HID headlights in the pods for Neo914, Pop-up headlights are not in the plans.. Options

[neo914-6]

Maybe Saturn coupes may have been the last to get the word... <!-- emo&:screwy: -->(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/screwy.gif)<!-- endemo -->

As I have said before, the "signal" light pods are a unique characteristic of the 914 design. Making them house headlights will give them a higher purpose than signaling and join the modern "smaller" lighting trend. This and using the existing headlight space where the radiators will mount are why I chose this location. Legal? We'll see if they figure it out... <!-- emo&:lol: -->(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/laugh.gif)<!-- endemo -->

the "rise and fall" of pop-up headlights:

[GWN7]

The material that the sample is made of is suppost to be UV stable. That's why I wanted you to test it with the lamps your using. To see how it reacts to the possible heat/UV created by the lamps.

If it works I can move ahead with making a outside stock mold and then making a inside out of plaster/clay. Then carving the plaster/clay smooth. Then having it covered with ceramics.
This will give the clasic outside look with a clear inside (no flutes/lines) and be as thin as the stock lens.

The other option I thought of is with a glass blower. There is a high temp silicone that is used in metal casting. Make a outside mold out of it and then the inside part as described above. Then have a glass blower insert almost molten glass into the silicone part and stamp the glass with the ceramic portion. If this works this would give a stock clear glass lens without the flutes and lines. And a way to make replacement glass fog light lens....

The problems with this is how the ceramic & the silicone would react to the high temps of the molten glass. Also there is the problem of making the creamic insert.

As to sand casting....every imperfection in either the original or the sand will show up in the product. There is also the problem with molten glass being poured into wet sand (even slightly damp, which the sand has to be to hold it's shape) of the steam which is produced distorting the product making it unuseable. Not to mention how to make the inside smooth enough to be useable.

I've done sand casting...when metal is poured into it there are imprefections which are polished out later. One place I know of that uses cast metal pieces in their products receives them with lots of extra metal on them and then they are thrown into a "rock polisher" the size of a small car for several days to make the smooth enough to be used.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The problem with these lenses are that they are a one off...if you went to a commercial plastic lens manufacture and told them you wanted 100,000 pairs they would prob eat most of the mold development costs (or hide it in the lens costs).

Anyone want 199,998 lenses? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)