Hi am making my own carbon fibre inlet manifold to mount a set of R1 carbs onto 1800 (130PS) zetec engine . I need a .dxf file of the flange plate of a zetec inlet manifold . I could draw it out ( if I was any good at cad !!!) but I know there is some software which can convert scanned images to .dxf files
? can anyone out there help ?

I would have thought an actual full size model, made perhaps of wood or wax would have been the way to do this. That way the carbon could be laid directly on it.

I used to work in a company that made offshore drill bits; the initial moulds for these were hand made in wax. Once the wax had been coated in clay to form the final casting mould (you off course replace this step with laying the carbon) , the wax was simply melted out.

I did work very well.

Photos of them being made I’m sure would be a very useful how too

We actually painted some of the wax models for exhibitions so they looked like the final product. I always thought it would have been such a laugh if one was mistakenly shipped offshore and they tried to drill with it

[Edited on 21/5/08 by Mr Whippy]

the plan is to use a metal ( steel or alloy) flange plate ( to give rigidity and some heat transmission ) but to use carbon fibre tape to create the runners to the carbs, hence the need for a .dxf file I've got a contact who can laser/waterjet cut the metal but he needs a .dxf file in order to create the g code for the cutter

I used the inlet gasket and scraped round it onto the steel plate.

just trying to save myself a whole load of hacksawing when I've got someone who can cut it out in minutes with a waterjet > have got the blisters to show how much hacksawing I've done. I've got a plasma cutter now ( sooo much better BUT unfortunately it hasn't got the power to cut through the really thick plate I need

Just like this

yes exactly just like that ....cheers