Modern Vespa

so without revealing too much... I have the possibility of manufacturing (small batch) metal replacement battery-side doors for smallframes. likely 18ga or similar steel or stainless or aluminum.

I've connected with a local shop in NYC that does 3D scanning and I'm willing to invest in the tooling to stamp new pieces in the USA.

if these were priced at around $60 ea. would at least 10 people want one? that would cover my initial costs. I'm not asking for money up-front, just gauging if anyone would want one. when I looked into doing this a couple of years ago there wasn't much interest, but prices have since come down significantly and this is a lot less expensive to do.

I know there are some out there made of fiberglass but a lot of prep work has to go into making them look presentable. these would look basically identical to the originals and could be painted with minimal prep work (or chrome plated or whatever).

Put me down for one, maybe two.

I would be in for one, yes please.

Put me in for one.Please

Help me collect contact info for when this happens: fill out this form! https://forms.gle/sX428E7mk14VPRHr6

Need to source a good non-damaged panel first (waiting on responses from a few people).

Already have the manufacturing process lined up and ready to go...

Only thing these won't include is a latch (some may opt for a lock or pins or something).

plsssss
id definitely buy one

Count me in for one. I'd think $60 is more than reasonable for short run. If you need an NOS original to scan, I may be able to help. PM me.

Update:

NOS panel is in the 3D scanner and I'll have a 3D model soon. Once I have a good model I can make molds and start stamping.

Very exciting!

it's happening!

Now thats Progress!

At long last
Nice one, Andrew!

American Smallieists rejoice!

just waiting on some tooling to arrive (Thursday??) and need to build the mold and do some test stamps

what we'll end up doing is offering to do hinges for people (steel, brazed/spot welded in place) but do a center point dimple where the lock should ideally go (leaving the area blank for options of factory latches or mailbox latches, dzus fasteners, etc - different hole sizes)

will also be doing stamps in different gauges of steel and aluminum to see what works best, and my guess is a light gauge steel will be best

as you all know, many repop panels are thinner for cost saving - and the same applies here obviously - but thinner gauge is also easier to stamp!

I hope for the price point this is acceptable to everyone 8)

will update when I have more news/photos

also (just for fun) here's a view of how detailed the 3D scanner can get: it was able to pick up the texture of the factory sticker on the NOS panel.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing the scans, and plans. Nice detail!

I understand the necessity to use lighter gauge steel, for easier stamping. However, I would personally lean more toward a heavier gauge, even if it means a slightly higher price point. If I had the choice between a cheaper light panel, and a more expensive heavier (stockish gauge) panel, I'd gladly pay for the later. Although that is just me. There are limitations, so something better than nothin I dont think a lighter panel would be an issue, as long as it wont get dented by the wind blowing. Just my 1.5 cents.

Dimple for lock position is a great plan!

You obviously have thought this through, so keep up the good work!

even 24ga steel (0.024" - probably thinner than I'll go) is going to be pretty good and sturdy once pressed - this panel has a very long arch and a curve at the end for rigidity

for comparison, most kitchen sinks are 18-22ga stainless and pretty much bulletproof

it just depends what the press can handle, which I'll know soon

See, you have thought this through well Carry on!

Very excited. I can finish my small frame.

Scan detail is impressive! Can you share more info on the scanner please?

I'm not an expert on it (I don't do the scanning myself), but my understanding is it uses lasers as probes to translate basically a radar-type reading into a 3D image with incredible precision.

That raw image is then manually processed in a CAD program to create a more smooth surface.

In this case, we didn't make it perfectly smooth, as the original molded part was done by hand before computer design, so it wasn't "perfect" to begin with. Also, the mold's details will be "averaged" when the steel is pressed against it, so you won't see them anyway (these sorts of details would only be visible in a direct 3D print or CNC part).

Attached is the raw scan (latches and imperfections and all) vs. finished "smoothed" panel model.

More info: https://www.cubodesigns.com/3d-scanning

Have these gone into production yet? I'd like to put in an order for one.

Jon in Philadelphia

not quite, we're still figuring out the tooling to ensure the copies are as good looking as the originals

looking at early 2022

Thank you...

Very good! Looking forward to this

Im so down whit this reproduction 😁

Thanks!

Still working on this. Finalizing the 3D printing and fabricating techniques to ensure the panels come out as close to the originals as possible.

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. But will definitely buy a cover if when they get produced. Been looking for one for my Sport 100 for about 2 years!

Regards,

Ron

Hey! i was just thinking about this cover on my primavera and remembered this thread, any news at all?

not yet! I'll post here when we have something.

Waiting patiently

Thank you, i'm excited

Oooh! Just added my name to the list if it's not too late. Might take 2 if there are enough for everyone. What a great project. If they turn out well you could probably sell a bunch of them to the big online retailers <fingers> Thanks for doing this <3

I finally have all of the tooling necessary to manufacture these. Will post an update this weekend on pricing etc.

Also would people be comfortable paying up front assuming the panels would be delivered later? Having the funds for materials up front would make this easier for me. There are a few people here who know me in person and can vouch, but I also don't want to break any forum rules.

Wonderful! What a journey for you. I'm glad I came into the story late enough for the suspense not to be long <grin> Yeah, if there's some way to not be just tossing money at a stranger I'd be up for paying ahead. Is there something like a GoFundMe type service that would at least have it be on a platform and with some kind of commitment or something? I am sure that you will find quite a market for these after the prototypes prove that they are cool. Maybe a wee biz loan would do? I would be up for a loan if you have anything to secure it against? Just thinking aloud. Totally want this project to work!

I've dealt with a few different individuals on this forum. Some are American, Indonesian, British, and others. I've sent money to a guy in Italy to buy cool old original Vespa parts, not a corporate vendor but just a guy who sells stuff from his father's scrap yard. All were honest and stuck to their word, and I got the parts.

In fact, the ones who burn the hardest are the ones protected by eBay, credit card companies, and PayPal.

Just sayin'.

the biggest thing for me is that I've already invested my own money on tooling and research, so I'm sort of at the end of what is "cool" to spend on a "hobby" (in the words of my fiancee).

so just having the money for metal up-front would make life at home easier - that's really all there is to it.

I will stamp out a few prototypes and upload photos and videos soon.

while not against the rules, per-se I do have to make mention that any dealing here are personal and not under the purview of MV.

basically, don't come crying or blame MV in any way if you don't get any product after you paid this guy. we can't and won't help you.

*moderator cap off*

so, how much are we talking per door? and what's the lead time?

they'll have to be made one at a time by hand so with that in mind and all of the post-pressing work (trimming, welding on the hinges, etc) it's going to be at least $100

I need to do a few final tests to solidify the costs of materials and time involved

if I can get the process simplified to one pressing and I can make a jig to weld on tabs (which I can somewhat mass produce) I could potentially bring the price down but I'm just assuming that it's going to take at least 30-60 minutes per panel total, so in my mind it's pretty fair