I have posted a YouTube video on this topic showing the vents that I have replicated with 3D printing. that might be of interest to this subject followers.
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Welcome to J-L! What manner/model of 3D printer did you use?
Is there some sort of award for best first post?
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Niceā¦Im always interested !..Enjoy the rideā¦GTJOEY1314
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Welcome David! I watched this video as well as the others you have uploaded to YouTube. Good stuff, and I appreciate you sharing your accomplishments and lessons learned!!
RobY
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Very encompassing video, thank you. While I knew that this part is impossible to find in the marketplace, I didnāt realize that I was missing the outer section. My vent is missing one of the blades on the drivers side. The vent on the passenger side is virtually impossible to see since the S2 FHC has an after market AC unit.
Are you suggesting that you are willing/able to manufacture these items for sale? Iād like to replace my broken drivers side vent and the missing top section.
Bob,
I am writing this as somewhat of a general reply to a number of responders who have emailed me today since there has been a good deal of interest since I made the post and it is easier to respond to all the questions that arise in this way.
I have owned many new Jaguars over the years but I am now 72 and all I retain is my 1969 Series 2 2+2 auto which I bought as a young man āgoing placesā in 1977. Sadly I am still waiting to get where I had planned to go but have held onto the car throughout. Last year I started on a complete refurbishment and now it is very close to factory original although I personally am not a concours participant.
Let me say at the outset that I did not start the airvent project with the intention of selling the item but as an exercise to learn more about 3D printing, see what was possible and to try to design out some of what I regarded as inherent design flaws.
I am not a professional and have never sold anything like this before so am very much a novice.
We used an Einscan SP to scan the original parts on which the design was obviously based and they were then printed in PETG using a PRUSA Mk3S.
The components are difficult for me to price because there is a set up time cost whether we print one or a hundred and then a material cost and assembly cost for each.
I reckon that at the present low volumes a price of Ā£50 per outer shroud alone and Ā£75 for the complete unit including vanes and turnscrews assembled would be reasonable. I believe airfreight from UK to anywhere in US would be Ā£10 and tracked airfreight would be Ā£15.
Whilst I have necessarily produced the assembly case, individual vanes, slide connector bar and turn screw etc. I do not want to offer these for sale as individual replacement items simply because I have designed the small pins and locating holes to be slightly larger than the originals to make them more robust and durable. I do not want to supply the vanes to exact original dimensions as although PETG is stronger than the original plastic I donāt know how well they would stand up to other people assembling and fitting them into their existing component and I wouldnāt want to disappoint anyone or get involved in a dispute, I hope you understand. My new shroud is however a universal fit on existing Series 2 assembly cases.
Therefore it is only two options, the outer shroud by itself for Ā£50 each or the complete assembled unit with all the moving components for Ā£75 each plus post and packing as above with the purchaser responsible for any customs duties.
I do not know if these prices are acceptable but if there is interest I would be happy to produce and ship them on the understanding that they are what they are - a good home produced working slightly modified from original replacement part but obviously not time tested insitu over time.
If you are interested please email me with what you require and your address and I will then find a way to arrange payment.
Best regards
David Croxson
Joe,
I am writing this as somewhat of a general reply to a number of responders who have emailed me today since there has been a good deal of interest since I made the post and it is easier to respond to all the questions that arise in this way.
I have owned many new Jaguars over the years but I am now 72 and all I retain is my 1969 Series 2 2+2 auto which I bought as a young man āgoing placesā in 1977. Sadly I am still waiting to get where I had planned to go but have held onto the car throughout. Last year I started on a complete refurbishment and now it is very close to factory original although I personally am not a concours participant.
Let me say at the outset that I did not start the airvent project with the intention of selling the item but as an exercise to learn more about 3D printing, see what was possible and to try to design out some of what I regarded as inherent design flaws.
I am not a professional and have never sold anything like this before so am very much a novice.
We used an Einscan SP to scan the original parts on which the design was obviously based and they were then printed in PETG using a PRUSA Mk3S.
The components are difficult for me to price because there is a set up time cost whether we print one or a hundred and then a material cost and assembly cost for each.
I reckon that at the present low volumes a price of Ā£50 per outer shroud alone and Ā£75 for the complete unit including vanes and turnscrews assembled would be reasonable. I believe airfreight from UK to anywhere in US would be Ā£10 and tracked airfreight would be Ā£15.
Whilst I have necessarily produced the assembly case, individual vanes, slide connector bar and turn screw etc. I do not want to offer these for sale as individual replacement items simply because I have designed the small pins and locating holes to be slightly larger than the originals to make them more robust and durable. I do not want to supply the vanes to exact original dimensions as although PETG is stronger than the original plastic I donāt know how well they would stand up to other people assembling and fitting them into their existing component and I wouldnāt want to disappoint anyone or get involved in a dispute, I hope you understand. My new shroud is however a universal fit on existing Series 2 assembly cases.
Therefore it is only two options, the outer shroud by itself for Ā£50 each or the complete assembled unit with all the moving components for Ā£75 each plus post and packing as above with the purchaser responsible for any customs duties.
I do not know if these prices are acceptable but if there is interest I would be happy to produce and ship them on the understanding that they are what they are - a good home produced working slightly modified from original replacement part but obviously not time tested insitu over time.
If you are interested please email me with what you require and your address and I will then find a way to arrange payment.
Best regards
David Croxson
Hi Davidā¦I think these will be very much in demandā¦I have copied your posts above onto the UK E type forumā¦Steve http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16803&sid=5df6338ac70eca6fc9b89dfb24dcd559
David -
You are embarking on what I like to call a āGet Rich Slow Schemeā ā producing a part for the benefit of the community and a love of the E-Type.
I think your pricing is in line. Not the same, but a similar complex plastic assembly is the AC vent used for factory air. Prices vary based on where you look but at Moss U.S. a set of 5 is $180:
Expensive is vastly preferable to NLA which those AC vents were for many years.
My appreciation to you for be willing to offer the fruits of your labor.
Thanks very much Steve, I cannot remember my UK forum password!
Regards
David
Geo,
That is very kind of you. I am not really looking to make a profit from this and initially only wanted to see how 3D printing could resolve a personal sourcing supply problem. It was also an opportunity to try and design out some issues in the original design - hence so many being broken or missing as well as demonstrate to my grandchildren the tremendous potential business opportunity 3D printing offers.
I reckon if I produce them in batches I could reduce the price somewhat. I didnāt know how to price them but reckoned if I got involved in quantity there my be inevitable failures in production and unforeseen difficulties and time costs.
Initial response has been good but I want to get a few units out to others to evaluate before doing too many and trying to promise or offer more than I can justify or supply.
Best wishes
David
Hi Bob,
We have written about the A/C units previously, I believe. We have the same one- from Rock or Classic Air?
So, I looked today at my vents. I couldnāt see it on the passenger side but donāt remember covering it up W/the A/C unit or hardura that I placed before installing A/C.
I have a lighted rectangular mirror W/2 led lights on an extending shaft. Probably from Job Lot . With this I could see my vent on the passenger side. Canāt imagine yours would be different. Me? Seems I
squirted a bit of spray adhesive for carpets on the edge of the box where the flaps attach. Got it loosened up W/adhesive solvent.
Vent sits right where the rear horizontal meets the curve of the fan housing, inside left. No I could not see it. Canāt fit upside down & backward in that spot any longer!
Michael Caro
I can see the passenger side vent (just barely if I do the Jaguar limbo under the dash laying on the floorboardsā¦ I think this make the passenger side vent right next to useless but present. On the drivers side, I can clearly see it and see that it is missing at least one of the blades and the entire diffuser that would mount on top of it. Iām already in line for one of Davidās creations to make the drivers side more useful.
Bob,
To give you another chance to do a limbo dance under the dash.- There should also be a metal plate under each unit that the unit screws into. The plate holds the operating cable. I attach a picture. If you do not have these then the unit would not be able to connect to the cable properly. I am thinking I could also 3D print these out of PETG if missing since they would work just as well as the metal plate. I had assumed that everyone would still have these plates in place even if the blades and shroud had subsequently been removed so havent yet fabricated one.
David
Thanks for asking. After checking it out again, I do have the metal bracket underneath the louvered fixture, so I should be good there.