Xtra

I believe the 295 tires are 1.2 inch wider than the 265 . Thats great that they are working so well for you.

Work continues. The clip and mount that holds the lid in place. Also have installed the edge protector on the top and the gasket on the bottom. There is no need to make a jig for any of these steps as they self align. The rivets are backed with a galvanized washer to prevent any rust and stop pull through. Top, bottom and one side done.. Three sides to go.

An inline fuse of the proper size is easy to do and can’t hurt ?.

This shows just how much better the mold is working after the rebuild. The thicker ABS pulled in tight with better definition to the part. The first prototype can be seen on the left, on the right the new improved version.

Made some changes to the Jig after using it. It is a process, I am sure I will continue to refine it over time.

Today I worked on one of the cutout jigs. This jig is used to remove the part from the sheet of ABS. It is not a critical precise cut as it will be trimmed to size later. Here the jig is set in place ready to go. This is the RotoZip tool I use. It was not designed for this, but it works. I use the depth gauge to align the tool on the jig. Once around the jig and done, easy enough. There are still a few bugs to work out .The ABS is 2X2 and the corners kept catching the RotoZip's electric cord as I cut, and the part that fell off could be supported to achieve a better cut. The basics are there, I just need to perfect the process. Overall I am pleased with the results.

The plastic shop told me of another person who built their own mold for the Vacuum machine and it was a horror story. The vacuum crushed the wood box and the mold split in half when they tried it. It was a complete loss. After dealing with that mess for a few hours they put my mold on the machine, and it pulled a perfect part on the first go. I think they did that to prove to the guy with the busted mold that their machine was not the problem. They found it so easy and satisfying after that disaster they gave me the part for free !!! The first one is always free LOL...

Thanks so much handfiler. This has been quite the endeavor to get to this point, and it is a major step getting the mold completed. I appreciate your support and it should fit your 2019 2,7EB Nautilus.

Got the computer tp download photos again so here is an update. Today I picked up the thicker V3 prototype from the plastic shop and it came out great. I couldn't ask for any better, it pulled onto the mold like a champ. This end of the Adaptor has many steps and corners in a small area that did not pull in as tight as I wanted on the first few attempts. Now after the changes I made to the mold and the wood box it is working perfectly, and the part has great definition. These are the corners that were squared up and the roundness taken out of them. In the first few attempts this was a major problem. After the rebuild of the box and mold it is fixed and working very well. With the changes that were made to the box and to the mold, the plastic shop was able to get these great results on the vary first try. Once I get the cutout jigs finished and the latch mounting jigs made I will do a run of 8. It will be a complete package that will fit both the Sport and the ST 2.7 EB with your choice of Wet or Dry Air Filter, the Elbow Reducers, Clamps, Sensor, Gaskets, and the Lid. The Auxiliary Air input and Flex Hose will still be offered as an option.

Got a flat when I went to the plastic shop to pick up the prototype V3 today. Much more than a nail or screw. It looks like part of a sizzor blade. They were able to patch it from the inside and I was on my way.

Just called the Plastic shop and they have molded a V3 Adaptor in the stronger, stiffer, thicker ABS and they say it came out great!! Better than they expected . I will pick up the part tomorrow and try to post some photos. I say try because I am having trouble downloading photos on my phone to the computer. It has been like that for a few days now. My plan is to create a working final prototype and to get the jigs I made done and tested. I need to get rid of the V2s in stock from this last run, to fund this V3 project Right now I am offering $15 off on all V2s until this last run of them is sold out. There are about 4 ABS and Carbon Fiber available.

Looking good ! Thanks for the photos . How do you like the wider tires so far? Any improvements or problems?

I cleaned up the mess the Goo Gone made and have decided to not remove the hood wrap at this time. What I have learned: Remove wraps while they are still elastic and playable , not dried out and spiderweb cracked. Of all the tools I tried the eraser wheel did the fastest, best job, it removed the wrap and the glue without any visible damage to the paint. The metal long handle scraper scratched the paint when the plastic blade slipped. The smaller plastic scrapers worked well and did not leave any scratches, but progress was to slow. They were better for small touch up and finish work. The GooGone worked at melting most of the glue, but it made a sticky residue on everything it touched, and was messy to work with. Better to let a pro do it if you can afford it. After review, I decided to save some duckets then have the graphics painted on.

I agree, the wrap did not last that long, about 3 years, and it cost $300 to put it on. But having to pay $800 to replace every few years is not good.

Took a break and did some more work and finished. It came out ok but it needs covering. I learned that the Goo Gone melts the glue and any runoff will leave a residue. I need to go back and clean up the mess I made on the rear glass

I have a heat gun but it got up to 95 today so I just parked in the sun to heat up the wrap. I will try the heat gun on the hood when I start that project. I got a quote and they wanted 3 shop hours at $120 per hr to remove the wrap, and $800 to clean and re wrap. No thank you!! I just spent around $50 for the tools and will clean it myself. This part took me about 2 hours to do, not to bad for my first time. It is an easy enough job, it is just time consuming dirty work, and If I can't get a lower price to install the new wrap I will look at paint, one and done forever. . The scratch by the metal scraper can be seen on the back edge as a small black line at the bottom of the photo, the other black specks at the top are bits of wrap, the off-color mess everyplace else is the remaining glue. A little Goo Gone and it should clean up nicely.

Yes, I watched a few videos and the biggest mistake I made was to wait 5 years before removing the wrap. The wrap started showing its age around 3 years, and if I had removed it at that time I would have had a much better chance of removing it in a few large pieces. It now comes off in thousands of small pieces. It is like removing a label from a giant bottle with your fingernails. I went ahead and bought a Whizzy Wheel and some Goo Gone to speed things up. Here are the tools I assembled to do the job. The long handle metal scraper works well but the plastic razor slipped and the metal scratched the paint a little so I have stopped using that tool. The plastic scrapers are much safer to use around paint, but do not offer the leverage of the long handle scraper. The eraser wheel works great but makes a big mess, it removes the wrap without damaging the paint. If I can handle the heat, it is 90* today, I will try finish this one part. This is difficult as I have to stand on a three step ladder to reach, and it is hard on my back. I will use the Goo Gone after the wrap is off to remove any remaining glue residue.

After 5 years it is time to replace the wrap. I should have replaced it at 3 years because it would have been much easier to remove. Now I know better. The wrap is shot and will require a lot of work to remove. I have started to remove the wrap, it comes up in small pieces and leaves a glue residue. I am using plastic razors with the scraper that don't scratch the paint. This is going to take a while. After scraping for 15 min I am considering getting a Whizzy Wheel car decal and sticker remover tool, it is designed to be used with a drill to remove the wrap and not hurt the paint.

If you are wondering about what happened next after the concept drawing of the sight shield ( pictured above ) was made, check out this thread. The story continues here.

$15 discount on all Carbon Fiber and ABS V2 intakes until this last run is sold out. I am doing it for the V3 project. PM me if you are interested. For those of you that have already placed your order and are awaiting delivery, no worries, I will PayPal a $15 refund.

What is so cool about using a jig is this is the first time I can cut on the line. I have always cut outside the line then sanded and shaped down to the line. A labor intensive task that jigs eliminate. I am now inspired to create several jigs for the V3 Adapter . Jigs to cut with and jigs for mounting the clips and latches. It will take a bit to create them , but they will be well worth the effort.

Although the Adaptor mold is at the plastic shop I was still able to make some progress. I bought a new cutout tool, Harborfreight's version of a RotoZip tool . The depth gauge is used to align the bit on the jig. It is basically a small hand held router. With this cutout tool and jig I can make precision cuts that don't require very much touch up after cutting. The jig is used to cut this hole in the Adaptor where it connects to the OEM air box. What would have taken several min to cut, trim to size, and finish can now be accomplished much easier.

Have sold a couple but there are still a few V2 available in both CF and ABS. Order now because there won't be another run for a few months as I will be concentrating on the V3. PM me if you are interested or want a price quote.

Though I have cut out all the V2s they still need finishing. I am going to try and finish all the V2s while I wait for the V3 Adaptor prototype to be molded. There are several V2s in stock, so this will be the last run of them for awhile.

Dropped off the completed Adapter mold at the plastic shop today. They were unusually busy and won’t be able to get to it for at least a couple weeks. They are going to use the thicker ABS this time and hopefully it will be good on the first try. If that works, I will refine the latches and catches and make some jigs for them. And with a little luck have a finished working V3 Adapter prototype ready to test.