility shears on the strainght and a nice sharp xacto knif around all my bends and alot of patients.
how i do my bend is i use the xacto knife and go slow and make muti passes over the same arc, i do this until i feel the knife start to really drag then i get a pair of dykes and slowly start to bend the area that i have just cut.
then after i have all the cutouts gone i take my dremel and smooth out to staisfaction..
hope this helps & good luck
how i do my bend is i use the xacto knife and go slow and make muti passes over the same arc, i do this until i feel the knife start to really drag then i get a pair of dykes and slowly start to bend the area that i have just cut.
then after i have all the cutouts gone i take my dremel and smooth out to staisfaction..
hope this helps & good luck
09-13-2005, 06:47 PM
#3
Yeah, that is how I get the best results. Scoring is key.
All you need is one good pass and then bend the lexan. It snaps off clean.
For the wheel wells, I use a circle cutter to score the circle and then cut a line down the middle.
You then carefully snap the two half circles off.
All you need is one good pass and then bend the lexan. It snaps off clean.
For the wheel wells, I use a circle cutter to score the circle and then cut a line down the middle.
You then carefully snap the two half circles off.
09-14-2005, 10:20 AM
#4
The body is easy I do the same thing,
I want to start cutting out air vents and the grills...but I guess that this is maybe the best for this.
I want to start cutting out air vents and the grills...but I guess that this is maybe the best for this.
09-14-2005, 11:29 AM
#5
How do you guys find the exact center for the circle cutter? Experience or just good judgement?
09-14-2005, 10:10 PM
#6
I dont use the circle cutter since the bodies I've come across have lines for them. But for the bodies with no lines, I'm pretty sure you mount the body at the height you want. Remove the tires so they don't distort the body. Then mark where your axle is and you've got your center.
09-15-2005, 11:59 AM
#7
Originally Posted by tnbigdawg
I dont use the circle cutter since the bodies I've come across have lines for them. But for the bodies with no lines, I'm pretty sure you mount the body at the height you want. Remove the tires so they don't distort the body. Then mark where your axle is and you've got your center.
For the best result I get my car race ready with batteries, wheels and all. Check your ride height to make sure it is where you want it.
Then place the body and mark your center axels.
You always want to make the wheel diameter a few mm bigger than the actual tire so there is enough clearance. This has worked out great for me.
09-17-2005, 08:08 AM
#9
I've never actually tried to score then snap, I always thought it might tear the body. I'll give it a go though, if you guys are getting good results then I can't go wrong!....lol.
09-17-2005, 08:14 AM
#10
Nope, Lexan is pretty hard to tear. If you learn how to score everything without trying to cut through it, it goes WAY easier. Less blood, too. 
I've been trimming bodies for 20 like that, and have never once used scissors, except to round the sharp corners off when I'm done.
I've been trimming bodies for 20 like that, and have never once used scissors, except to round the sharp corners off when I'm done.
09-17-2005, 08:39 AM
#11
Originally Posted by ApexSpeed
Nope, Lexan is pretty hard to tear. If you learn how to score everything without trying to cut through it, it goes WAY easier. Less blood, too.
Big Mistake!It looked like a hardcore wrestling match!
In the end, the lexan only had a few dents in it but NO tears!
I was even trying to tear it. At one point even used my teeth!
Alas, in the end the body still looked clean.........And I had lost the championship belt to a Lexan body!
j/kSeriously, I thought the same thing about scoring and snapping until this incident.
Since then, it is all I do. Just Like ApexSpeed, I only use scissors for rounding.
09-17-2005, 08:51 AM
#12
BTW, <Cliff Claven> Lexan is a GE product, invented on accident. The inventor was looking to create a new wire insulation material, and wound up with a gooey substance that hardened in his lab beaker. When he realized he couldn't break the odd material, he knew he was on to something pretty amazing. Lexan is used in .125" thicknesses on motorsports helmets and can stop a .22 caliber bullet at 50 feet without breaking. You can bend it, melt it, cut it and form it, but it is not prone to cracking or tearing.</Cliff Claven>
Lexan breaks on our cars are due mostly to too thin of Lexan being used (for weight weenies), or poor cutting and trimming techniques that lead to weak points.
Lexan breaks on our cars are due mostly to too thin of Lexan being used (for weight weenies), or poor cutting and trimming techniques that lead to weak points.
09-17-2005, 10:05 AM
#13
round vents are really easy use a tiney drill in a cordless at slow speed i have noticed that if you drill it fast it melts to goo, drill slow gives a nice clean cut
Last edited by smalls92; 09-18-2005 at 06:58 AM.
10-11-2005, 08:41 PM
#15
After reading this I thought I might suggest something I will try on my next body. Mask off around the center portion of the wheel wells before you paint then when youre done cut out the body except the wheel wells. THen mount the body with wheels on. You can then look through the lexan to locate the center of your axle.Mark with a sharpie, score with a circle cutter, and then snap it out. I can't see why this wouldn't give good results.