If You Need a Car Part That Doesn't Exist, Talk to This Guy

The Drive

02-06-2025

The latest car news, reviews, and features.
3D printing democratizes manufacturing in ways that have real, positive implications for car enthusiasts. Need a little trim piece that's been discontinued since the '80s? 3D printing lets you remake one and allows you to make it better with your own tweaks. And the opportunities for creativity are endless. A few months ago, I started a thread with Ben Bishop, who has a little operation making custom parts and recreating unobtainable items for people's car projects. He shared some interesting insight on his process and how 3D printing is empowering some cool cottage-industry innovation.
As a lover of creative car customization and small industrial enterprises in general (surely I'm not the only one), I thought it'd be fun to share the process Bishop goes through to design and create custom 3D parts through his U.K.-based outfit, BWB Designs. Over email, he answered my questions about his work and explained what his process is like, whether he's reverse-engineering a rare or no-longer-available part or creating something from scratch. Bishop has built things from small and practical, like this Mini vent gauge pod, to the large and unique, like this nose cone for a homemade Ariel Atom replica. BWB Designs
If somebody already has a part they want replicated, 'then they can either post the part directly to me for replication, or they can scan the part themselves and send me the scans,' Bishop told me. 'If they post the part to me it allows me to either scan or measure the part for direct CAD modeling. I can then advise the client on design suggestions which may help to optimize the 3D printing process. For example, by increasing thickness in certain areas, adding features which improve the printability or implementing hardware like heat-sert threads to help the functionality as best as possible. Once we work through and come to a finalized design, we test print and fit the part. This process was used for the CR-X door inserts as well as the CR-X License plate light holder as well as many other small parts.
'If they plan on scanning the part, I ask for a set of check dimensions to ensure accuracy with the scans as best [as] possible. Whilst also checking dimensions on my model throughout the design process. After that, we can follow the same steps as previously mentioned to achieve an end product. This process was used with the Chevy C10 Dash AC Bezel.' A Chevy truck cluster bezel to scan (bottom right), digitally rendered (left), then 3D printed in replica (top right). BWB Designs
Bishop explained to me that he's able to help people in different ways depending on the equipment the customer has on their end. If you can scan and print things at home, he can fine-tune the render to ensure the scanned image becomes a high-quality printable file. If you only have a scanner, he can optimize a design and print it for you. If you don't have anything, you can mail the part you want copied, and BWB will do the rest.
Of course, sometimes you don't have an example part to start from. Bishop told me about how he recreates factory parts without a physical template, too. Reference photos, any known specs, specs of surrounding and adjacent parts, anything adjacent that can be scanned … a bit more imagination and time is required.
'This was the process used to create the CR-X recessed headlight shrouds, my client posted the OEM headlight for me to take mounting points off and gather a set of general dimensions. I then researched the rare option, gathering photos and information to produce the final product. I can use the images to obtain scales and proportions for the model, as well as getting a good idea on angles of certain features. Combining that with the set of dimensions from the OEM headlight, implementing the mounting points and also fitment for a standard light type allowed me to produce an end product which the client was very satisfied with!' Finding these headlight shrouds for a first-gen CRX in perfect condition would be nearly impossible, and convincing a big aftermarket parts factory to re-make them for a single customer is unlikely. This is where small outfits like Bishop's can shine. BWB Designs
When it comes to completely custom stuff, Bishop told me he works with that too. When there's no part to replicate, he told me that he can make things from scratch using broad dimensions and mounting points. He's done everything from gauge pods to intake pipes to whole aero kits.
'With the use of modern technology, we can create pretty much anything with a phone, tape measure, and some imagination,' Bishop explained. 'Using phones to scan isn't always the most accurate or high-quality process, but with some reworking and optimizations on my end in combination with check dimensions, we can get to a point where the scan is good enough to work off. The Audi 4M Q7 intake was made with a phone scan. As well as a couple [of] current projects, which are currently underway, using phone scans on a larger scale to build a front splitter as well as an entire body kit.' Bishop custom-made this Audi intake pipe in a larger-than-stock diameter and without its factory baffle restrictor. If you're interested in doing something like this for your own car, just remember, there's more to engine tuning than more air means more power. Any mod to a vehicle's intake system should be paired with a custom computer tune optimized on a dyno. BWB Designs
My favorite innovation of Bishop's is this wild AW11 MR2 cooling vent system. As Bishop posted on his website [sic] :
'Using 3D Scans, we worked to fit in the ducts around the existing constraints of the engine bay. A goal was to maintain the OEM Sunroof storage, as well as various other obstacles to work around.
'The end product was printed in ASA-CF, then skinned with carbon fiber for an aesthetically pleasing and high-performance finish. The firewall through-mounts and hood vent were SLS Printed in PA-12 nylon for a strong and high-quality product.' This air piping even keeps the OEM sunroof storage functionality in place. BWB Designs
So far, Bishop's business has just been directly working with individuals to make their small-batch parts production dreams come true. But some of his creations have ended up being replicated in slightly bigger batches. If you're the kind of person who would go through the trouble of getting a CR-X headlight shroud custom-made, you probably know other CR-X dorks who might also want such a piece.
'I encourage all of my clients to market the products I design for them, where applicable, even if they hadn't planned on doing so,' said Bishop. 'A lot of the time, being connected with their own communities allows them to sell at least a few of the parts to cover my costs of design. It works out as a win-win for everybody involved.'
As for why he does what he does, besides being a car enthusiast and industrially creative, Bishop told me:
'Part of the satisfaction is knowing I am doing something to keep the car community alive, maintaining the machines we all know and love so we can carry on doing what we do. This whole process contributes to reducing how many cars we scrap and get rid of, reducing pollution and waste in our industry. We can even use recycled and recyclable materials to produce these new parts.'
In the future, 3D scanning and printing of roadworthy components might be doable with equipment you can buy at Staples, with AI handling the rendering in between. But until then, outfits like Bishop's here are a huge boon for car culture. I can't tell you how long I've looked for stupid little trim pieces on my mildly obscure cars like my old Nissan 300ZX; I could have skipped a lot of fruitless searching with a service like this.
So next time you're coming up empty trying to find a little plastic piece that's no longer available, see if somebody like Bishop can scan, redesign, and 3D print it for you!
Know about any other cool car cottage industry operations? Drop us a line at [e-mail]