Let me interject here please as I worked for an injection molding plastics firm for 18 months as a manufacturing engineer. We made airplane parts (tray tables, armrests, etc.), and the first thing that came to mind, of course, was "gee, I wonder if I can reproduce Pinto parts"?

Well, here's the rub. All of the tooling (meaning "molds") were procured from China, because American tooling costs are simply too high. Now, small parts like you propose would probably run in a small 37 ton mold (that's NOT weight, its a measurement of force and pressure in the industry), and if made from a lower grade steel (say P20, which is good for several hundred thousand shots) would run $5,000 to $8,000. Even if you went to an ALUMINUM mold (cheaper), you're still talking about $4,000 - there is no way you'll amortize the cost of the tool unless you build several thousand parts (not to mention processing fees when you order) - a cost per part on top of that.

Not to rain on your parade, I'd love to do this too, but there's just not enough demand for our parts to make it feasible. An alternative would be urethane casting in RTV rubber molds, but that's a process that requires some good vacuum equipment..... and a completely different mindset.....

Chris

My son has a 3D printer.  He is a machinist by trade (in his early years at this point) and makes R/C car parts as a side job/hobby.  His printer cost around $3,500 (and no, I doubt he will ever recover the cost - that is why I said "side job/hobby").  The plastic has a rather low temperature factor and that could become a problem for parts that are used on an automobile interior. They are very slow too.  He made a small GoPro tripod mount for his sister and I think it ran all night.  Like any printer there is a "resolution" and the higher it is, the slower it is.

I have one of the three gauge pods that mounts in the heater control area.  As is typical the white plastic back piece is turning to dust.  I have talked to my son about using the 3D printer to make a new part.  While he has agreed in principle, getting him to actually do it is another story (so don't hold your breath).  Another piece I have considered is the white back piece for the speedometer/gauges.  I think the 3D printer is too small to make it one piece, but it seems possible to make two interconnectin g g parts.

So, the 3D printer may be an option for some parts. But, it has its limitations.  And for the person looking to recoup their costs..., maybe even more limited. Crazy kid, here he is making a knitting hook for someone.

That is exactly my plan - use 3d printing.  My kickstarter page was for a home based one, but you are correct they are slow.  Different ones have the ability to use different types of material - we need ABS to tolerate the heat.  The PLA plastic prints faster and seems easier to use as you don't have to have a heated bed, but it will not stand up to the heat.  I'm going to see a local company that has industrial size 3d printers (some can print large objects) about making some parts for us.  They can also scan (not sure how good quality is) or even use CAD software to design things.  Going to see how much it will cost.  I will most likely be going next Monday (they're a little over an hour away) but I'll report back on what I find.  Those printers are very expensive especially the large ones so I think this might be a better option since he has the machinery. 

I went by the printing shop to day and they are making files for the part I need in particular and another one I've gotten some emails about if I had a spare.  Those are the upper seat belt anchor cover, and the dome light cover.  It does cost money so I'm investing some $ here.  I didn't get the plastic clips done but, if there is enough interest it is something I would be willing to do, so if you're looking for any of the clips that attach the weather stripping, rocker panel chrome trim, or chrome underneath the door windows, speak up and we'll see what we can do about it. 

Here is the image as promised. I am making a revision to the lens right now to make it even stronger so that will be available as soon as I test it. Like I said, 3D printing is the future. I can already do unlike materials and rubber! I'm telling you, this is Star Trek stuff.

Id like to see alot more reproduction parts. Arm rests, door panels, the white plastic things behind the instrument cluster, stuff like that.