Murcielago LP640 Front Bumper Air Ducts / Brake Cooling Ducts

[lambocars]

air ducts ,cast to oem

[76mx]

Guys,
   That's what I did, bought one set and filled them with plaster then cut the ABS off. now extend the neck the way you want it and use this for the thermoform mold. Now the duct cost about $1 each to make. You can modify the plaster to conform with the body contour but a $10 heat gun from Harbor Freight does the same thing. Use structural glue to attach them to the inner body and they are sealed and bulletproof. I also use these in the side door naca duct on a Countach. I bend the one exposed edge 90 degrees so it dies into the body as well and it gives a clean look with no exposed edges. I do not know if you can see it very well but here is a link.
http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/stricklandracinginc/library 

[BigPines]

Thanks RT. Yeah, plaster would probably be a cheaper way to go for the form. I'll look into doing that. If I did, I would use them for vacuum forming.

Tallon, go for it if you want. You would save some money at the expense of more elbow grease. The following duct http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/product/2147/Naca_Ducts2 would be $40 a pair with the cheapest shipping to my place. That is probably close to what it will cost me to ship these things to people because the OEM ducts are much larger. These ducts don't look like they extend nearly far enough back to me so you would probably want to extend them somehow. Then you would need to fabricate them to mount and seal with the grills. You'd better secure them really well somehow so they don't fall off since they don't have correct mounting tabs. So, you may save $100 or so on the pair and it may be close enough for you if you are willing to go through the extra work.

So far only String, Chris and Pedro have expressed any interest anyway. It probably isn't worth it to me to get into this right now. I may do it eventually who knows. Thanks for the feedback guys.

[Tallon]

Nice! seems like any of the ducts would work if you could form the flat piece against the grill area, all you need then is to rout the air to the brakes I'm sure there's a million ways to do that

[RT]

Just an idea...
Maybe you could make a plaster mold of the original and lay up fiberglass copies.
You could still make two halves and the fiberglass could be bonded together later.
Really, there are so many ways to do this.  If you have a vacuum system, go for it.  You might be able to use the plaster mold with that.

RT

[76mx]

   Quite welcome. Worst case you can get a close one and cut it up for your mold. Black ABS 1/16 formable is a stock item at any plastic supply and is plenty cheap at $20-$30 for a 4x8 sheet. I do not post a whole lot here but when I do try to help it is very nice to get a thank you.

[BigPines]

Wow, thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check that site out.

Yeah, I have looked up a bunch of stuff on vacuum forming. I don't think it would be really expensive considering I have the vacuum system already. I know some people are just using shop vacs but since I have a real vacuum system, I may as well use it.

Edit: For anyone interested, the link to the ducts is: http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/category/Ducting

I didn't see anything that would work really well for this application but they have some interesting products including some carbon fiber ducts. Looks like a nice resource.

[76mx]

Before you go to all of the trouble to vacuum form your own, you might look at www.racerwholesale.com naca ducts. They have about 20 shapes of vacuum formed ABS plastic ducts and they are all under $20USD. I don't know about other models, but two of their styles work great on a Countach. If you do decide to make your own, there are instructions all over the internet for making your own former for less than what one set of the other ducts would cost, and it is a very handy (and profitable) little machine to own. 

[BigPines]

No worries RT. I totally understand where you are coming from and I honestly didn't take offense. I personally feel it is healthy to have differing points of view. It makes me stop and re-evaluate my direction. Your contribution and perspective are valuable.

Chris, the more I look at these OEM parts, the more I think they were vacuum formed themselves. At this point, I agree that vacuum forming is the way to go. I already have a vacuum system (pump/tank) and it looks pretty simple to build a platform to do this. I do have a couple concerns:

1) I have calculated I will need a 24" sheet of ABS do do these and my oven is not large enough for that so I will have to figure out another way of heating the sheet uniformly.
2) The depth of the part (each half) is a little larger than what is typically formed this way. I would probably need a depth of up to 7.5 inches to do it correctly. I think I could make this work though.
3) There is a flange on the large opening that may be difficult to reproduce without a secondary forming of the part. I think I will have to experiment with that.
4) I hesitate to use the original part as the form for several reasons: a) the new parts will end up being slightly larger size b) the original parts will get hot and may become warped c) I'm not sure the original parts are strong enough to withstand creating multiple parts off of. I think I really need to create a plug/form to do this right. To make the form, I am thinking I'll lay down a thick layer of body filler inside the original part with some screen or chicken wire to reinforce it. I think I will use wood to keep everything in the correct shape. This should give me an inexpensive but solid form to make parts from.

[RT]

Big Pines, I certainly did not mean to criticize or belittle anybody with my comments.  I agree that extent of perfection is commendable.  I do think we tend to get carried away, I know I have.  I just think sometimes we have to step back and think about how much money we invest in our "toys".  We sometimes spend without setting a bottom line.
As for doing something with the holes in the bumper, a simple constructed collector box painted flat black would work at a fraction of the cost.  Of course a real duct is better, but how many people would know?
Anyone who builds one of these deserves a LOT of credit.  I will not deny them anything they want to do or any amount they want to spend.  I mentioned this for those who are starting and may not give too much thought before they open their wallet.

RT

[BigPines]

Thanks RT. While I understand where you are coming from, I respectfully disagree. We have to do something behind the grills or we will be able to see all kinds of light leaking through and other crap behind them. That doesn't look very elegant does it? These details do make a difference - at least to me. So if we have to do something anyway (and it is going to cost something anyway) if the price is right, why not do it correctly?

I totally agree that spending $1,000 on these plastic ducts is insane, even $500 is ridiculous but why avoid doing something the OEM way if it is cheap enough? I have my ducts so my problem is solved. One other member had expressed interest so I was just wondering if anyone else would be interested in them if I could get the price low enough. I understand everyone's attention to detail is different and that is fine too.

My goal isn't just to have a nice looking car. It is to get my car as close to OEM as possible (within reason). I realize everyone's definition of reason is different.

Disclaimer: I am a perfectionist by nature and so I realize my views may not be based on reality. I do not discount that I may in fact have OCD. As such, I respect all others' views even if I disagree.

Mike

[RT]

I think every once in a while everyone needs a little "reality check".
The cost of a replica starts to come close to a real (used) Lambo.
It starts out innocently enough, "Just one more thing to make mine just like a real one".
And it continues...
Does anyone here actually think having replica brake air ducts will even be noticed?
If that is what you want, I am not criticizing, I'm just saying this borders on OCD (Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder).
I should know, I have been through a lot in the many years I have been building.  I have spent good money on frivolous nonsense such as emblems and scripts and instruments with Lambo bulls.  None of this has anything to do with building a custom car.
It is nice to see a good-looking car, like a Lambo. That is why so many of us want to build one.  Do we HAVE to have every detail identical to a real one?  I have seen some custom builds with their own design body and they don't look good.  Designing a car that looks good is hard.  Sometimes it doesn't turn out well.  The Lambo body is a good start but make it your own, make it custom.  After all, eventually everyone knows it isn't a real Lambo.  SO WHAT?  It is a custom-built creation that YOU built.  If you expect anything else, go buy a fake Rolex.  Skip some of the costly details.  Make it YOUR build and be proud of it.  It is something to be proud of.

RT

[BigPines]

Good catch String! Eurospares is indeed pounds which makes their price quite a bit more expensive. I have updated my prior post to reflect this. The bottom line is, everybody is too expensive. We need a cheaper solution.

It sounds like there is at least a little interest so far in these.

[String]

I would be a definate  for a set , also just be cautious converting £ , &  € , eurospares is pounds and therefore more expensive..($490) and only use eurospares as a guide , if you want the actual price of anything in pounds I always go to HR-Owen.

[BigPines]

Actually, in my Eurospare links above, the left is £229.48 and the right is £79.62. So that would be $488.91 USD plus shipping from Europe. Not sure why they are so expensive or why each side has a different price. *shrug*

I may be going out on a limb here but I'd like to set a goal of $150 - $200 shipped.