As with most technology, the prices and learning curve have dropped. For those with project cars, it might be time to take the plunge. For a few hundred dollars, you'd have access to printing non-mechanical parts such as badges and hard-to-find interior pieces that may no longer be available.
"Like any good tool, it's best if you have a project for it," Mike Senese, executive editor of Make: magazine, told Car and Driver. Senese said that even if you don't want to get into designing parts, there are multiple repositories out there where hobbyists can download and print items, including a large number of automotive badges and logos.
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The technology isn't there to print the engine head cover with your name on it. But it is there to replace some of the more ancillary parts on your project vehicle. I did a quick price check on Datsun 2000 letters, and they're fetching about $140 online. We all know project-car parts are an unending series of $100 and $200 parts that can quickly add up. Financially, it made sense for me to 3-D print and paint my own emblems and other non-mechanical parts for the car. Restoring a vehicle is a learning experience. And like learning to work with Bondo and tricky electrical systems, 3-D printing could become a necessary part of the process.
From the article:
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