making tailgate trim

[Hsoj]

 So I got a few ideas, but what if I wanted to make a run of a few? Does anyone have any input?

 

I have a reliable machinist who can make anything (including airplanes) and we got to talking. For a close to original looking one it would be about $70each for a run of a hundred of them. Thats a lot to shell at once. Thats also a rough estimate but chrome is hella costly and there isn't that much of a market.  What do you all think or want?

[skishop69]

I would think you'd be able to get enough people. I'd be interested in one, maybe two. They weren't chromed though. Some kind of polished tin. I spent a lot of time cleaning and removing dings from my sets and didn't see any evidence of chrome plating. Never seen one peal either and chrome usually tends to do that after decades.

[BuckarooBanzai]

All the trim pieces around the bed, doors and windshield were all polished aluminum. I'd definitely would be interested in a couple of them and $70 would be a great deal! Now with that said, we're talking a very close to original replica of the Gen 2 tailgate trim? Are you thinking or planning that the reproduction would have the thin rubber trim on it as well?

[Hsoj]

Im not sure about anything. I need to hear about what you all want as a market.

Me, I'm a Carpenter who builds what you want. Metal is different. I'd like a very close to original trim piece myself but if it was better I'd be interested too.

[Hsoj]

Ill be sharing all your posts with my friend. Im hoping he gets a subi too....lol. We can nail this down if we work together.

[TomRhere]

I would be interested in one for the '82.

[skishop69]

All the trim pieces around the bed, doors and windshield were all polished aluminum.

 

Nope, they're not. They're all magnetic. Steel based.

Edited November 24, 2014 by skishop69

[BuckarooBanzai]

No matter what they're were made of, I think we can agree that a decent repro would be unanimously welcomed!

[coxy]

Regarding the stainless trims around the bed in a Brat or Brumby a friend of mine who is a scientific instrument maker told me about a machine with dies his grandfather once had that other family members disposed of not knowing what it was.

It was in effect along the lines of one of those Swage and Jenny machines with a selection of special steel rollers that was capable of repairing all the trim pieces on early twenties and thirties American cars which were for the most part either brass or stainless on the better models.

 

So seeing as Subaru's use stainless trims even  getting some speciffic rollers made up with the appropriate form to match Subaru stainless trims would then allow anybody to re roll the damage and dents out of the Original Subaru trims and then just repolish to end up with  what would be in effect as new Trim pieces.

 

Some of the standard rollers as supplied with these tools would also be capable of rolling out dents etc even on edges, So why hasn't anybody done so yet??

 

These Guys are doing something along the same thing, If you look at the trims in the last picture an appropriate roller shape would make it all to easy to roll out any damage in such a shape so why not Subaru's.

 

http://www.secondchancestainless.com/

 

Another who does exactly that.

 

http://stainlesstrimworks.com/

 

A YouTube Video on working stainless to give you an idea of the possibilities.

 

[pksjeep]

I made mine out of solid Black plastic(I think UHMW) I cut stopped slots in the bottom to match the tailgate rib. Counter bored the bottom at the stopped slots for plastic license body nuts for mounting, and counter bored the top for the mounting hard wear. The license plate body nuts snap into the tailgate holes. The material machined well using a router and table saw. I had to make it slightly taller than the original trim because it was concerned about the slot area being thin. I used a knife to thin down the ends so my canopy would fit. The tailgate has a slight bow so the plastic flexed to match.