how to make home-made mod, not look homemade?

[jholder]

I was installing my recently purchased boost gauge (again) this evening into a homemade fiberglass dash pod. I realized as I was inserting a rubber grommet into the side that it is usually the little things that take a mod/home fabricated part/etc and make it look like something a little more professional.

 

I'm curious so here's a question to all you mod'ers who like to fabricate your own parts/mods.

 

What do you do that takes your mod to the semi/professional level? What products do you use?

 

 

For instance:

 

I prefer heat shrink tubing over electrical tape.

I use a lot of zip ties.

Grommets when needed.

Finished edges (relating to material) (i made a quick and dirty cubbypod, covered the exposed areas in vinyl. Unfortunately an error in my calculations meant that the vinyl that had been wrapped around a corner had to be trimed flush to the side, this exposed the whit backing material, which i then went over with a black sharpie)

I use leftover computer wirelooms to wrap bundles of wire (not the hard plasic, the black woven chinese-finger-cuff deal)

 

 

Anyone?

 

--james

[hifiandmtb]

I'm with you. If it doesn't look factory, then it has not right to exist in my car.

 

For example, a wiring loom (power from the battery through the engine compartment into the cabin) cannot draw attention to itself - it has to run along factory loom points & be covered in black heat-shrink if necessary.

 

Connectors must be factory-spec - if you need to join five wires, buy a 5-wire male/female connector & do it properly.

 

This applies to all modifications - even when the outcome is not visible. It has to be right, right?

[elpete77]

Right. Completely right.

[Garandman]

I have one of these....

http://www.capinc.com/pages/products/images/dimension1_sm_002.jpg

[dv8ingvector]

I have one of these....

http://www.capinc.com/pages/products/images/dimension1_sm_002.jpg

 

No way!? My brothers High School had a 3d printer one of the coolest things ever!

 

I am with you guys as far as the final product but I have to say I hate using after market wire loom and zip ties! I only use them when there is no other way to make it look stock. One of the other things I do is leave enough slack in things to make working on them later easier.

 

Check out my vBGarage for my fiberglass cell phone holder and cubby gauge mount.

[jazzymt]

We have 3 of these. And I have yet to come across a rapid prototyper that produces a quality finish, although I know they exist.

 

For my own work though, grommets are a big plus, heat shrink, soldered connections, tapped holes (tap and die sets are cheap guys, go splurge) instead of bolts & nuts, ribbon cables instead of individual jumpers (when applicable), etc., etc.

 

When it comes down to doing a professional job, the "pro" way to do it is often not much more expensive than the "backyard" way. You'd be suprised what's at your fingertips now that the internet is at our beck and call. Still, sometimes "backyard" is good enough and if I'm never going to see something, or use it very rarely, keeping it simple is usually a good plan too.