PabloCruise
SILVER Star
Is it "tailgate" or "tail gate"?
However you spell it, I was wondering how people would feel about being able to print their own handles?
I have been on the hunt for a solution to the tailgate handle dilemma for years, possibly a decade.
About 5 years ago I got access to the ability to scan a handle and had that done.
We then did a preliminary print in plastic and made some changes to radius some corners and strengthen things. I think I know where that first print is...
I then asked around about casting or machining the piece and could never find a reasonable solution for such a low anticipated volume.
Throughout the years I asked many people about this.
Along came Mssr @DoubleNickels in early 2017 with some ideas on printing pieces in this thread: Broken interior door handle bracket, any solutions? Or get metal version machined?
@fj55-100 used the print service and printed the door handle piece in sintered stainless:
@DoubleNickels and I started talking about printing the tailgate handle in stainless, how that could polish up into a nice piece. We agreed to start with a plastic prototype that I would test fit on a spare tailgate that I have lying around (thanks Ige @nuclearlemon ). So @DoubleNickels (aka Calvin) printed the plastic piece you see below and shipped to me. BIG thanks Calvin! I will go try that now.
This piece would likely require polishing. It would be a reproduction of the older style handle that screwed together. You could use your old fasteners, or I have a line on some new shouldered bolts. You would have to re-use your old spring. I do not have a line on a replacement spring.
The one think we do NOT have figured out is how to tap the piece that is fastened to the tailgate. I believe it is an M10 fastener. We can discuss this.
Does this sound interesting at all?
Here are some renderings from the design file:
However you spell it, I was wondering how people would feel about being able to print their own handles?
I have been on the hunt for a solution to the tailgate handle dilemma for years, possibly a decade.
About 5 years ago I got access to the ability to scan a handle and had that done.
We then did a preliminary print in plastic and made some changes to radius some corners and strengthen things. I think I know where that first print is...
I then asked around about casting or machining the piece and could never find a reasonable solution for such a low anticipated volume.
Throughout the years I asked many people about this.
Along came Mssr @DoubleNickels in early 2017 with some ideas on printing pieces in this thread: Broken interior door handle bracket, any solutions? Or get metal version machined?
@fj55-100 used the print service and printed the door handle piece in sintered stainless:
@DoubleNickels and I started talking about printing the tailgate handle in stainless, how that could polish up into a nice piece. We agreed to start with a plastic prototype that I would test fit on a spare tailgate that I have lying around (thanks Ige @nuclearlemon ). So @DoubleNickels (aka Calvin) printed the plastic piece you see below and shipped to me. BIG thanks Calvin! I will go try that now.
This piece would likely require polishing. It would be a reproduction of the older style handle that screwed together. You could use your old fasteners, or I have a line on some new shouldered bolts. You would have to re-use your old spring. I do not have a line on a replacement spring.
The one think we do NOT have figured out is how to tap the piece that is fastened to the tailgate. I believe it is an M10 fastener. We can discuss this.
Does this sound interesting at all?
Here are some renderings from the design file:
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