Cutting holes in a body

[mcvickj]

What tool do you guys use to cut holes in a body? I am assuming a reamer for the posts and a circle cutter for the holes? I have been looking on Tower's site for the last half an hour and all I have found is the body reamers. I can't find the circle cutter to save my life. A link would be great.

 

[El Pirata]

I use a dremel conical wheel for putting hole I'm my buggies. I use one of their cutting wheels for big holes then use a conical head to make them round from there.

 

[NCNitro]

I use a uni-bit for the body post holes, and an Olfa circle cutter for big round holes. Everything else is done with a dremel.

 

[Candyman]

I have to admit that I'm more primitive. But it works. For the cooling holes I typically use a 2" hole saw on my drill. Like butter. For the body post holes I still use a drill. But I have found if you use a brad-point bit it will cut a nice hole as opposed to a traditional split point bit. I just haven't invested in a reamer yet. I went looking for a circle cutter at Walmart but I guess it's one of those things I'll have to order....

 

[NCNitro]

olfa circle cutter

 

[mcvickj]

Thanks for the link NCNitro. I just found the same circle cutter on eBay. I have to make a stop to the LHS for some glow plugs so I'll see what they have.

Also while we are on the subject of making holes in bodies how do you guys go about making body post holes after the body has already been painted? Have you found a method that works for you?

I know I've seen something in a magazine where you put it on the post and it has a point to it. Then you just press down and it will dimple the lexan.

 

[Candyman]

There are things like that. Another way is to put something gooey on the tops of your body posts. Like grease or peanut butter (hey, don't laugh. I found a kick ass use for peanut butter when detailing your real car....). Then just set the body on the posts so it's lined up. When you take it off the post positions will be on the underside. You can do the same with paint or nail polish. But the other things just wipe off.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

Originally posted by NCNitro
olfa circle cutter

I use the same one, it is bomb status (uh that means good n stuff.)

 

[robmob]

I use a rotozip bit in my dremel to rough cut a circle. I then clean it up with the large barrel sanding bit.

For putting body holes I am really low tech. I first use a 1/8" drill bit turned by hand to drill a pilot hole. I then work my way up to the desired hole size by increasing the bit size. Makes perfect holes of uniform size every time.

 

[Digital Liquid]

I am w/ Candyman on this one. I use a hole saw, the kind for cutting out holes for a door knob, for a regular drill. You can pick up several sizes for pretty cheap and they make some pretty clean cuts.

Later...

 

[ImBroken]

I use a dab of toothpaste on the body posts to mark the locations... Just like Candyman said, just carefully center the body on the vehicle and lower it down slowly so it touches the posts. When it makes contact with the paste, you have your markout.... And it will smell minty fresh too.....

 

[Digital Liquid]

There's nothing like a fresh paint job and a colgate smile.

LOL. Later...

 

[olds97_lss]

I use a pocket knife, normally wouldn't call them round holes though...

 

[Rolex]

For the body mount holes, I always mark them before I paint. You line up your clear body, then mark it with a sharpie pen. Then you also put the mark on the inside, and paint over it. That's in case the outside mark gets rubbed off during the painting process.
I cut the holes with a tapered stone in a dremmel. For windows or cooling holes, I drill a hole, rough cut with lexan shears, then clean it up with the small barrel sander in the dremmel.

 

[Revo Rancher]

What do you guys use to make straight cuts in the body? I am planning to use the Jeep Scrambler body on my Revo and the entire cut across the rear is a straight shot.

 

[olds97_lss]

Dremel with a heavy duty carbon disk or scissors. When I use the dremel, I go around the cut afterwords with a sanding drum to get rid of the mess the dremel makes.

 

[NCNitro]

For long straight cuts, I like to use a good sharp scissor.

 

[Rolex]

Lexan shears from the LHS. About 10 bucks. Once you use them, you'll never use anything else. Effortless.

 

[Rex2342]

I too use a 2 inch hole saw for the cooling holes.It makes life much easier and cuts perfect circles. Other than that I just use a reamer for the mounting hole and Lexan scissors to trim the body. I usually line the body up before I paint it and make a small hole with the reamer for the mounting holes.I don't go all the way through just enough so I can find them after it's painted and finish reaming them out.I can never get them to line up if I paint first and then try to make the holes.

 

[Diver6127]

I use a reamer for body posts, a 6" carbide insert Mayo surgical scissor for the wheels and cooling holes and a 6" carbide insert stright Mayo surgical scissor. Cuts through the plastic like butter. Granted, these scissors aren't readily available to most and those that are will cost over $100. I get them from work since the surgical instrument field is my place of business.

To cut perfect circles, get a circle cutter, score the plastic in a circle. Not all the way through but enough to grab your fingernail. Where the hole cutter punctured the lexan, ream that out to the biggest hole possible. Take your scissors and make pie cuts up to the line you scored in the circle. Bend them back and forth till they snap off. File down the sharp edges.

For the straight body lines, a good pair of sharp straight scissors will do the trick. Sewing shears are good for that but the key word is SHARP. A dull blade will pinch or tear the plastic.