3D Printed Parts and Accessories

[mikemenzie]

Hey, All!

Long time lurker, but never had a reason to join the forum. Never found the right time to get a VW I could actually afford or could budget time for.

Finally started building my dream car I've wanted since 6 years old - 1968 VW trike.

Then happened on a good deal for 3 Bugs, 2 with engines. They are rough, but my Lady Love and the kiddos and I love projects.

All that said - I am a hobbyist 3d modeller and printer. I run both filament and resin printers.

I use Fusion 360 as well as Blender.

I have a 3d scanner and have begun expanding what I can do in that direction.

If anyone has parts they'd like 3d scanned for printing or uploading STLs or STEP files, etc., let me know!

We're in the Tucson area.

-Mike

[AirHead1966]

[chrisflstf]

Heres another post about a 3d printed horn insulator ring. About half way down the page

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...;start=160

[Who.Me?]

Made some simple versions of the drifts recommended for rebuilding big nut RGBs.

Even at 25% infill they were good enough, and being printed rather than machined they don't need 'handles' the same as the original tools. Didn't really need them in the end though.

240a

243

244b

_________________
Andy


Looking for info on my truck's history. Are you from Campbell California or nearby. Do you recognise it? ... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=636786

[AirHead1966]

[BFB]

I'd be happy to give it try. id need you to either take measurements or send me one of your old ones so that I can, which would be the best option so I can compare a printed one to the original.
shoot me a dm
_________________
"how am i supposed to torque the rear wheel nut to 250 ft lbs??? " - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
Most experts aren't.

[soupcups]

Wonder if anyone can 3D print some of these for me. Or has anyone yet?

They’re a vital part of a 1960, one year only steering column and indicator cancelling ring. They are one of the necessary parts to get the funky 1960 bug horn to work. It’s the plastic bushing under the signal cancelling ring thingy. I’ve looked at Thingiverse already but checking on here first

Thanks.

[BFB]

3D printed a venturi , don't know if its actually beneficial or not but still happy with how it cam out. the outer ring is separate & bolts on so it can capture some wire screen between it and the venturi and keep debris out of the fan
_________________
"how am i supposed to torque the rear wheel nut to 250 ft lbs??? " - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
Most experts aren't.

[Chipster009]

[swhitcomb]

[BFB]

Wouldn’t be nice eating a support that fell in your gravy though..
_________________
"how am i supposed to torque the rear wheel nut to 250 ft lbs??? " - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
Most experts aren't.

[swhitcomb]

Tried my hand at a Formuling horn button today. Found a 3D file online. Paid the $10 and printed it in red TPU.

Lots of support to remove when you’re done, but with a little work it could be really nice.
_________________
My 71 Ghia Been in my family since 1980
My Patina 66
My 74 Ghia
07 Boxster

[Ian]

I have a bunch of stuff that I 3d print for VW's. I sent out a batch of the printed standard dash inserts but some folks didn't really like them, I used one and it seemed to work fine. I use Tinkercad, it's my favorite.

Vanagon Shift Bushing

Super Beetle DIN Radio insert

Standard Beetle with padded dash DIN radio insert

Decklid latch grommet

KDF ornament

_________________
All your Buses are belong to us.
Love and good roads!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROB CRESS 1968-2012 & KEN CRIMMINS 1957-2024

[jbannon]

Thanks a lot! Let me make some new prints and I’ll send some updated photos.
_________________
59 Beetle - Diamond Grey
58 Beetle ragtop - Glacier Blue
58 Beetle ragtop - Black
56 Beetle - Stratos Silver
62 Beetle - Turkis
67 Beetle - Savannah Beige

[BFB]

What’d be perfect would be to use a resin printer for this. If you want to see how it looks, shoot me the file and I’ll print you a couple and send them to you.

As far as on filament, try printing the box on its side with the square cut out being on top.
With that square hole on top it wont need near the supports.
OR try printing it on its top but on a raft and so the rounded edges end up getting supports
_________________
"how am i supposed to torque the rear wheel nut to 250 ft lbs??? " - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
Most experts aren't.

[jbannon]

3D Printed Neiman Steering Lock Electrical Terminal Cover

I thought I would share a winter project I am currently working on.

I have multiple Neiman steering locks with the built in starter button that all have broken or missing bakelite electrical terminal covers. This is a part you really don't see from the driver seat, but makes all the difference when restoring / using one of these accessories. These terminal cover are often broken, cracked, or missing given the bakelite becomes brittle and sensitive over time.

Here is an original:

You can see this cover is cracked in multiple locations and a previous owner attempted to glue it back together. It also gives you an idea of the profile, internal support pieces, and "Made in Germany" and model number scripts.

The first step was to model the part in CAD. With a pair of digital calipers, some angle gauges, and a lot of trial and error, I created a digital model of the part. I am not an expert in CAD and downloaded Fusion 360's free version for personal use and found a training course on UDEMY.COM to learn how to use CAD for 3D printing. It didn't take too long to figure things out and make something in CAD that was 99% accurate. Why not 100%? I made some changes to make it less prone to cracking or chipping, tightened up the sizing so its a better fit (the original is a little too loose), and increased the font size given 3D printers cannot print very small letters or numbers. I was also able to find some plastic-head thread screws to attach the cover to the steering lock that were very close to the original! Here are some renderings:

As for 3D printers I use a Bambu Labs Carbon X1. I have used 3D printers by Creality in the past, and while much cheaper, are not easy to use unless you love to tinker with this tech. If you want a printer that just works out of the box get a Bambu Labs Carbon X1. You won't be disappointed.

I made multiple test prints using PLA and ABS filaments. My first attempts oriented the print so the top surface was printed on the base plate and the print built up from there. Like this:

In this image the top of the part is faced down so the printer doesn't require any additional supports to print the object.

However, the part's placement on the print bed caused the rounded edges of the top surface to be less than perfect when printed. I got some slight deformation which I wanted to figure out if I could fix if I printed the part differently. So I printed it upright and used supports. Like this:

This produced a better print at the top surface edges, but created problems on the inside of the print and didn't produce a clean edge for the wire terminal openings.

I then tried different print angles and support types, but each produced its own set of problems. In the end I decided to go with the original print orientation (top surface on the print bed), and figured I would fix the edges during prep and paint work.

Here are few picture to better explain what I am talking about:

I printed a lot of samples in different materials. I think for the final print I will use ABS given its more heat resistant and won't warp if it gets too hot in the car.

This gives you an idea of how the print turns out due to the print orientation. The prints with the clean lettering and numbers are due to the print being made with the top surface on the print bed. However, what is challenging to see in the photos are the poorly made curves where the top surface transitions into the walls of the part. The parts with the rough lettering are due to prints that used supports. The script is still readable, but is poorly rendered due to interference from the supports. However, the walls and curves are perfect and need little finishing work. In the end I decided to go with the less than perfect curves near the top surface and clean lettering given I plan to finish these parts in primer and paint to match the original. A little sanding work will clean up the curves / edges and will give me a better looking part overall.

Any suggestions on ways to possibly overcome this dilemma is welcome.

Ill upload the final painted part when I'm finished.
_________________
59 Beetle - Diamond Grey
58 Beetle ragtop - Glacier Blue
58 Beetle ragtop - Black
56 Beetle - Stratos Silver
62 Beetle - Turkis
67 Beetle - Savannah Beige

[BFB]

_________________
"how am i supposed to torque the rear wheel nut to 250 ft lbs??? " - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
Most experts aren't.

[jbannon]

[BFB]

Version 2 of the 32/36 velocity stacks. These work with the chokes still being in place. ( although the chokes have been removed from the carb in the photo )

_________________
"how am i supposed to torque the rear wheel nut to 250 ft lbs??? " - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
Most experts aren't.

[finster]