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Old 02-19-2010, 11:02 PM   #49 (permalink)
3-Wheeler
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AlienMobile - '00 Honda Insight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertSmalls View Post
...Actually, you'll need a second foam template for the sides. The first picture in post #41 shows one template in the vertical plane, and the same template on a different scale in the ground plane.

You want your tail to have the same height and angle where it takes over from the Honda tail, so you'll need to scale your equation so the y and dy/dx of the template match those of the Honda, at the point where the Honda ends. Or just eyeball it as I did in the second picture in post #41.
Hi Robert,

Actually, what you mentioned above is just what I had in mind for the top and sides. The "template" will simply have to be trimmed to fit at various positions on the car, depending one the shape in the surrounding area.

Here is the Honda Insight data in case you are interested. I tried to be very careful in picking the shape of the car, but if one were to calculate the delta-X and delta-Y of the raw data, you would probably see some variance, and be able to correct for it.

I have not tried this, since these dimensions are close enough for me, and when the foam template is made, the working edge of the foam will be "artfully" sanded for a shape that looks good to the eye. It's similar to an artist who paints!!



By the way, the scaling number of 3.555 is shown here as well, and the CAD numbers in inches were converted to the full scale value of 94.4.. inches, which is the wheelbase dimension, so the shape should be very close.

Jim.
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