Parametric Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite Bonnet Buffer

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Parametric Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite Bonnet Buffer.

Ideally, when closing the Sprite bonnet, the bonnet should just rest on the buffers and then you should press down on the bonnet (compressing the buffers slightly) and then you close the latch.

This prevents the latch and bonnet from rattling around from road vibration and, more importantly, supports the bonnet.

Over time the original rubber buffers either wear or shrink with age. There is some debate regarding the accuracy of the correct height of reproduction buffers.

So I thought it would be a good idea to 3d print a polyurethane buffer. I made the model parametric so you could tweak the height as desired for your particular vehicle.

I printed the part with a TPU profile in Cura, cubic infill, with 23% infill density, and with three outer walls. This permits the 85 durometer TPU to mimic a lower durometer.

You can sand the part to achieve a natural rubber look as shown in the images.

Parameters are pretty self explanatory. The only one you might want to change is the height. It takes about an hour and half to print on an Ender/Aquilla style printer

Naturally one could make a silicone mold of this part and then use 2 part 50 durometer polyurethane if you desire a solid part.

Update 7/22/2023:
I printed two buffers at the default height of 1.31" (33.3mm).

I installed in the car. I put a ball of clay on each buffer. I closed the bonnet and set the latch. I opened the bonnet. The driver's side had good contact, but the passenger's side was 3-4mm short. This is why we need a parametric model. I suspect there is wide variation across all cars.

I will print a new buffer to accommodate this gap. I suggest you follow a similar procedure.