Arashi

It looks small but it will be capable of cutting pretty decent size parts... almost the size of the whole table.
http://i56.tinypic.com/10dtjxs.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/xlj6o2.jpg
The current mods Im upgrading it with will increase the height and make it stronger... also a router (drill) will replace the dremel.
http://i52.tinypic.com/zk0go9.jpg


A correction on when I said the Civic has a roof line not found in any other car, I meant the Lamborghini style raked windshield in relation to the front proportions.

lowlife9

thats pretty cool but it would have been cooler if you made it out of LEGO's.

Shift-E

Kenny - i forgot about Koinesgsgsgsgsgsg! Sexy too!

I-Shairx - The difference is the zoom zoom! lol The fact that it can take turns going a crazy high speed and still stay with all 4 wheels on the ground. There's a lot of engineering gone into these things. A LOT. The quality of the parts is what makes the price go up, but most of the price is actually just going into the manufacturing of the logo on the front

Arashi - "That's what Im planning to do, start small and expand into more elaborate kit conversions once I make more money." How is this starting small? You plan on altering the frame of the vehicle. That is not "Small." Small is building a lip kit that will fit on a car. I'm not trying to hinder your dreams or anything, I just think you're going about this the wrong way.

iSharix

Way to butcher my username :P Just call me Shari, lmao .. Soo .. these things, stock are good to go on the track ? But eh .. not surprised about the logo raising up the price .. same thing with stuff like Louis Vuitton

Shift-E

Lol i'm not gonna fix it! :P I was going to look at the spelling but said SCREW IT! haha.

And yes. These cars are born as track cars. I don't even know if it's possible to add aftermarket parts to make them better XD

civicjunkie6207

Wow! Awsome, this is the stuff I want to see. And to the haters, for real dont be pissy cuz you didnt think of it. Anyhow this what being a car person is all about, being extremely radical and thinking outside the box. Isnt that why we waste our blood, sweat and money on cars or civics in general? I'm pretty sure any one who owns a Mustang or Ferrari thinks we're stupid for wanting to hook up and tweak civics or four cylinders for that matter. And even if he does only sell ten kits, at what it would cost as a kit would greatly out weigh the over head. That being said, I think it looks a lil RX-8ish. Do you have a mock-up with more straight lines or a complete bubble look sort of like the Astin Martin DB9? But good concept, I for one hope it works and I'll deff. be in line to purchase.

lowlife9

didn't think of what this type of modifying has already been done back in the fast and furious days.

civicjunkie6207

This is leagues ahead of that. Its a full car makeover not a simple body kit and some ***** under car lighting and cheesey sound dubbing.

lowlife9

like this

iSharix

Wow, that car looks broken as ****, lol .. its like someone just superglued everything to it xD

civicjunkie6207

Has anyone seen the Ford f150 that someone turned into a mustang concept with the drop-top in mini trucking magazine

Arashi

Small is selling the Vigor kit, having some capital and then going for the Aston77 replica or Civic conversion after... eventually doing all of them.
I dont see any obstacles in the Civic modifications except maybe the wheel wells if I wanted to fix extremely large wheels.



Thanks, your right it does look very RX-8ish, I put my own flare on the Aston Vanguish in the following render... looks cool. Its far too early to decide on a design yet, so its all in the air for now.

civicjunkie6207

yeah looks really good tho the concept is sick i wish i had the know how to stuff like this. im currently in college for GRD do you use a ACAD program of just ink and paper. PM me if ever need any work done a ACAD or GRD project the work is free for you and if you have a .pdf viewer your set i just need the practice. gl on the project i may start to get a ball rolling with something similar.

Arashi

Really its just 3D models from Sketchup warehouse cut up and mashed together.
What Im proud of is the design that I eventually came up with for the Vigor kit. This is the artistic part and creating something that people will hopefully like... which is hard.

To accomplish this I selected car models with the right desired design features and combined them. One has to know many car makes already in the car world which would also have a 3D model, usually found in car games.

The key to all this is actually giving birth to a physical model which can run in the thousands unless one has his own CNC machine.

from there pretty much all the skills required to finish the car can be learned on YouTube. Although it can be cancerous even if you follow professional guides... there are strict yet simple steps to safely lay fiberglass, or even plastic vacuum parts for panels. (or contract that part depending on ones budget)

If anyone is interested in hacking up a cheap, possibly damaged Civic (2006+ sedan) which could be found for 3-5k, lives in a stable home with no worries of bills (thus no pressure and lots of patience), I am willing to share my knowledge on how to build a CNC machine with supplied software, so that he/she can make their own cuts on foam for any design on a Civic.

This can be a joint venture on any of the designs that I made here also, and making ones own CNC cuts at home, means that we can work on different designs and eventually trade molds to sell in our local locations once profits are made.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Good luck finding a honda civic owner willing to basically throw away 3-5k. Have you ever used your CNC machine? I'm just interested in how far along you really are. Have you ever actually made something successfully with your CNC machine or did it break before you managed to make something? To me it looks like a dremel in a wooden frame. A CNC machine is a very complicated machine that costs A LOT of money.

Arashi

The money is nothing compared to the energy and diligence needed to make a machine. I wouldnt want to baby step someone along but a person willing to learn and has lots of time and even some money for parts (electronic/motors alone are ~$500) can make one without failing... with my support.

I took a face similar to the following and successfully carved it out on foam


http://i54.tinypic.com/xlj6o2.jpg

One can make pretty decent size objects with the machine I have, the other challenging part is sizing the foam model to the cars dimensions and making many pieces that would glue together to make the exterior shell.

This is no walk in the park, ideally it would be good for someone who is unemployed/doesnt go to school and is living with their parents.

Home made machines can be seen on YouTube
youtube.com/results?search_query=homemade+cnc&aq=f

One alternative to making money is just to wait until I finish a Civic kit, order it, construct it and flip it.

As far as my progress, Im being delayed because of a few things in my life, I should finish my CNC in a week or so.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Cool.. can't wait to see some progress. The face is cool I gotta admit

civicjunkie6207

I'm curious as why ppl keep saying "throw away money". First has anyone watched Bangala Bangers dipu is f-in rich and does the same thing with far less and ppl clammer to buy his concepts so why is this Guy catching so much ****. This obviously is not a project for low economy customers (doesn't this site offer a home depot lip DIY) but this site does reach those willing to do or buy this kit. But any how the nay Sayers should leave this Guy alone and offer possitive feedback. Look at where he's doing these projects and the time needed to complete is far greater than the time he wastes explaining why he does what he does. Its an awesome insight for ppl who actually enjoy stuff like this. And if it sounds like I'm dick riding so be it,, this Guy obviously thinks highly of his work so leave him be

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^Such is forum life

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

@ Civicjunkie

Campared to most forums, Arashi would have been banned for trolling, and/or immensely flamed for even attempting something of this feat.

In this forum however, i see almost all encouragement and praise.
But mostly all of us is looking for progress with this project.

Some, are getting annoyed only because it's starting to seem like he's not motivated to finish his products, and starting 10 more projects instead.

See, we're looking for actual results, with fiberglass fabricating, and lots of pictures along with the progress, not the same car from 4 years ago with a little bit more paper mache on top of it, and a few mock up drawings.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ Exactly.. I may sound like a total dick but I can post all day and night about projects I'm doing but never finish... Hell I've been wanting to do a K20 swap for ~2 years and you don't see me with a K20 Swap build thread because I don't want to waste everyones time because I'll likely get rid of my civic before I complete the swap LoL.

Progress is a must, especially in a faceless forum environment. People want to see cool **** (which this has great potential to be). If they don't see cool ****, they won't hesitate to flame you because what are you gonna do? Not much you can do you know what I mean.

All the power to you Arashi, let's see some magic

civicjunkie6207

I know and shouldn't let it bother me but jeez damned if it doesn't. I think he has a definite market for this product but reasesrch will be key

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Problem is.. as already mentioned. People buy civics because they are economical. He is talking about a ~10k kit for an economical car... Not really viable. The 300zx could have been viable years ago when there were TONS of them around. Truth is nowadays you don't see too many around. So.. he might sell a few kits to people who are die hard 300z.. but thats it. Need to find a car with a better market.

Arashi

One of the proudest moments of my life, it was amazing seeing a block of foam come to life.

Exactly, its like teasing people, I tease myself after making a render which I know it can be done but have a long way to go.

By making this thread and your attraction to Astons, a beautiful concept was born. Its vent location is even perfect for the Civic, but the close Aston resemblance might deter some clients as not to want a wanna be car... again this could attract others.
Im sure car companies spend a lot of cash putting together focus groups to see which design or facelift to put on their new models and threads like this not only help new concepts arise, but also its feedback will help me decide on which design to eventually market.

It should be noted that the Aston one uses a whole new hood and will up the kit material cost.
Some owners of the donor cars I'll use might buy my kits, but I believe the general public will be the 90% majority.
Currently the 300zx is not readily reliable (unless it has an overhaul) in its used state after 20 years of release. But for speed freaks or people who will love the design, this wont be an issue as long as they have the money.

The Civic on the other hand is high in numbers, cheap, reliable, and will hopefully look great once its done. Even people who are planning to finance a new Ford for instance, will think twice if they knew my car package would be available to buy at a cheaper price.

Obviously not many people would like to construct a kit car of sorts, but if the car was finished and ready to buy, I think it would be a different story.
If I start making decent coin, Im going to move my operation to L.A.

seeing how Donors start at ~7k, here is a run down of what a complete car will cost if someone wanted to make it them selves.

7k Donor
5k exterior kit w brackets, nuts, bolts, and cheap grill. (possibly higher in price depending on my material cost)
2k used 19" wheels
1k coilovers (suspension) w install
$300 spacers
$100 reciprocating saw to cut the roof, rear end, and wheel wheel exteriors
$100 contract roof weld
$200? rear metal tube frame
$200? to have the rear passenger window glass re-sized
$300 vinyl (paint)

~$300 for none DOT compliant (illegal) headlights with original Civic bulbs refitted (or expensive Mazda3 headlights with the interior re-angled to the cover[still pending on final design])

Rear taillights refitted (pending on design)
Rear glass removed and refitted
Door handles and side mirrors are disassembled and refitted

=16,500

*cash back on the stock bumpers and wheels by way of Ebay and Craigslist
It possible to shave 2-5 grand off that price depending on how savvy one is on finding good deals


edit - just to put things in perspective

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Your price range is out of the league of about 99.998% of civic owners.. Your market .. is very small. Good luck.. I won't post here again as I'm far too negative.. or realistic.

Foffie

iTrader: (3)

I can't imagine donors of their own personel car would be willing to buy your kit as they would be donating their car to you. From a business stand point something like that should be free Especially since it would be a trial run and there is a chance it could get F**ked up. As for the people that plan to finance a new Ford, instead of your body kit most likely are doing that to get the NEW engine that it comes with. Not really Directed at your work but just cause you mold (In your case) an old hunk of crap into something different its still going to be an old hunk of crap. Qoute used at my shop alot LOL

Arashi

When I go to make the Civic kit, Ill have to own one to make it on, so there wouldnt be any problems with it after I put it up for sale.

As in terms of market, you can take any demographic, early 20's to late 50's, I think my car designs will stand out and will be desired out of the everyday, expensive to own, expensive to drive, expensive to maintain cars out there today and tomorrow.