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Where can I get one of these?

DeltaRomeo

doug reeves: unfluencer
Staff member
...asking for a friend.
v/r,dr

IMG_9145-X2.jpg
 
That looks like a roll your own product. I think it's made of HDPE plastic sheeting that's available from Aircraft Spruce, I made the glair shield, front cockpit interior cover panels and other interior items from this material for the Lanceair. It's fairly easy to work with by using cardboard templates with wood forming blocks and a heat gun sorta kinda like hydro-forming but using heat instead of pressure. As professional as the console looks, it might have been made using a vacuum mold oven.
 
It looks like something designed to go in a car, with a hole cut out by hand for the stick, and probably another for the eyeball vent (with the edge concealed by the vent mechanism, so it looks better than the big hole).
 
I agree...the raggedness of the stick hole tells me it's a re-purposed car part. I have no clue as to which car, though.
 
It's not black magic. I watched an industrial arts teacher, (Don Pridham, author of the GPU Conversion book), laminate some plywood, drill holes for a home-made vacuum table, and, with a canister vacuum, make a panel overlay for his Mooney M-20.

The ultimate trick was, allowing for the 1/8"/ft shrinkage as it cools.

:eek:
 
Check with Geoff Combs---bet he has some ideas.
Tom

I second giving Geoff a call. With his new printer, he can do just about anything. Especially if you grab Solidworks from EAA and supply him all the files. Or barter a little advertising space.........
 
Pretty easy to do in aluminum. Do a card stock stretch-out first... I took out the drink holder, too much chance of water bottle interference with the stick... Water bottle now lays forward of the cover, still accessible....







 
Simple ABS Vacuum-Forming

This is what we do for a living.....albeit on UTV accessories and not RV's. This looks like simple ABS with a slight hair-cell finish. ABS plastic sheet is readily available at most any plastic supply house across the nation. KYDEX resembles the ABS identically, and is a lot more fire / burn resistant. Like mentioned, you could make a simple male tool out of MDF or plywood (MDF ideally). Then create a simple vacuum form fixture, heat the material, and suck it down onto the mold. This would be much prettier than 3d printing, in my opinion. In other words, it would 'flow' better, being molded around a constructed tool.
 
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Check out the rear stick cover from Cleaveland Airtool (aluminum) - $75. You could roll your own, or save time with this.

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...86/1484608883052/RV8-Interiors-Order-Form.pdf

I have one of these that I ordered with my interior from DJ for my new RV8. It includes the stick boot. Should be able to make it fit an RV4. I haven?t installed it yet (just did my first flight last week), but the trial fit is pretty close. I?ll have to add the cup holder if I want - available from any boat store.
 
This is what we do for a living.....albeit on UTV accessories and not RV's. This looks like simple ABS with a slight hair-cell finish. ABS plastic sheet is readily available at most any plastic supply house across the nation. KYDEX resembles the ABS identically, and is a lot more fire / burn resistant. Like mentioned, you could make a simple male tool out of MDF or plywood (MDF ideally). Then create a simple vacuum form fixture, heat the material, and suck it down onto the mold. This would be much prettier than 3d printing, in my opinion. In other words, it would 'flow' better, being molded around a constructed tool.

This is exactly what they did at Aero Commander for the singles when I was there - first job out of college.

Dave
 
cdeerinck Aircraft Spuce part #11-02054 it's ABS apparently HDPE is about the same stuff their both thermoplastics.
 
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