Got my head marked up last night, plan is to start cutting on it tonight. As I think someone mentioned, the template in the pdf doesn't print off to exactly the right size. In my case, I found it was 1/4" too small measuring longways across the combustion chamber vs the actual measurement (Something like 3-1/4" on the head, vs 3" on the diagram if memory serves). My friend and I were brainstorming ways to blow up the image so it would print at a true 1:1 scale, and then how we were going to cut and consistently position a template on the head to mark it up. He had something of an epiphany... why not simply use a projector and project the image onto the head?
There is no need to fabricate a template, as you can simply trace the lines you want directly onto the surface. Scaling becomes a non-issue as you can adjust the distance of the projector to the head for any scale you need. This is even simpler if you are using a tablet or smartphone as the source, because you can make the very small adjustments to zoom and position using a pinch on the touchscreen. We found to be easier than making fine adjustments to the projector stand or moving the head, but used a combination of both. We used an iPad as a source, but any smartphone or tablet with a video out could do the same thing with the touchscreen, or computer/laptop and size/position the image as needed with a mouse.
The image on the iPad being sent to the projector -
headgasket trace was done with a normal sharpie in black, I am tracing the Vizard lines with a fine-point red. All the rest is projected from the PDF.
Only hiccup we hit was we didn't realize the image would need to be not only flipped, but mirrored as well in order to do the other half of the head. That is one downside of this method, as a physical template you could just flip over. It is very easy to do it in software though with most any image editor.
Things needed:
- projector (pocket type worked very well!)
- source to hook to the projector (tablet, smartphone, or computer)
- mount for the projector (I went with a boom stand from a drum set I have laying around, plus a zip tie)
- a way to mirror the image, any simple image editor should be able to do this
Probably not worth running out and buying a projector for, but if you have access to one it's a pretty slick solution. The one we used is a pocket sized one my friend uses for presentations on the road and can be had for around $200. I see no reason a larger one couldn't be used, so long as your stand was suitable to mount it.
There is no need to fabricate a template, as you can simply trace the lines you want directly onto the surface. Scaling becomes a non-issue as you can adjust the distance of the projector to the head for any scale you need. This is even simpler if you are using a tablet or smartphone as the source, because you can make the very small adjustments to zoom and position using a pinch on the touchscreen. We found to be easier than making fine adjustments to the projector stand or moving the head, but used a combination of both. We used an iPad as a source, but any smartphone or tablet with a video out could do the same thing with the touchscreen, or computer/laptop and size/position the image as needed with a mouse.
The image on the iPad being sent to the projector -
headgasket trace was done with a normal sharpie in black, I am tracing the Vizard lines with a fine-point red. All the rest is projected from the PDF.
Only hiccup we hit was we didn't realize the image would need to be not only flipped, but mirrored as well in order to do the other half of the head. That is one downside of this method, as a physical template you could just flip over. It is very easy to do it in software though with most any image editor.
Things needed:
- projector (pocket type worked very well!)
- source to hook to the projector (tablet, smartphone, or computer)
- mount for the projector (I went with a boom stand from a drum set I have laying around, plus a zip tie)
- a way to mirror the image, any simple image editor should be able to do this
Probably not worth running out and buying a projector for, but if you have access to one it's a pretty slick solution. The one we used is a pocket sized one my friend uses for presentations on the road and can be had for around $200. I see no reason a larger one couldn't be used, so long as your stand was suitable to mount it.