Thanks for the Bimmer lesson. Now, when you have a few minutes come over and help me resolve the 108th problem I've had with my 545i so I can sell it with a clear conscience.

Are you kidding? After owning 3 Z3s, a 528i, and three 3 series, I ain’t smart enough to mess with (fix)....or probably won't own again...any new BMWs. Never own them out of warranty. Nice looking car though, Mark. Sorry you’re having issues with it. Will that be the chariot that picks me up at the airport when I get to Ft. Myers??:3gears:

Cheers
Dave

My weekend machine is an X3. I really like it but warrantee up dec of this year. Probably trading it when I get home. Dealer is great to work with tho.

Seriously Dave. I've replaced the Active Steering module in the steering column, did the "Bimmer Fix" to repair the coolant pipe that runs down the intake valley, replaced the thermostat, new battery, coolant level sensor, and the list goes on. Ugh, it's a beautiful car and rides and handles nicely but every time I get in the car the CEL comes on.

Man, Mark. That stinks! Takes all the fun out of any car ownership. That’s why my 507 will be all Domestic parts!:biggthumpup::hmmm: But funny thing, the only BMWs I had that gave me problems were the Z3s and they were stupid thing, but still a pain to deal with. And ironically, they are built in the US!:grin:

Cheers
Dave

Had a good friend of the family who was in the Army in Germany. One of his dreams was to buy a BMW and later ship it to the states when he rotated back. The car needed all the export crap installed to get it legal be for shipment. Long story short -- car was a waste after all the mods that were required. He referred to it as a "Body Movement Wonder" ... traded it for a pickup.

It's a getting serious now! This is the first body made from a mold off the original body.
I flew out to inspect, verify details up close,
And I'm extremely pleased! I'll have mine in May. :biggthumpup::biggthumpup::smile:

I'll start fabricating up the chassis and frame construction in June, right along side restoring the Crusty Cuda (which takes priority due to a 2020 MCACN deadline :burnout:).

More updates and info to follow....goggles

.... ...and you thought this wasn't gonna happen:headbang: This thread will be more entertaining and soul cleansing than a colonoscopy!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

This gonna be fun! You gotta be stoked Dave!!!!!

Looking forward to this German Build.....to bad the Brats in Texas Suck :-(
The kind of Brats that are soaked in real German Beer :-)

Cheers Dave

Dan

Oh, quite the contrary there, Danno! The town that about :30 minutes North of me, Granbury, has a real-deal German restaurant and the owner is from the Cologne area and imports the brats from Germany! The schnitzel, spatzle, kraut, wursts....all as authentic as can be! Come on down!:drool:

Yeah, it’ll be fun Sam! We’ll see if anyone would want to watch this build, so we’ll see if I continue the thread. Maybe an update here and there. I don’t want to bore anyone :frown:

I’ll be having the Crusty Cuda build going on shortly anyway, so that’ll be more interesting to watch and then see the results in person in 2020!:headbang:

Cheers
Dave

Yummy, that sounds like a future plan :)

Dan

I've decided to take the 507 project in a new and challenging direction that will be the ultimate test of my skills at fabrication, design, patience, pocket book, and thread posting skills! :eek2:

My planification is to produce two body bucks and fabricate the body by hand. :smile: With factory dimensions, old blueprints, and access to a real 507 should I need a few up close measurements or pictures, i think my plan will work. So how am I gonna do this? :confused2: What a great question!:naughty:

Welp, last week I talked to a gentleman that runs a pretty large 3D scanning and design firm here in Ft. Worth about my project. I explained to him my overall idea, what body bucks are, how the whole project "should" work according to my feeble brain.:smirk: His reaction wasn't one of laughter, or a massive rolling of the eyes, or a "Ha! Not gonna happen Super Daydreamin' Dave." I was met with not only enthusiasm for my project, but examples of people who have done exactly what I've done with motorcycles and a couple vintage Ferraris. And coincidentally, he started in the auto industry so he knew exactly what I was talking about the whole time and knows what I'll need to make the body bucks! :biggthumpup:

I'll be meeting with him again this week to talk prices and schedule the start of my project. He'll 3D scan a 1/18th scale model I have of the 507 and incorporate the blue print dimensions to scale up the model to true size. I'll confirm with the real 507 to verify everything and then have the 3D CAD file made with stations (slices, if you will) every 8". They'll be a few stations longitudinally
too. That file will be taken to a printer and the individual stations printed out. I'll take those and glue them to plywood and cut each one out. I could take them to a CNC guy and have them laser zap them, but haven't looked into a cost on that. Once that buck is built I'll fill in the gaps with foam, sculpt, then fill with polyester fill primer. I'll sand and prime that one for a true scale body that I can see. Basically, like a clay model that the auto manufacturers still use. Another buck will be built to hammer the metal on. Once the panel is formed I'll place on the finished buck to verify fitment. After all panels are made I'll weld them up respectively. After chassis fabrication, those sections will be welded to it creating the unibody. 507s were painted body color all over as one piece.

Cheap? No. Easy? Ha! But I'm pretty sure I can make it happen and keep everyone entertained along the way! :laugh:

More to come....

Cheers
Dave

Wow, now that sounds like a project! Looking forward to seeing how all of this works as it is has really gotten interesting now, lol. Best of luck Dave.

You don't have time for all of that. You have to get a Cuda ready for SCR! :rolleyes2:

Seeing how fast Dave works it should be done just in time for some wind in the hair summer cruisin'

As long as we are entertained, cost should be no object!

:haha: :haha:

:Charley::Charley: :smile::laugh:

Don’t you worry, Freddie! I’ll be there!:burnout:

Well, this one won’t be going so fast with all the logistical logistics involved since I’ll be splitting my time between home and Miami with my new base. But, hopefully I’ll be based back in DFW by June at the latest freeing up more time for hourly updates!:tongue: Crap! I gotta update Cristy’s thread! I’ll do that tomorrow:test::smile:

More details soon on this magnatical project!!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Here's a couple examples of body bucks along with one guy that had one made for a Porsche by a company in South Africa which were laser cut and shipped to him.

Gonna be fun! :headbang:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

WOW! That's going to be awesome.

Just putting the buck together will be impressive

My 1/18th scale model has arrived and I'll prep it for the scan tomorrow! :headbang: Tuesday I'm meeting with my design team to scan the model. Man, I sound all classy n' sh$t! I mean, haven't you always wanted to say you have your own design team?:laugh: I mean....a DESIGN TEAM MAAAAN!!:headbang: "Hey Dave, we're all headed to Smilin' Pete's for a beer, you wanna come with?":hmmm: "Gee fellas, I can't make it. I have to meet with my design team today at twelve hundred hours.":scholar: Yep......so freakin' fetch!

Anywho, the model will be disassembled so it's just the body shell with windshield remain. I'll blast it to remove paint then prime. That antiglare flat primer is the best for 3D scanning. There's no light interference, from my understanding. The beauty of the 3D scanning is the two other parts of the car I need will be the dash and the windshield frame. Those can be done separately and be made from their own files.

Pics and an update Tuesday! Thank you for following along down this crazy build road!! If anything,
I promise it'll be entertaining with results that may surpass the Homer Simpson mobile! :headbang:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Really interesting Dave. So, the model you're using for the 3D printing is an exact, exact replica of the original? I'm just curious as this is a really interesting process to me.

Correct, Mark. I also have copies of the original blueprints of the car (engineering drawings) that have dimensions, accurate curvature, angles, etc. Before final execution of the forms and after the scanning of the model, the dimensions will be verified against the blueprints and adjusted accordingly. This should yield a perfect match.

Now, these cars were all hand built so there are variances between cars. Take the hardtops that some were equipped with. Each one was unique to that car and wouldn't fit another since there would be minor variations in body panels where the tops mount on the body.

That's another reason for the full sized mockup. I can then compare to the real thing and sign off on the final design before I move it to production. See?! Not only do I have a design team, I also have a preproduction inspector and a production staff! :rolleyes2::rolleyes2::rolleyes2:

Yes, Vintage Coachworks, a division of Restorations by SuperDave, a corporation of DaveCo, is in its infancy!!:hmmm::tongue::biggthumpup::bs:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Super Energizer Bunny Captain Dave, can we gits a pigture of the model B4 you strip in ?


:beers:

Dave:

I really need to come down and see you when you get going on this. My next BIG project is going to involve some mini bucks (long story) and don't want to hijack the thread).

Sending you a PM.

BTW the following quote: "I have to meet with my design team today at twelve hundred hours."

Really cool if you are talking about a car. Super sucky if you are talking about the downstairs powder room.

Oh yeah, Mike. I'll start another thread for the model teardown! :D:p Just kidding. :wink: But I will be showing the whole process start to finish, so don't you worry! I'll show the model prep and hopefully I'll be there for the scan or at least get photos.

Definitely come down, Lynn! We'll chat next year!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

This has to be the fastest I've ever disassembled a car! :cool2:

I'm overly impressed with this model as far as accuracy and details. So now that its torn down, time to get it primed. The best part is the 3D scanning guy can make a CAD file for the dash along with the ever important windshield frame to ensure correct dimensions.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

A quick scuff with some Scotchbrite and a light dusting of 4:1:1 primer/ sealer, and we're ready to meet with the 3D scanning guy tomorrow! More to come....

Cheers:beers:
Dave

This is gonna be cool!!

The meeting today was a complete success and Mike is just about as excited as I am to see the completed body buck! :shocked: Due to the holidays coming up, I probably won’t have the CAD file until Mid January. I’m also working with a CNC company that will router out the panels. Mike and I will finalize the end design with a few keels along the longitudinal axis that will keep the buck straight during assembly and also aid in panel formation.

The 3D scanning technology is amazing.:worship: Time to jump back in the other projects while this moves forward!:scholar:

Cheers
Dave

The scan is done and it's moving forward to dividing the model into stations now. Woohoo!:biggthumpup:

Cheers
Dave

Way cool!!

Dave,
First I want to commend you for taking on such an endeavor. This is pretty awesome and I am really enjoying following along.
If you are on Instagram you may want to follow Runge Cars. Although he solely works with Porsche designs, you may get some inspiration and tips on the buck building and body work/assembly.

Thanks for taking us along on this ride.

Marty

Hi Marty,

I’m not on Instagram, but I’ve been scouring the net for everything related to this build and watching videos of metal forming, etc. I’m going to start a video build and post up here shortly, which I think will be fun for everyone especially me!:bs::p:p:p

It’s a daunting task but it’s also going to be so much fun! Rewarding? Of course. Frustrating? Absolutely! But it’s sure to be challenging to not only my skills, but my patience and wallet!:scholar::thumbsdown:

More to come...they’re almost done with the CAD design. The latest email showed me the placement of the body buck stations as well as the stringers that will run longitudinally down the body. Think old-school style Gullows balsa wood model plane.

More to come....

Cheers
Dave

... and this is what I mean! :smile: I got this email yesterday and it's identical to what I envisioned. I think we're pretty close to being done with the CAD work and then it's onto getting it sent over to the CNC company to router out the design in 3/4" plywood. :biggthumpup:

I acquired some NOS Mercedes bullet style turn signal
lenses and a few other small parts. Coming along nicely! I hope to have the body buck assembled in March and should be in paint by June:no::tongue:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Paint by June? What's taking so long? You are Super Dave! You are faster than a speeding English wheel, more powerful than a planishing hammer, able to leap a 2 post car lift in a single bound!

Ha! Good one Freddie! Parts collection continues, and I picked up set of NOS Mercedes W108/111 turn signal bases, lenses, and bezels. They're very close to the 507's although I'll have to make my own base extensions. That should be easy enough to do compared to making the whole of everything else!:eek2::hmmm::rolleyes2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

More progress progressing forward! Latest feedback from the CAD people is this rendering which shows the skeletal sections under the sheetmetal body to verify fitment. What you see it's what I'll be getting out of wood, both horizontal and longitudinal. All parts will interlock and they'll be a keel down the center foot rigidity as well as alignment proposes.

This is a snapshot of a video they sent me, but I'm technologically challenged with trying to upload this tip YouTube. But fear not! Videography at it's finest will be forthcoming! :biggthumpup::rolleyes2:

Cheers:beers:

Dave

Like the Ford truck comercial states , :bs: :are you using "Military grade aluminium" ? :grin:
Seriously, do you have to use a dead soft aluminum ? What thickness ?

Mike