3D Engineers - Vehicle re-creation specialists

Bucks and formers

"buck - (noun) any of various heavy frames, racks, or jigs used to support materials or partially assembled items during manufacture, as in airplane assembly plants"

"former - (noun) a person or thing that forms or shapes"

3D Engineers are the most experienced 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) designed buck design and manufacturer's in the World.

Adopting pioneering CAD and design techniques, we have developed a process whereby classic car body bucks can be created and delivered within a matter of weeks. A buck created to sub mm precision.

By using one of our bucks, a typical aluminium body can be created in 20% - 30% less time than conventional techniques. A 20% - 30% saving that repeats every single time. A particularly good idea for all classic racers then!

* STOP PRESS - We now create bucks suitable for fibreglass and composite bodies! *

A full list of the benefits of using a buck are listed below:

• Accuracy is greatly improved over traditional methods whilst allowing the part/body to still be hand built.
• Bucks are robust, self-supporting, designed well and fit together with great precision. They are produced to a tolerance of +/- 0.05mm. No fixings are required to keep them together, so putting them up and taking them apart can be done typically in 15 minutes with no tools. This makes them ideal to take to shows as a feature of your stand.

• Changes can be made economically to sections of a vehicle, without having to design and manufacture a complete new buck or create expensive tooling.
• Symmetry is perfect.
• Bucks can be created for everything from a complete car to a single panel.
• You can take account of a body's sub-structure to deal with snags before they occur on the workshop floor wasting considerable time and often material. This especially applies to one-offs and specials.
• Cosmetic tweaking of the design can occur "virtually" instead of on the workshop floor, with all the implications as outlined in the point above.

• If the data to make the 3D model is obtained by scanning the original body, it can be rebuilt provably to the original design. If necessary, any symmetry issues can be worked through with your client and eliminated (he may like it asymmetric!). Nobody can say the car differs in any way from the original.
• The method assists you with doing what you do best: creating a vehicle to the best of your ability.

• If you have a full order book, by sub-contracting making any necessary parts of the buck you have the benefit of getting the client's financial commitment earlier in the project and have the advantage that as soon as the car enters your workshop, the bodywork (for example) tasks can be started straight away, maximising your efficiency. Turnover of vehicles will increase.
• The buck can be designed to split into two parts or more, allowing the pieces that are not required to be safely and compactly stored. This maximises the use of your workspace.
• Bucks and bodywork can be scaled and we have created ¼ and ½ scale models for clients to keep in their living room, office or garage. Smaller scale models of the bodywork look fantastic on a desk. This is an extra service you can sell your clients, clients who by definition are passionate about their vehicles. The models can be made before you start your work, so your client has something tangible they can look at whilst the work you are doing is ongoing. This is a way of maintaining their enthusiasm on long projects. One of our clients who owns a restoration firm even takes his ¼ scale model to race meetings to help advertise his firm.

• Clients also love the mixture of technology and traditional methods to recreate their pride and joy. The quality of what they end up with is improved.
• The data on their vehicle is also kept in electronic form, to be kept forever with the history of their car.
• A free programme is available to allow you and your client to view what we have done in 3D on your own computer (subject to minimum system requirements).
• Once your work is completed, the buck can be stored flat taking up minimal space. You could give it to the client, but if you store it yourself you will be the first port of call should any further work be required. This especially applies to racing vehicles that may need regular repair work. In other words, customer loyalty is increased. If further repairs are necessary, they can be carried out to the specification of the original design.
• Clients love this way of working as they can see progress occurring, revolve the design in 3D on their own computer and have the opportunity to make and review changes before you have started work. You have the added assurance that the client knows what they are committing to and you have the ability to send them the design via e-mail for their perusal. Changes can be made quickly.

• It makes your firm stand out from the competition when clients are deciding who will work on their vehicle.


Bristol "special" completed within 7 months of the commission

• The cost is not as great as you would think and stage payments are available. In fact what we do should not really be called a cost, as it normally ends up saving firms like yours time, money and hassle.