So when it gets warmer l need to fix the right headlight motor on my 85. I COULD rebuild it like normal, but I only need the gear and don't want to spend the money or shipping wait time on a whole rebuild kit. I have access to a 3D printer, and I was wondering if anyone had model of the gear that I could use to print one or if I'll need to make my own? Also is this even feasible? I know 3D printing plastic is kinda soft but it's also cheap so do you think it would be worth it?
How often do you want to replace the wrong part, rather than just using the right part. Because if you use a 3D printed gear, you're going to be replacing it pretty often. It's a different type of plastic.
If you wanted to make your own gear, it would be better to use a piece of Delrin stock and cut a gear on a small lathe/mill.
You can print a cheap crappy plastic gear that will get shredded to pieces the first time you turn the lights on, or you can spend $35 + shipping for the proper quality part, and have it last for years. Which one is more frugal?
I think the 3D plastic will be too soft to hold up, too. As far as the rebuild kit, the only thing additional beyond the gear is the bump stops and the screws to hold the case together. Both are needed in any rebuild since you'll need to replace the rivets holding the case together and the bump stops that have crumbled.
I can see where you're coming from on cost when comparing a plastic gear to the metal gears.
How often do you want to replace the wrong part, rather than just using the right part. Because if you use a 3D printed gear, you're going to be replacing it pretty often. It's a different type of plastic.
If you wanted to make your own gear, it would be better to use a piece of Delrin stock and cut a gear on a small lathe/mill.
You can print a cheap crappy plastic gear that will get shredded to pieces the first time you turn the lights on, or you can spend $35 + shipping for the proper quality part, and have it last for years. Which one is more frugal?
I have a lot of experience with 3D printers. Though there are 3D printers out there that can be used for load bearing parts, it's unlike you have access to one of them. Despite what many people think, the parts from a standard 3D printer are designed for prototyping not for permanent replacement of broken load bearing parts. Dobey is absolutely correct about just buying a quality part to start with. Last thing you need is to have a failure of both motors one night.
Hmm I see what you're all saying about not being strong enough. I forgot that taking it apart all the time would be a pain in the ass...
But it turns out that my friend (the son of the po no less!) has decided to build an aluminum forge which can cast parts by melting hard plastic and the liquid aluminum fills in the shape. Basically it could possibly make a solid aluminum gear from old soda cans. Do you think aluminum would be a good replacement? Instead of 3d plastic I mean...
Hmm I see what you're all saying about not being strong enough. I forgot that taking it apart all the time would be a pain in the ass...
But it turns out that my friend (the son of the po no less!) has decided to build an aluminum forge which can cast parts by melting hard plastic and the liquid aluminum fills in the shape. Basically it could possibly make a solid aluminum gear from old soda cans. Do you think aluminum would be a good replacement? Instead of 3d plastic I mean...
Again. Making load bearing auto parts from melted aluminum cans in a rocket stove in a backyard forge, is not going to get you a quality product. Aluminum in soda cans is very different from aluminum alloys used in car parts and gears, and will be highly contaminated and poorly fused.
Why do you want to spend $100-$1000 (3d printers aren't cheap), to have the ability to make cheap parts that won't survive long, rather than just spending the little bit of money to get a quality part that will last?
Experimenting is fun, and 3d printers and backyard rocket stoves are good for that, but they are not good for building quality parts that pass stringent DOT and other standards, which will last for years of use.
Hmmmm... Ok I'll just ask for it for my birthday I guess...
I was just wondering cuz the library and our school both have a 3D printer for public use so I thought maybe... I'll still use the old gear to make an aluminum one though. Just for the fun of it. If it does manage to work though I'll be sure to let you all know
Why do you want to spend $100-$1000 (3d printers aren't cheap), to have the ability to make cheap parts that won't survive long, rather than just spending the little bit of money to get a quality part that will last?.
I'll still use the old gear to make an aluminum one though. Just for the fun of it. If it does manage to work though I'll be sure to let you all know
No. It won't work. The gear will be damaged. To cast you need an absolutely perfect part. You could use a 3d printed gear, provided you used a decent investment. (what the mould is made of) You have to match the investment expansion to compensate for the cooling shrinkage of the metal you're using. With no idea what the shrinkage of alloy cans is you'd have to try it several times. I cast metals as part of my job, It's not at all an easy or simple proposition. And it's not cheap either, quality investment costs, cheap sand casting won't give you a decent enough surface finish. I could have made mine, but knowing how much experimentation would be involved I simply bought Rodney's gears.
I think that the gear do not make a full turn when you open/close the light. If you want a cheap solution, just remove the gear , turn it 90 degree, and reinstall.
The gear doesn't make a full rotation but it's very close to it. Something like 90%. Turning the gear 180 degrees will put the broken teeth somewhere in the midst of the up and down travel. You can easily change the gear 180 degrees by simply removing the arm and positioning it 180 degrees on the shaft. Stripped gears are usually an indication that the shock absorbing bump stops have disintegrated, causing full torque to be put against the gear's teeth when the motor reaches the end of it's travel.
Rotating the gear 1/4 turn will work, but you need to figure out which way to turn it and it will require disassembling the motor. It might also take a second disassembly if your first direction is wrong.
What about just making the gen 1 bump stops that mate the hub and shaft to the gear? ..unless someone makes new bumpy stops and i missed it. I've seen viable replacements made out of hot glue. I suspect 3d printer medium is better than hot glue? Ron
If you can make a 3D print of the other gear, the T-shaped gear that mates with the "gear" widely available - that might be useful.
It could be used as a prototype to make a metal gear.
No one seems to have this gear available except as part of a motor. It's the one I need. When I got my SE the passenger side motor couldn't be turned off and ran anytime the lights were on. Eventually this ground down the teeth of the T-gear.
What about just making the gen 1 bump stops that mate the hub and shaft to the gear? ..unless someone makes new bumpy stops and i missed it. I've seen viable replacements made out of hot glue. I suspect 3d printer medium is better than hot glue? Ron
i have had bump stops available for about 3 years. I use them in all the motors I rebuild. I was having a problem with the rubber bump stops provided in some of the plastic gear kits, so I started testing alternatives and came up with something that has stopped the twitching after rebuild with the black rubber bump stops. I had offered them for sale for $5 per motor or $8 for 2 motors. This is 4 bump stops for each motor. Regular postage shipping.
I also have several sets of OEM bump stops that could be used for molds to cast new urethane bump stops, and a set of brass gears that can be used for making a mold for nylon gears or as a model to digitize a CNC program for cutting new metal gears or even for cutting new Delryn or nylon gears from bar stock. To obtain these would require a refundable cash deposit of a couple hundred dollars.
i have had bump stops available for about 3 years. I use them in all the motors I rebuild. I was having a problem with the rubber bump stops provided in some of the plastic gear kits, so I started testing alternatives and came up with something that has stopped the twitching after rebuild with the black rubber bump stops. I had offered them for sale for $5 per motor or $8 for 2 motors. This is 4 bump stops for each motor. Regular postage shipping.
I also have several sets of OEM bump stops that could be used for molds to cast new urethane bump stops, and a set of brass gears that can be used for making a mold for nylon gears or as a model to digitize a CNC program for cutting new metal gears or even for cutting new Delryn or nylon gears from bar stock. To obtain these would require a refundable cash deposit of a couple hundred dollars.
I'll take a two motor set. Bring them to the BBQ. That's for gen 1. Right? Ron
Yes, they're Generation 1. I've offered a rebuild service on headlight motors for 3 or 4 years at least and encountered problems with some of the black viton bump stops. I experimented and sent out close to a dozen units for R&D if folks would just tell me if they solved their problem. All that reported back said they did. Two didn't report back nor answer my inquiries.
I'll bring them and sprinkle them on your BBQ sandwich.
I only need the gear and don't want to spend the money or shipping wait time on a whole rebuild kit.
Just trying to see if I got this right.... You don't want to spend money, or the time waiting the 2-3 days for a new gear to get to you.
Instead, you would like to learn CAD designing software, and create a 3D model for the headlight gear.... This should take you about a month, if you are a fast learner, to master and create the 3D rendering of the gear. Now get the files to the printer and schedule a few hours to print it out. Then you need to test the gear and insure that the teeth are the exact spacing, openings fit onto the shaft and that all is on spec with the size, shape, and dimensions. Now, make any corrections to your 3D rendering, and print it again. Then you want to create a mold, from that 3D printed gear out of some sort of casting material that will resist the temperatures of molten aluminum. Lastly, you want to smelt aluminum in a forge. and pour that into your mold. All that is left to do is clean all the slag, burs and such from the gear.
Dude, spend the $10 and have a new gear in the main in a couple days
