No worries with the metal-cutting blade. Like ACE said, just go slow. Also, avoid putting *any* lateral pressure on the blade. I've done a lot of glass cutting using diamond-coated ring saw blades that are about $75 each, and the only times I've had problems are when I've tried to go too fast, or pressed the piece I'm working with from the side, instead of straight into the blade.

 

Dawn is lookin good.

 

Thanks for the insights and offer. How much are you planning on charging, so I know if I should go ahead on this one?

 

PM me if you want to try a custom-made one (assuming you can send me a tracing template and the aftermarket scoop insert looks like it will properly sandwitch the insert). I don't see why it would be any more work than making one from MY template - I mean, it has to be roughly the same size since it still has to fit inside the bonnet aperture, right?

 

It's not billet aluminum. It's stainless steel. That's why Matt's cut off wheels are trying to melt for him.

 

Doesn't feel like stainless... Smells like aluminum when it cuts. How can I tell? Stainless would actually be really cool.

 

Awesome Job...talk about the right place at the right time.

 

Love the innovative use of an "off the shelf" product!

 

The fact that you are having a hard time cutting it with a cut off wheel tells me it's most likely not aluminum. I have some experience cutting stainless & it's a bugger to do.

 

Awesome DIY work & thinking out of the box. You get extra points for recycling something that would have ended up in a land fill!

 

Well, I found some very pricey but very tough cutting discs at Anderson's tonight - I still can't make an entire cutout with a single disc though... Maybe Chuck is right and it's stianless after all. Plus, I've cut up a bunch of aluminum PC cases for MODs, but I don't remember aluminum sparking like this when I cut on it:



Either way, these are some serious guards... Literally stronger than the bonnet material around them. In the even of a nuclear war, they'll be nothing left but roaches and these grilles, glowing softly in the irradiated night...

 

I was going to ask you if the material was sparking as you cut it. I agree, that doesn't look like aluminum from the sparks you're getting.

(I remember one of my old textbooks actually showed what the grinding sparks look like for various metals, but I'll be darned if I can find it now.)

EDIT - Found it - it's called "Spark Testing", and the sparks you're getting seem to be consistent with stainless steel.

 

Sharp! Looks a lot better than my 99 cent gutter mesh from Lowes

 

Coolness... if anything, stainless steel is actually more impressive. But hey... I'm easily impressed. Thanks for the link!! I agree - the sparks are consistent with stainless - straight, white-tipped, no sparklers and the ends fork.

EDIT: Duuur. Badge magnets stick to it... Definitely not aluminum. I'm such a dork.

 

Hmmm - Does it feel like the badge magnets stick as "hard" to the material as they do to a metal body panel?

If they stick fairly well, the shelving is probably 400-series stainless, which would make sense. If the magnets barely stick, it might be 300-series that's become slightly ferromagnetic through cold-working, but 300-series is usually used for things like high-quality knives and pieces where cosmetic appearance is very important.

Since your material started off life as shelving, you've probably got 400-series stainless steel, which is a really nice material for what you're making.

 

Sticks really well. Yeah, baby...

 

Top notch work. Airflow issues maybe?

I had no idea different metals had different spark patturns. Good stuff.

 

looks good. The mesh looks a bit thick for me with regards to airflow. this store has over sized cutting wheels and the original "modders mesh" that has the honeycomb mesh.

http://www.mnpctech.com/casemodstore.html

 

That looks pretty sly! I'd be interested in one for my ensuing R56 MCS if you've found someone willing to let you use their insert as a template. I'd offer up mine, but right now it's lost somewhere in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.

 

Making the shape isn't the issue - what I need to see is if there's a way to "sandwich" the grille betweer the metal of the bonnet and the insert (as in the R53) or if I'll need to make allowances for additional fasteners.

 

I'll keep an eye on this thread and hopefully someone will graciously offer up their R56 as a test subject.

 

looks good.

This being NAM (where one is always called out for making statements) - I gonna have to call you out on this "stop a crow comment" - either buck up the evidence (pics, please ) or retract .

 

Buy one and try to get ANYTHING past the grille... I dare you. The bonnet will crumple before 1/8" of stainless steel will fail.

 

ahhh - but you missed the NAM loophole. ImagoX has already stated that his grill is designed by a famous artist -- artistic license: he doesn't have to back up any claims with data.

 

In that case, the grille will add an extra 64.2 HP and 19 lbs of boost. Plus, the chicks.... they all dig it. Makes their bottoms tingly.