Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today (Buggy Skins Tech & Pics)

[wngrog]

I had to work in Shreveport last night, so thisn morning I got up and headed into Weatherford Texas for a little shop time with Jimbro.

Jim has run of the place, so we set up in the middle of the shop and knocked out 2 sets of "beater" skins for the buggy and a center console.

We picked Chevron Blue skins as it is the closest match to all of the annodized blue on my buggy. I plan on painting them with some silver to let the color flow from the hood to the skins. I would love some ideas on the scheme.....


Jimbro is the master at skins. He knocked them out in about an hour and a half


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[bentandtwisted]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Looks good Nolan, maybe some day we can wheel together again

 

[bigsilly]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Your hood looks white in that pic. I know better of course...

 

[wngrog]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

BTW, the plastic scratch stuff is still on the skins above....I left it on so I could just lay them in the floor of the trailer for the rest of the trip.

After the skins, we made a :afro: center console for my diet coke pepper.gif

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[bigsilly]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Gotta have the Diet Coke holder! Is it Twisted Customs approved

 

[wngrog]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Gotta have the Diet Coke holder! Is it Twisted Customs approved

Nothing on the interior is TC approved.....Jason hates my floors, but he loved the way they grated the cheese for the sandwich I made on the trail laughing1 laughing1

 

[Beyer]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

I like the beer, I mean coke, holder!

 

[BamaTJ]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Post up some skin tech Nolen. What are the steps Jim goes through in making them?

Or those the pre-painted aluminum from a speed shop or did you paint them?

 

[under_psi]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Post up some skin tech Nolen. What are the steps Jim goes through in making them?

Or those the pre-painted aluminum from a speed shop or did you paint them?

tech?

buy some .060 pre painted aluminum
trace old skins onto back side of said purchased aluminum
cut with air nibblers
drill holes
mount and not be sad when the get scratched.......

 

[wngrog]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

tech?

buy some .060 pre painted aluminum
trace old skins onto back side of said purchased aluminum
cut with air nibblers
drill holes
mount and not be sad when the get scratched.......

Good summary......the one step Jim started with hough was making a 2 sided paper master so he can knock out anoher set for me if/when I need it.

Prepainted Chevron blue.....$75 each...2 sheets.

I am going to pay Lou to spray some silver on them to tie the hood in.

I love Dzus fasteners.....way easier to swap panels that bolts. Jim and I have a neat little tool that puts a dimple in the skin/hole that lets it align right with the backing plate.

 

[blacksheep10]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

wyatt has 1/8" or thicker skins. that takes miles and I pushing and him ramrodding the bolt to get that **** down. it doesn't really bend much though. I bent teh **** out of the door bar in my flop and the AL looks good.
thinner with dzus would be fuggin nice sometimes.

 

[P]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

while the plastic on mine is durable... it basically looks like wavy crap cakes.


Fits me puuuuuuurfectly. laughing1

 

[InDaShop]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

wyatt has 1/8" or thicker skins. that takes miles and I pushing and him ramrodding the bolt to get that **** down. it doesn't really bend much though. I bent teh **** out of the door bar in my flop and the AL looks good.
thinner with dzus would be fuggin nice sometimes.

Yeah mine is probably over kill, but I went through 3 sets of "tin" skins in 3 rides.
The thick "AL" takes a FREAKING huge beating and still looks AWESOME. Now that window bar, another story.....KELLY!!!

 

[kid rok]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Jim and I have a neat little tool that puts a dimple in the skin/hole that lets it align right with the backing plate.

I gotz to gets my buddy to make me one. I'm either going to drill a hole through the center of a bolt to drill a pilot hole for line up , or put a point on bolt for line up. What did ya'll use.
My skins are super easy, no hard bends and they stop at the back. My first were 0.26 thats like paper. the ones I just made are 0.63 pretty thick for skins.
What are you doing on your edges? Do you roll um, or put an edge on um.

 

[wngrog]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

I gotz to gets my buddy to make me one. I'm either going to drill a hole through the center of a bolt to drill a pilot hole for line up , or put a point on bolt for line up. What did ya'll use.
My skins are super easy, no hard bends and they stop at the back. My first were 0.26 thats like paper. the ones I just made are 0.63 pretty thick for skins.
What are you doing on your edges? Do you roll um, or put an edge on um.

On my last rig, when I made my own from scratch, I welded in the Dzus backing plates, made the paper skins and then taped them to the buggy.

I marked the center of the pattern skins from the back side of the skins....it is hard to do because of the thing in the middle of the Dzus backer....

Anyway, once you get close, you drill a pilot hole in the real skins and tape them up or hold them up. Make sure you are good, make adjustments.

Then the best toy in the step bit. We use them and it makes quick work.

On the edges of all the ones we have made in the past, we used Sunray's bead roller. We only put one bead in the beater skins at the end. As for the edge, we use a flap wheel on an electric drill and smooth the edges out.

 

[BamaTJ]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Yeah I was wondering today how those Dzus fasteners work since they have the piece that goes on the skin also. Are those transferable or do you have to buy new ones each time you redo skins? Cool stuff to know. I know it is easy but I have never fawked with skins so I was curious what kind of templates people use and such

 

[Frank TJ]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

On a totally unrelated topic...What is going on with Sunray? I heard Tom E had some health problems and sold the shop to Rodney? Also heard they had hung it up on everything but 9 inch rears and 609 fronts, no more 1550 or bigger custom stuff. What's the story on all that Nolen?

 

[wngrog]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Yepper, they are done. Rodney and TJ are still together for a great mechanic and a good welder.

I would look at Spidertrax though.......

I have a set of Dedenbear C's for 3'' tubes....buy them and a Spider housing and you are on the way

 

[John Galbreath Jr.]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Yeah I was wondering today how those Dzus fasteners work since they have the piece that goes on the skin also. Are those transferable or do you have to buy new ones each time you redo skins?

Yes they come off with an 1/8" drill bit. I have done several. Easy.

 

[Frank TJ]

Re: Stopped off at Sunray Engineering today....

Yepper, they are done. Rodney and TJ are still together for a great mechanic and a good welder.

I would look at Spidertrax though.......

I have a set of Dedenbear C's for 3'' tubes....buy them and a Spider housing and you are on the way

Actually was in Spidertrax's shop on Friday. Went out with my friends Derek and Sam and we picked up the 2 seat buggy that Rob had for sale. It is a sick rig. We ate lunch with Tom(Spidertrax Owner) and Rob at the little cafe on the corner before hitting some trails. Getting ready to pull the trigger on the bling Spider 9 front with the Ultimate 60 Knuckles and all the bling brake parts. Will finally have a front end capable of thrashing on.