cuttin

[lmaxx8]

i did a search and didnt find anything.......i have tried many things but nothins workin, wat do yall use to cut out the body

thanks,
lyle

 

[robriguez]

Lexan scisors are prolly the best for the large areas to be cut out. For intricate areas I either use an exacto knife (but this takes a while and you have to be very very careful not to cut yourself) or I use my rotozip tool. I use the cutting disk meant for cutting metal (it doesn't wear down and doesn't require as high an rpm) But this can be very tricky if you dont have a steady hand. (not to mention very dusty...wear a painters breathing mask) The disk might "bite" into the material a bit too much and try to run down the body causing a very ugly scratch.

 

[4u2nv]

I still havnt invested in a lexan scissors, I plan to, just ALWAYS forget until I'm about ready to cut the body, so I always say "Ill pick some up the next body". So what I use is a normal scissors on the straight parts and use a small curved scissors (I think its for nose hairs of something..lol) and it actually works really well. But yeah, ya can get a curved lexan scissors on tower for like $7.99.

 

[sAvY_mAn]

yea i just picked up a set with a body reamer and curved scissors for 9.99 from tower

 

[FRIDGE]

i use regular scissors for the easy cuts, then i get the dremel with the sanding drum and get all the curves and other stuff. but beware you should never use the dremel when you are very tired as somethng like the picture below may happen!

 

[Diver6127]

Circle cutter, hobby knife, reamer and scissors.

Score the holes with the circle cutter. Ream out a hole in the circle, make pie cuts with the scissor up to the line you scored and just bend the plastic pie cuts. the lexan will snap at the line. I do this for the wheel wells and cooling holes.

To cut out the body, I score the entire body line then just the scissor to cut lines every 4-6 inches or so up to the line I scored. Bend and snap. I don't use lexan scissors to cut out the whole body line.

 

[Buggyracer28]

To cut out the body, I score the entire body line then just the scissor to cut lines every 4-6 inches or so up to the line I scored. Bend and snap. I don't use lexan scissors to cut out the whole body line.

Yeah, Diver showed me this method and now I use it for all my bodies. It is sooo easy!!!I used to use regular scissors and a dremel lol. Now I score, snap, and fix everything up with a dremel. (only the few things that need it).

If you dont have a circle cutter, this is what I do for the front/rear windows. Place an onroad wheel on the front (line it up with your engine) window, mark around it with a pen. then score and snap it. You will then have a ROAR approved front hole (2" diameter). The rear is pretty much the same except you place the wheel in 2 different spots and draw a line connecting them from the top and the bottom of the circles. Hopefully someone can show you a pic. I would but its 12:37 right now and I am falling asleep lol.

Fridge.... ouch lol. I dont use the sanding bit, I use an orange colored bit for sanding plastic. Works PERFECTLY if you can find it at like Home Depot or something, it saves MANY of my bodys lol.

 

[Lessen]

To cut out the body, I score the entire body line then just the scissor to cut lines every 4-6 inches or so up to the line I scored. Bend and snap. I don't use lexan scissors to cut out the whole body line.

IMO, this is the only way to cut out a body. Cleanup afterward is extremely minimal. I actually lay down pinstripe tape around the entire perimeter of the body where I want to make the score, then I simply run my exacto along theedge of the tape. This allows me to have a very straight cut and also helps to prevent any slipping of my knife onto the body itself.

here a close up of a wheel well of my latest body, I have NOT done any cleanup to the cuts yet

 

[Tweak]

Also, I found that retrofitting one of those little contraptions that you put a pencil in to draw a circle with a blade of any kind does the job pretty well to.

You can simply etch out the shape of a perfect circle then, with a steady hand go from there. It works better than a reamer for big body wholes (I.e: Cooling head or other cooling wholes)

 

[Candyman]

There are a few possibilites. I use curved body scissors and then hone the edges with a sanding drum in my Dremel. Some use a cutoff wheel in a Dremel to start and then shape with a sanding drum. Some use a hobby knife and straightedge. The Olfa circle cutter is a brilliant idea, but I haven't invested in one yet. Any of the above methods are fine. Well...except for Fridge's.....