Cars and custom fabrication go together like peanut butter and jelly. Readers with an interest in cars will hopefully find this article useful (or entertaining!). We’re going to cover some great examples of how you can utilize all the services at SendCutSend to make parts for your car. SendCutSend has been involved in manufacturing automotive parts for years. You may have seen our parts show up in various forms of media (like YouTube and Instagram) involving custom car builds.
Check out our partners to see some incredible custom cars being built with the help of laser cut parts from SendCutSend.
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18 Car Parts You Didn’t Know You Could Laser Cut
You can make parts without laser cutting, but the speed and precision available when ordering your custom parts from SendCutSend is tough to beat. This is especially true when you have to make more than a single part and want them to match, or be mirror images of one another.
There’s no end to the list of parts you can make using laser cutting (and all the other services available from SendCutSend), but we’ve put together a short list here to show you some examples of automotive parts that are easier to make yourself. Some of the parts in this list require some additional fabrication beyond just laser cutting, like welding, but some would be ready for use on your car as soon as they show up at your door.
1. Dash Panels
Whether you’re making a custom panel to mount auxiliary switches and gauges or a simple replacement for an existing panel, you’ve got options. Lightweight carbon fiber, anodized aluminum, stainless steel or a simple acrylic panel are all great materials for custom dash panels. Most switch and gauge manufacturers will provide the cutout dimensions, so there’s usually no need for custom fitment. A bent flange with some tapped holes or threaded hardware inserted can make mounting the panel easier.
2. Mounting Brackets
Mounting tabs are used all over a car. Nearly everything that attaches to a vehicle uses some form of mounting tab. Shock absorbers mount to the frame using strong steel. A fire extinguisher may mount to a floor panel using laser cut aluminum brackets. Racing harnesses can be attached to a roll cage using simple laser cut tabs. Custom lights can be mounted using aluminum or stainless steel tabs for weather resistance. Have an alternator or power steering pump bracket with a broken mounting hole. Sketch up a replacement to be cut from aluminum and keep that belt tensioned appropriately.
3. Fluid Tanks
Custom fuel tanks are often made from aluminum or stainless steel. With laser cutting it’s easy to cut precise shapes, bends and even provisions for mounting fuel pumps, fill ports, bungs and mounting tabs. You can size a custom tank perfectly for your application, size it to fit an off the shelf bladder for racing, or even weld in laser cut baffling to reduce fuel sloshing away from the pick up points.
Fuel tanks are just one type of tank. Radiator coolant reservoirs and oil tanks can also be made from laser cut materials.
4. Exhaust Header Flanges
If you go deep enough down the rabbit hole of custom cars, a custom set of headers may be needed. While laser cut parts may not help with bending up the primary tubes, it can be used to make custom header flanges. Get the exact port size and shape for your heads in the right thickness and material for your application. Building a lightweight set of headers from exotic titanium? No problem, SendCutSend carries multiple grades of titanium ready to cut to your design.
5. Gaskets
Anyone that knows about cars, knows they utilize gaskets for sealing between components. Did you also know that SendCutSend keeps gasket grade cork material in stock? It may not be suitable for all fluids and applications, but when you need a custom gasket it’s great to have options.
6. Motor Mounts and Engine Plates
We’ve discussed mounting tabs, but in extreme racing applications, engines may be mounted using what’s known as a mid-plate. It’s a solid plate securing the front of the engine rigidly to the chassis. Most commonly made from 6061 aluminum around ¼” thick to handle high horsepower and torque. Engine plates often have cutouts to clear components like water pumps, and threaded holes for mounting other components.
7. Steering Wheel
Whether you’re looking for a custom look or custom functionality to mount buttons and other controls on your steering wheel, laser cutting can help. Steel, aluminum and carbon fiber are all common components used to fabricate custom steering wheels. Add some bends for a deeper dish classic style, or cutouts to mount buttons, encoders and digital displays for more of a race car style wheel.
8. Closeout Panels
Closeout panels are used to fill gaps between other components. They can be structural or purely decorative. With the selection of materials available from SendCutSend making custom closeout panels can be both strong and attractive.
9. Off Road Bumpers
Most often made from durable mild steel, custom off road bumpers are usually made from tubing or plate. If plate is your style of choice, laser cutting can help make virtually every piece. The main structure, the mounting plates, winch mounting plates, tabs for lights, shackle and tow points, even a custom skid plate. Abrasion resistant AR400 and AR500 can make great skid plates or for a lighter option, HDPE. If you prefer the tube-style of bumper, laser cut materials can still provide everything but the tube components.
10. Windows
Polycarbonate is a strong, impact resistant replacement for glass used in many racing applications. Not just useful for typical windows, polycarbonate can be used to cover gauge clusters or to showcase any custom components you may want to cover but still keep visible, such as engines or custom audio equipment.
11. Speaker Enclosures
Speaking of custom audio equipment, MDF is one of the most common materials used to build speaker enclosures. SendCutSend has MDF in several thicknesses to help build your subwoofer box.
12. Center Consoles
A custom center console can be a great canvas for your custom interior. Gauges, speakers, switches, cup holders can all be custom designed into your console. Aluminum and carbon fiber are great materials to use. Polycarbonate and acrylic can also be used, especially if you intend to add any custom lighting to your interior. MDF is a great choice to make a buck from if you want to use something like fiberglass and custom paint.
13. Custom Emblems
Custom emblems can add a subtle (or not so subtle) custom touch to any vehicle. A logo, a custom name or even just a replacement for a decorative piece of trim work attached with some small fasteners or 3M VHB can give your car a more finished appearance and look as custom or factory stock as you want.
14. Air Filter Boxes
The aftermarket is full of cold air intakes, but what if you want something unique, or want to run a different filter? A custom formed sheet metal air box designed to fit your space and mount exactly where you want it is just a few clicks away.
15. Custom Pedals
Stock pedals don’t always fit well with performance driving, or maybe you’ve done a modern engine swap that requires a wired throttle pedal rather than linkage or cable. You could also be looking for a more unique style to better fit the interior. Making your own custom pedals to fit your application is much easier with laser cut parts.
16. Control Arms
Custom control arms for your suspension can improve handling, strength and fitment in a wide range of vehicles from sports cars to trophy trucks. From a-arms to trailing arms, you can choose what wheels, shocks, coilovers to get exactly the handling characteristics you’re after in your car or truck.
17. License Plate Mounts
Whether you’re relocating your plate or just want a custom designed surround to replace the plastic dealership logo from when you bought the car, laser cutting makes it easy.
18. Block Off Plates
Sometimes you move or relocate a component and it leaves a hole or passageway exposed. A simple laser cut plate with the right hole pattern in it can cover the opening. Get it powder coated or anodized for a finished look and protection against corrosion or wear.
How Can CNC Machining Help Make Car Parts?
Laser cutting isn’t the only process available from SendCutSend used to make automotive parts. We use multiple types of lasers, but we also do waterjet cutting and CNC routing depending on the material you need cut. You choose your material and thickness, we select the best machine for the cut.
If you want to see even more amazing examples of the car parts being made with SendCutSend, check us out on social media.
Explore Other Options for Durable Customized Car Parts
One aspect of building parts for automotive use is that cars get used in all sorts of environments. Even a car that’s garage kept and driven in perfect weather needs to be built to withstand the elements. This is where choosing not only the right materials, but the right finishes are critical. Polished stainless steel can survive outdoors for years with little issue, but to keep your parts looking their best (and lasting their longest) take a look at some of the available finishing services SendCutSend offers.
Anodizing
Anodized aluminum can not only look incredible, but also offers a layer of protection. SendCutSend has recently added Type III anodization, which provides a much harder surface. This is great for any aluminum surface that might see higher wear. Some examples might be…
- Sill plates
- Dash panels
- Trim parts
- Handles
Zinc Plating
For parts that need the durability of steel, zinc plating is available. Zinc plated parts are used by major auto manufacturers for the extra corrosion protection it gives steel parts. It’s also available in several colors, so you don’t have to choose between protection and cosmetics. Good examples of parts that could be zinc plated…
- Chassis mounts
- Engine bay brackets
Powder Coating
Powder coating is another option from SendCutSend. It provides the protection of a durable polymer shell along with unmatched aesthetics. Powder coating has long been the finish of choice for many parts made by professional custom car builders. Powder coating is a great choice for nearly any finished part. Some examples might include…
- Trim parts
- Emblems
- Brackets
If You Can’t Find the Right Part for Your Car, Make It!
Whether you’re a professional car builder or a DIYer looking to make a single part, SendCutSend has the materials, services and experience to help. Our manufacturing processes can take on some of your fabrication workload to keep your car projects moving. From strong functional parts to cosmetic upgrades, we can handle it all, so don’t give up on your project because of a missing or hard to find part. SendCutSend can knock out your quality manufactured parts quickly and efficiently.
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