Helion Early Split Grill Decklid Development thread

[toddc]

Hello fellow Pelicans,

This thread has been coming for some time... It's been a challenge to keep up with current orders let alone take on new development work.

I'm happy to announce that we are now underway with the modeling and tooling to bring an early split grill decklid to market.

One of our fellow Pelicans graciously donated his decklid for the cause. When it came in, it was rough, rusted in various areas and not completely straight. We have media blasted it, cleaned it up and now are in the process of getting it bodied in and surfaced.

Once satisfied with the fitment and surface we will begin the actual tooling phase.

The pics attached are of it "resting" on our '87 model vehicle and while it is not period correct, it does give a good idea of the overall view.

I will be updating and posting more pics as progress is made.

Thank you once again,

toddC

[Harpo]

subscribed

[metalracer]

Looking forward to this!

[ajwans]

Will you be offering an aluminium option?

andy

[onevoice]

What do you expect it to weigh?

[toddc]

Originally Posted by ajwans

Will you be offering an aluminium option?

andy

Hi Andy,

no, we're not set up to stamp aluminum.

[blockhed]

I need this in CF

[toddc]

Originally Posted by blockhed

I need this in CF

thats the plan!

[Racerbvd]

Looking good!!

[toddc]

Quick update, after getting the decklid lined up correctly, we masked off the perimeter and started filling the surface. more to come soon, however we are rapidly reaching the point were we need and early car for test fit or an early rear bumper/fascia asm to ensure the bottom edge is perfect.


Thank you,

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by blockhed

I need this in CF

For a seconds I was thinking Clear Fibreglass...

It would be cool to see the engine.

[toddc]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

For a seconds I was thinking Clear Fibreglass...

It would be cool to see the engine.

interesting thought however fiberglass never actually becomes clear, amber and translucent at best.
right now we're sorting the the model, then building tooling. Once tooling is complete we have some options on construction materials...

[Flat6pac]

I saw a brand new split deck yesterday, product of Dansk I believe.
Bruce

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by toddc

interesting thought however fiberglass never actually becomes clear, amber and translucent at best.
right now we're sorting the the model, then building tooling. Once tooling is complete we have some options on construction materials...

Since you are not stamping aluminium, I guess Star Trek "Transparent Aluminum" will not be an option

Could a lid be made out of Plexi or Lexan?

[metalracer]

Originally Posted by toddc

Quick update, after getting the decklid lined up correctly, we masked off the perimeter and started filling the surface. more to come soon, however we are rapidly reaching the point were we need and early car for test fit or an early rear bumper/fascia asm to ensure the bottom edge is perfect.


Thank you,

Todd,
I don't understand what an early car will do for you that the car you're using won't?? If anything, I think you have better references with your existing car since the rear reflector indicates the radius (viewed from top-down) you're looking for, and, a straight edge line from the tail light openings will give you horizontal reference.

These areas in a '65-'73 don't interface the decklid with anything close to the precision that the G-body cars do.

Maybe you can explain more??

Cheers, Marc

[toddc]

Originally Posted by metalracer

Todd,
I don't understand what an early car will do for you that the car you're using won't?? If anything, I think you have better references with your existing car since the rear reflector indicates the radius (viewed from top-down) you're looking for, and, a straight edge line from the tail light openings will give you horizontal reference.

These areas in a '65-'73 don't interface the decklid with anything close to the precision that the G-body cars do.

Maybe you can explain more??

Cheers, Marc

Thanks Marc,

having very little experience with 65-73 cars, I really wasn't sure the reflector radius or the slight overhang past the later qtr panel edges was correct.

[Puma]

Hi Todd,

I'd be interested in a carbon fiber early Decklid. A few questions:

What will it weigh?

Do you know what a steel weighs?

How well does carbon fiber take paint?

Estimated number of hours to properly fit up?

Thanks!

Estimated cost?

[toddc]

Originally Posted by Puma

Hi Todd,

I'd be interested in a carbon fiber early Decklid. A few questions:

What will it weigh?

Do you know what a steel weighs?

How well does carbon fiber take paint?

Estimated number of hours to properly fit up?

Thanks!

Estimated cost?

Wow Puma, Great questions. I'll do my best to answer.

1. Weight, based on size and comparison to similar sized parts we have made in the past, I estimate 5lbs max, probably closer to 4.

2. Steel weight, unfortunately our steel split grill sample can't be weighed now as it is in process.
I did however weigh the steel decklid from the donor 87 carrera and it comes in at just over 11lbs.

3. How well does it take paint? Very well, All of the parts that we make have a clear gel coat applied in mold that is designed to be surfaced and coated with typical UV stable automotive clear or paint, customer choice. We have hundreds of cleared and painted parts out there in the pelican community and haven't had any paint related issues arise. I can't take all the credit for that, We ship parts that sometimes are "body shop ready" and sometimes install ready. A lot of credit goes to the various shops fellow pelicans use to install/finish their projects.

4. How long does it take to fit up? This is a tough one to answer.
Every part we have made, and continue to make is modeled off of a known straight car. Meaning no accident damage. That being said, each 911 is hand built and no 2 cars are alike.
Best info I can give you is that when we started this tooling program we started with a doner supplied decklid that was rusted and had some dents but was dimensionally correct. We corrected those issues and then mounted it to start refining the surface.
The time involved in fitting the early model to the late chassis took approx 4 hrs. to get everything straight. Keep in mind this is us fitting a model, not fitting a finished part.
How long it takes to fit a production composite part will depend on the condition of the car it's fitted to and the capability of the installer. I would expect it to take less time to fit a finished product than it took us to fit a model.

5. Estimated cost? While I can't give a hard number on that yet, I can give a window.
This is going to be a low volume part with a typical tooling expense that we will have to amortize over some anticipated number of parts. As we get closer to completing tooling and understand volume I can better refine the estimated pricing.
As it stands today I anticipate the carbon split grill decklids selling in a range of $2500 to $3k.
Time will tell as this program evolves

[toddc]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

Since you are not stamping aluminium, I guess Star Trek "Transparent Aluminum" will not be an option

Could a lid be made out of Plexi or Lexan?

It certainly could.

Problem is that the tooling for that type of process runs into the 100's of thousands, so probably not coming anytime soon.

[Puma]

Thank you Todd for the excellent and detailed response.