134 replies to this topic

[Heath]

I know that there are plenty of old-schoolers and some new-schoolers on the forum so I wanted to ask.

 

Who's using CAD for stuff? I've found drawing stuff up for calculations can be a pretty handy thing to fiddle with, even if it isn't used for any CAM process.

 

Who's got drawings of what? What have you used it for? Anything worth sharing?

 

I'm thinking of getting some front hubs CNC machined soon, wouldn't mind if somebody had a drawing to use as a base haha

[Bigfella237]

I don't have any CAD software, it's something I've always wanted to play with but it's not worth the money they charge just to muck around in there.

 

Maybe you could offer some advice on what software to use, where to get it, how much to licence etc.?

 

Anyway, by sheer coincidence I was mucking around in a photo shop type program earlier, firstly with a photo of Simon Reid's Hatch I found on google...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 10.jpg   204.18K   17 downloads

 

...I started out looking at ride height and this hatch seemed just about perfect. If I twang a virtual chalk-line along the top of the sill panel it just happens to travel through both axle centres (and even dissects the exhaust pipe)...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 17.jpg   205.95K   9 downloads

 

...then I started drawing a few more lines along the body mouldings & extended off all three pillars and some interesting things started lining up...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 11.jpg   225.46K   9 downloads

 

...and drawing even more lines...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 13.jpg   229K   10 downloads

 

...which got me looking at the rear spoiler on a hatch (to be continued)

 

[Bigfella237]

I found this picture on this forum (I think), apologies but I can't remember who's it was, I hope you don't mind me borrowing it?

 

 Hatch Body Lines 00.jpg   160.73K   7 downloads

 

Then I broke out my texta & ruler and started drawing more lines, whoever designed these things was one smart cookie...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 03.jpg   158.84K   8 downloads

 

...the two lines above are supposed to be parallel, again the top line intersects with the lower rear corner of the door and continues up the join in the C pillar and across the bottom of the rear window opening.

 

But getting back to my lines from the previous post, we start to see where the spoiler gets its shape...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 05.jpg   157.79K   8 downloads

 

...and drawing even more lines...

 

 Hatch Body Lines 07.jpg   165.63K   8 downloads

 

...all very interesting, everything points to somewhere!

 

You never really notice these things until you start looking, but I think stuff like this is what attracts me to these particular cars, even if it is on a subconscious level.

Edited by Bigfella237, 26 June 2015 - 03:30 PM.

[EunUCh]

^ Lol ....you's want a CAD disc..not the  latest version,but i can't drive it,no fees involved 

[EunUCh]

^ mmm , that"s on the cards in the near future , does your dog bite? and are the beeers  CAD approved

Edited by EunUCh, 26 June 2015 - 08:19 PM.

[EunUCh]

lol ...back on topic for a bit , no,no CAD stuff on Toranas, but it would be nice if someone knew how to drive it and willing to have a play with things like that...like said...old version but no fees...make of that whatever

 

The lines of these things are much more involved than first perceived...guess that's why they made em that way

[Rockoz]

There are quite a few CAD programs you can down load for free.

Most of them are a lot easier to use than AutoCad.

Have had AutoCad for years and still getting frustrated with it.

Have used a few of the free ones and they are more user friendly

[N/A-PWR]

123D is a free one, they even have the XU1 in there. 

 

 

Been using Ironcad for years here, but these new free ones are good.

[TempesT]

Yep use it alot. Anything specifically your looking for.

 

I use Autodesk's Inventor. You can get a free 3 year licence if you a student of any form. That will give you access to the full program.

 

Inventor is about as powerful as they come and IMHO if you spent 40% of the time most young ppl spend fapping their way around car forums you would have it nailed in a week or so.

 

They also have a lot of on-line tutorials and help sections.

 

Hey bomber how was that torpedo? Did you get stuck into those 8% ers we purchased too?

[TempesT]

Yep use it alot. Anything specifically your looking for.

 

I use Autodesk's Inventor. You can get a free 3 year licence if you a student of any form. That will give you access to the full program.

 

Inventor is about as powerful as they come and IMHO if you spent 40% of the time most young ppl spend fapping their way around car forums you would have it nailed in a week or so.

 

They also have a lot of on-line tutorials and help sections.

 

Hey bomber how was that torpedo? Did you get stuck into those 8% ers we purchased too?

[Bigfella237]

Thanks to Dave, I've been messing around with 123D half the weekend, but I still can't find that XU1?

 

Anyhow, I've been recreating some objects found on the web...

 

 web exercise 1_sml.JPG   22.54K   3 downloads  web exercise 2_sml.jpg   20.37K   4 downloads  web exercise 3_sml.jpg   24.42K   2 downloads  web exercise 4_sml.jpg   17.55K   2 downloads

 

 web exercise 5_sml.jpg   20.32K   2 downloads  web exercise 6_sml.jpg   32.03K   2 downloads  web exercise 7_sml.jpg   24.92K   2 downloads

 

That last one (the pipe with flanges) might look simple but it took me bloody ages to figure out how to make a cylinder go around a bend, it'd be a lot of work but I'd love to CAD-up a set of extractors, maybe not just yet though!

 

Now I just need some accurate measurements and I can start turning out Torana bits, I thought I'd start off with a set of chassis hole bungs?

[ls2lxhatch]

Sketchup Make 3D CAD is free (formally Google Sketchup)

http://www.sketchup.com/

 

I used the free version to design my fuel tank. When I was ready to have the tank laser cut I used a 30 day trial of Sketchup Pro to export the drawings in AutoCAD format.

 

 

I have also use Sketchup to design my engine mounts, shock covers, instrument faces, bonnet catch, MAF adapter, wiper pivots, aircond brackets and plenty of other smaller bits.

 

I also use Sketchup to print out drilling and cutting templates on either transparency film or plain paper for complex precision jobs like this one.

 

 

 

[Bigfella237]

Worst jig-saw puzzle EVER...

 

 Headers.JPG   89.94K   3 downloads

 

I think I'd rather do it with a box full of bends and a welder!

 

[ls2lxhatch]

iceengineworks make the ultimate header modeling kit.

 

 

 

 

[Bigfella237]

I was just mucking around learning to use the software really, to properly CAD a set of headers I think you'd first have to CAD half the engine bay, the chassis rails, the front k-member and the engine block with sump, heads, starter and bellhousing attached, that would be a LOT of work for a one-off exhaust!

 

The main thing I wanted was a CAD drawing of an LS header flange that I can adjust the size of the primary tubes on...

 

 LS Engine Header Flange - 2'' OD primaries.JPG   80.47K   4 downloads

 

Yeah I know there wasn't really much point as you can buy them in whatever sizes you want, but again it was more of an exercise than practical.

 

That kit from icengineworks looks good but that website you linked does nothing for me (literally), I did find that Summit Racing sells their kits but they cost about the same again as a real header kit so you'd want to be doing a lot of custom headers to justify it! That would be a great thing if you could rent it for a couple of weeks, although I'd reckon it wouldn't take long for pieces to go missing?

[Bigfella237]

Another day, another project...

 

 Drop Tank 01.JPG   38.6K   3 downloads

 

,,,with thanks to Pat (Yella-5000) for the measurements from this thread.

 

I still need to fix a few things, like the spare wheel cutout in the top doesn't exactly match the shape in the front of the tank, and I still need to add baffles and finish the vent tubes but I'm not really sure which design to go with there?

 

I was thinking about adding an internal swirl-pot too but again, I'm not sure what location or dimensions are needed?

[ls2lxhatch]

You may run into problems with rego using the above design.

The NCOP does not allow exhaust to be used as part of the departure angle. The NCOP specifies OEM body work so tow bars and spoilers do not affect the departure angle. The NSW rules did allow the engineer to consider the exhaust as part of the departure angle, although this may have changed.

See this thread.
i had a engineer inspection 2day brown davis drop tank fail
 
This diagram was posted by Yella_SLuR.

[Bigfella237]

I wasn't really thinking about legality but yes I'd say you're correct, the above CAD is simply based on Pat's dimensions, which are obviously of the "old school" drop tanks. I'm not planning on actually building one from this design, in fact I already have a drop tank sitting in the shed which was removed for the same reason.

 

As with the headers, to CAD this properly you'd need to first draw up the rear chassis rails, beaver panel & bumper, and have an accurate model of tyre diameter, axle location and vehicle ride height, which again, would be a lot of work for a one-off job.

[ls2lxhatch]

It is simpler to design the tank in CAD and then make a wood prototype out of 3 mm Masonite to check clearances and aesthetics. Sketchup has a volume calculator which made it easy to check the fuel capacity of each design revision.

 

http://ls2lxhatch.com/fueltank.htm

 

The exhaust was made with the wood tank fitted.

 

Edited by ls2lxhatch, 01 July 2015 - 11:24 AM.

[Bigfella237]

This Autodesk software has a volume calculator as well but I haven't figured out how to drive it yet, the only thing it tells me now is the volume of an extruded panel (L x H x thickness), I can't work out how to calculate the entire tank's volume? I could do it the old fashioned way by dividing the shape up into prisms and adding the total volume but that's not easy to do every time you change something, I'm sure there's a way, I just haven't found it yet.

 

Volume would be nice to know, but probably more of a secondary requirement compared to fit and clearance, IOW just design the tank to fit and whatever volume it works out to be, so be it. Although it'd be handy to know in advance if the thing was only gonna hold 40 litres or something silly like that!

 

It wasn't a complete waste of time making that wooden tank though, if you'd made and fitted the real one you risk the exhaust guys scratching the shit out of it with every trial fitment.

 

Anyhow, I'm thinking about doing a 9" diff housing next but not one of those pressed pumpkin-looking ones, more like the drag racing style with the flat panel facets around the housing, depends if I can find any accurate measurements of the centre on the internet though?

[TempesT]

should be able to find an engineer in nsw to cert the departure angle from the exhaust as VSB14 is an advisory document still here.

 

 

Ill drop this here btw.

done on Autodesk Inventor

 

ps. you should be able to find some part files for nine inch centres floating around the interwebs

 

some mad googling later....

https://grabcad.com/...-9-differential

https://grabcad.com/...ord-9-inch-axle

 

any one have this level of data on torana chassis?

http://www.google.co...ed=0CFAQMygqMCo

Edited by TempesT, 01 July 2015 - 11:16 PM.