Panels for Engine Compartment

terrorr said:

Just trying to finish up a few things on my 74 Super Beetle EV.

Looking at photos of finished vehicles by EV West or Zelectric, as well as others, they seem to use a common material for making panels to finish off the engine compartment for a nice clean look.

They are black panels with a kind of textured finish. Does anyone know what they are made of?

Plastic? Or aluminum with a spray on texture?

I have seen lots of photos but never seen the material in person.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

you can buy both ABS and Polypro plastic in 1/4" 4x8' sheets. The ABS is bumpy on one side and smooth on the other.You might have to search for the nearest distributor in your area. you might also want to invest in a good 'air welder' if you are going to fabricate much

The ABS is cheaper, but I find it is a little more brittle and heat welds can crack if you're not careful. Polypro is usually white, easy to heat weld, and welds seem tougher. I've used it a lot for mounting components, making little brackets, and battery boxes.... you can visit my site, and check the gallery sections....

Since you mentioned it, dtbaker, way back in the day (early 90's) I worked for a company that made "wet process" equipment (big "tanks" with sprayers, heaters, and conveyors) out of PVC and Polypro for the circuit board industry. We were using everything from 1/8" up to at least 1" or 1-1/2". the vast majority of it was air welded together, although the PVC was, I think, sometimes glued and then welded. Some of the biggest tanks were about 8'x6'x3' and very sturdy. And they lasted for years in very harsh chemical environments.



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They enjoy powder coating their metal components. The motor case, suspension and aluminum battery boxes are all liberally powder coated. It would not surprise me to discover 3/16” aluminum plates being used in the engine compartment on a Zelectric build.

ABS or HDPE, I expect. Cheap and easy to find online in smaller sized sheets. Once you get over 2', the price jumps. ABS is cheaper; HDPE is easier to find in thicknesses over 1/8".

Awesome. Thanks everyone.