I am looking for someone (preferably in the midwest, as I live in the Chicagoland area) that can CNC mill or router a "V8" design similar to the one shown on the hubcap below into the top of a cast aluminum intake manifold. There is a flat, smooth 2.25"×12.75" raised pad on the top that would be ideal for this. I would like the design to be around 1/16" wide, and substantially deep enough to fill with black paint. If anybody from the community has any shops they'd recommend, PLEASE let me know. This is a small but important detail on the Legacy '36 project I am completing in honor of my dad. THANKS !
Thanks, but the laser engravers that I talked to suggested finding someone with a CNC milling machine or CNC router to do this. They said it CAN be done with a laser, but, due to the high reflectivity and relatively low melting point of aluminum, it would be far more expensive to do with a laser. Ed
Google CNC Machining near Crete, Il and probably 20 will come up with-in a hour of Crete. Chicagoland has 100's of CNC shops from Indiana to Wisconsin and everywhere in-between.. There's one in Crete but has no Web Site. Good luck.
Good advice, thanks. I was hoping to get a referral from someone who actually had experience with a specific shop (or, as important, warnings about which shops to stay away from). Nowadays, everyone's websites are so sophisticated, they ALL look like the best in the business, which we all know is not necessarily true.
UPDATE: I found a great shop in the Chicagoland area for one off, small order CNC work with reasonable pricing, good work, and a great turn-around time: CHICAGO CNC MACHINING CO. (chicagocncmachining.com) Doug there took the time to listen to what I wanted, verified the final design with me, and produced a high quality emblem milled into the top of my intake, just as I had pictured it, in about a week. They were awesome to work with and cared about the outcome almost as much as I did. Doug even said he would treat it as if it were going on his car. A definite recommend! ("V8" to be painted black)
Wow! That is fantastic looking! Nice to see that there are still folks/shops out there that do quality work, and take on these one-off kind of jobs.
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