Mod racing helmet Days of Thunder

[wheresmurphy_43]

Hello,
Hopefully this is allowed. I have a Simpson racing helmet and I was thinking about modifying it to look like a Days of Thunder helmet but I wanted to ask if anyone has any tips. In my head ( I absolutely admit I have no idea what I'm doing) I was going to take a dremel to cut out the piece I didn't want and go from there. Everyone at work is saying no no no. They say it might crack.. the paint might splinter and to leave it as is. Does anyone have any experience with a fiberglass helmet and do they have any tips? There's a little rubber trim around the helmet as well. Again I'm picturing cutting a line in the back to separate it. Take it off to a point then use a heat gun to mold it to the new shape. Will that work? I don't know that either. Here's what I'm trying to do. The arrows point to the area I'd like to cut. Thank you for looking and any tips are much appreciated!

 

[laellee]

Just my two cents, but don't do it; cutting will still require an entire refinish. I believe the originals were Pyrotect brand. You can pick up a very similar new one for around $150 or snag a used one and go from there.

 

[wheresmurphy_43]

I'm ok with having to go back and wet sand and paint again. But I've heard more don't do it than give it a shot. So I'll probably leave it be.
thanks!

 

[chibobber]

I restore flight helmets. The edge roll or molding is rubber and probably glued on with contact cement. Hard to remove. The rubber is molded for that model and no amount of messin' will get it to conform to the new shape. (Think radiator hose)
Anything can be done, but should it?
Do the paint job as if ol' Cole was still racing. Still would make a nice project.

 

[Rogviler]

I've cut them apart before and they're tough AF, so I'm not sure why anyone would think they would fall apart just from cutting. They're supposed to protect your head, after all. Yeah, the edge molding would be something you would have to find a solution for but there's all kinds of rubber edge protectors out there so you might be able to figure something out. If it was cheap I would dive right in. If you paid a lot for it then maybe pick one up at a thrift store for a buck and try on that first to see what you're getting into.