now that i have a job I will be working on a vacuum bagging setup. I'll be starting with covering parts with fiber glass, but once iv gotten better i'll start with CF. Ill get half of the stuff needed the first pay check and the other half the second so it will be a while be for parts are for sale. but I need to know what kind of CF there is more demand for.
here are the kinds i can get.
3K, 2 x 2 Twill Weave Graphite Fabric

6K, 5HS Weave Graphite Fabric

3K, 4 x 4 Twill Weave Graphite Fabric


I can only get one to start with. so what do you like?
I'm going to need a month to get all the parts. then another to stop screwing up stuff.

 

okay guys this is gonna be the one!!

 

what part(s) are you making?

 

so you are simply going to cover parts in CF? or you are going to recreate them?

 

Recreatate please!!
and I like the second one

 

any fucktard with a sheet of cf cloth and a bucket of resin from the hardware store can cover an item with carbon.
I personally have had good luck with 2dimensional piece making from CF, and making 3d items from those sheets(my entire dash!) but complex shapes are much harder to make cleanly from CF. Even if you are bagging your setups. This is why you see so many flat or 2D products available from smaller "manufacturers". Do some homework on the net........start with the search button. Im just foolin around good luck.
To awnser your question I want CF doors

 

Im going to start by just covering. once i have the cash i will make molds for parts like instrument surround. but some parts will not mount well. IE the a pillars and other clip mounted parts. as for doors...... I don't know about that one. I may do hoods after a while but a door will be a lot more complex, A LOT.
My main question is what pattern of CF they are in order from cheap to expensive. for that reason ill probly start with the 3k 2x2. but i love the look of the 3k 4x4. so if more people want the 4x4 I'll get it, if not i'll get the cheaper stuff.

with in 3 months i should be "making" door sills, instrument surround, and if i can find a local water jet or laser cuter, gauge faces, not sure if they will have EL numbers or yellow CK, or S-glass with dye in the epoxy.

 

man, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I've already been working with fiberglass making for 2 years now, and it sucks like hell. Carbon Fiber is about 10x worse. You better think this through and have deep deep pockets. It takes a lot of space and a hell of a lot more clean up.

If you don't clean up correctly, you'll end up like my friend who has fiberglass fibers implanted in his back and arms from not cleaning and wearing correct equipment. Let's not forget inhaling this crap. It'll kill the heck out of you. So, you'll be coughing fiberballs instead of hairballs, and be itching like crazy till the wee hours of the morning.

Good Luck.

- Kevin

 

Im not a "fan" of CF. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against it, I just think it is a was of money (in many cases CF parts are rediculous exspensive). That being said, It is really nice to see someone giving a #$%& about our 13-18 y/o cars. I admire you for it and hope it all goes well. Keep us update, and post pics of your progress.

 

I've planed on doing all cutting in a 5 sided box with a shop-vac and hepa filter good for .3 micron on it, i may instead try to make it draw threw water, at the same time using a respirator made for paint and asbestos, and good gloves that go to the elbow. I've worked with CF before, it's just to much work and waste to do it all by hand. the reason I'm going to start with bagging is after iv got the hang of it I'll start using vac-infusion.

 

i like the second one

 

Here we go again heh. There have been many people saying they were going to produce CF parts blah blah. Very, very few of them actually come back with a product for sale. Only ricers want parts covered with CF, since covered interior parts have absolutely no advantage whatsoever, other than looking like theyre made from Carbon. So once you start making your own totally CF parts, you'll start making money, right? Wrong. When it comes down to it, most FC owners are CHEAP. (No offense guys ) No one will be willing to shell out the money you would be asking for a small CF part. You would have to sell for really really cheap, in order to sell any. But then you wouldnt be making any profit, because carbon is expensive, as youve found out already. Then you've got to factor in your own human labour, thats worth quite a bit. The fact of the matter is, it is a losing business. Its best just to make custom 1 off parts for yourself. You'll be alot happier.

 

Check out these links though.

http://www.rocstock.org/wizards/fiber101.part1.html
This one is fibreglass, and is a model rocket, but the same principles apply to CF. Good description of vaccuum bagging.

http://www.superstreetonline.com/techarticles/54702/
This one's not bad, goes over each step of layup.
Good luck.

 

thanks for the links but by this point i think all i need is experience.

and as for making new parts. they will be 2 or 3 layers, if 2 S-glass\CF if 3 CF\S-glass\CF should keep the cost down.

as for cost. Im geting the set up to make parts for me. I'll sell some to try and recoup some of the cost. so my labor costs will be low.

Ill need to see about the cost of the radio, also I will start with S4 look only at first. that is the one i will be using and i don't have a s5 sourund.

 

if you can make a radio surround for the same price as an OEM one i'll buy like five of them

 

what is oem cost?

 

who cares what oem cost is. Even if you sold the stereo surrounds(and youll need a shifter surround too) for 150$ they will cost you atleast 40$ for cloth, 5$ for resin, 5$for peelply,bags,mold release,paper towels,sandpaper etc. Making these by hand will take a good couple hours to prep mold and set up then another good couple hours to finish the product, and another hour to make the sale package it and go to the post office to ship it. Thats 5 hours per piece AFTER the tediuous task of making a worthwhile mold. If you pay yourself 5$ an hour thats 25$ of labour. Add to the fact that youll be tossing out a lot of CF due to the snags that can so easily occur while setting it up especially with a looser weave.
Any way you due the math. I totally encourage you to learn how to make good CF parts but just warn you that its harder than it seems to make a worhtwhile business out of even if it is just a "hobby business"

 

as i have posted, i have worked with CF, CK, and E and S glass. I know the work involved. Once more my plan was never to make a ton of money. I'm getting the set up for me. and will sell parts to try and recover some of the cost. the idea of the post is i can save money getting 5 to 10 yards. if the 3k 4x4 i like has the demand i can save about $10 a part. If not I will get bulk in what will sell and only 3 or so yards of the stuff i like saving only $4-$5 a part. all that adds up. by getting 10 yards i can save over $50 on all my parts. and on top of the bulk saving the 4x4 is stronger and will need less to make a good strong part. as for $40 for CF for the part?? i don't think i will need 6sqft for a shifter surround.

 

go for it i would love to replace all the broken plastic in my 7s with cf good luck