Ok here you go. Its a big beast! 2 main pieces and 4 inserts which bolt in. The process starts by preparing a number of small pieces of material using various standard molds and some hand carving. The exact process and material is proprietary to the molding specialists. The pieces are inserted into my mold after release agent is applied. Then the whole thing is baked. the exact heat profile and duration is proprietary. A chunk of metal that size takes a long time to heat and cool! It has to cool completely before the part can be released otherwise it will go out of shape. The yield is 2 per day. Because its such an inexact science and you cant see inside the mold some parts are rejected though. When they come out of the mold they dont look very pretty and they go through another proprietary process which gives the smooth black finish. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wow...that tooling is good for say, at least, several thousand parts!! Impressive effort for a needy cause.
Andy, What is the material you settled on? Is it used for similar applications? How resistant is it to UV? Any tendency to abosorb moisture? Thanks, Bill
Its a form of EPDM. Its resistant to UV and 100% waterproof. Its the same material as used on all car door seals but the reason this is a difficult part is that conventional seals are extruded rather than molded. This one cannot be extruded owing to its complex shape.
I've been through almost exactly the same thing for the replacement fog light glasses I have been reproducing and I completely understand the work involved. Andy should be given a medal for this work. Really a major commitment and hard to see a return let alone recovering the costs - look at the size of the mold! Anyway, thanks for all the effort - I'll order 1 or 2 once you have the process up to speed as I don't need one right now and others are more urgent I think. Cheers Mark Taiwan/UK
Andy, definately possible - exchange is no robbery and if you're interested in the foglight glasses I'm about to order another batch from my factory here. I'm also interested in a couple of the rubber seals when you're up to speed. Cheers Mark
We had to rewind a little as they were coming out with surface marks. All is OK now and I will definitely have some Monday.
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this thread tonight! I was just talking with my local mechanic about how to extend the life of my seal that's breaking down. I figured I would have to replace it someday, but hadn't even thought about looking for a replacement. Now I know not to look anywhere else! I will also be placing an order for one as they become available. Thanks for all your hard work put into developing this unique part! Cheers
OK I have some in stock now. I expect these will go pretty quickly but production is ongoing. The purchase link is here: http://www.ultimarc.com/JShopServer/section.php?xSec=17 Payment can be made in 3 currencies via credit/debit card or Paypal. DHL shipping is 2-3 working days.
Just ordered mine. It should be there for when i get my car back from some minor bodwork restoration at the weekend. Can't wait to fit it as mine is looking very ropey!
Have to order a set for my car. Great work. Is the rear seal easy to obtain? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Keep us in the loop when the next batch is ready. I was at the doctors and tests when you posted it was available.
There are a few more in stock now. I will be adding stock each Monday AM (except for 25 June, 2 and 9th July when we are closed).
Gentlemen, Just a few short lines to say a big "Thank You" to Andy; after a few days of hide and seek with the mail carrier, I have now mine in stock at home. Quality of the moulding is of a very high order, and the material itself is absolutely first class. Service for order, payment, shipping is perfect. Andy must be complimented again to have tackled such a job and produced a fine substitute to another "NLA" part. Again, a big "Thank You". Best