Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

Oh, crap. I wrote this long essay on 3D printing, vacuum injection molding and everything and then I accidentally lost it. :banghead:

Maybe I feel like doing it over tomorrow ...

With the right plastic, such as ABS, the 3D printed parts will hold up. You'll be painting or plating them anyways, which will really help the weather resistance. Just don't try to use the sugar-based "plastic" that is used in the el-cheapo printers.

Yes there are 3D scanners available, but nothing a hobbyist could afford.

The way you get the model is you create it with a CAD system, such as Unigraphics, Autodesk, MasterCam, etc... Obviously, there is quite a lot of training involved.

I 3D model jet engine parts where I work, been doing it off and on for 20 years. Still can't do a lot of things I'd like to do with it. Something like those caps are pretty easy to model, but the first thing you always need to do is measure every feature on them. Because without every dimension, there is no way to copy them.


A-HA!! So you guys ARE among the big brains here.

The thought of me trying to comprehend the complexities of accurately measuring anything that's not 2 dimensional gives me the willies. When I first heard that 3D printers were being marketed for home use I got pretty excited. - But after trying to find a guide for how to use them I had little luck. I've never learned how to use any CAD programs but I did buy one a long time ago (it was on 3.5" floppies). The program was not written well enough to teach someone like myself who was unfamiliar with the basics. I gave up and never tried to mess with CAD after that.

Unless we enter an age where STAR TREK technology replicators exist, I'll have to farm such work out to others.