who wants to watch me make carbon fiber door panels?
09-17-11, 05:18 PM
#1
who wants to watch me make carbon fiber door panels?
I decide that my first carbon fiber project will be flat door panels for my FB.
ive had the carbon fiber (3 yards x 50 inches) sitting in my house since winter along with resin and tooling gel. havnt had much time or motivation to take a crack at making anything with it but now that im recently unemployed, i now have the time =)
i attached a picture of my door, im still undecided how im going to attach the panel to id and what im going to do for a handle
and i attached a picture of the sheet metal im going to use to lay the carbon fiber on, im thinking of screwing it to a peice of plywood to make it as flat as possible, one question would wax be good enough for a mold release?
open to questions, comments, helpful advise and constructive criticism
ive had the carbon fiber (3 yards x 50 inches) sitting in my house since winter along with resin and tooling gel. havnt had much time or motivation to take a crack at making anything with it but now that im recently unemployed, i now have the time =)
i attached a picture of my door, im still undecided how im going to attach the panel to id and what im going to do for a handle
and i attached a picture of the sheet metal im going to use to lay the carbon fiber on, im thinking of screwing it to a peice of plywood to make it as flat as possible, one question would wax be good enough for a mold release?
open to questions, comments, helpful advise and constructive criticism
09-17-11, 08:51 PM
#2
Jolly Green Giant
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I'd love to see this come together, I'm gonna be making sheet metal ones at some point for my car so I'd like to see how you come about the fitting and fastening.
As far as fastening, I think simple plastic push pins with the removable center would be clean and simple, they are the ones that you push in then push in on the center and it expands and holds it in place, easy to remove and easy to replace...most commonly found on fender liners and under trays on new cars.
For the handle/pull, I think the stock handle would be fine just with a hole and slot cut so the panel can be slipped over hte mounting tab and then the handle can be reassembled. You could also find a place like where an open bolt hole is and mount a tab and pull strap to it then cut a small enough slit in it for the strap to come through, clean and mounting is hidden.
As far as fastening, I think simple plastic push pins with the removable center would be clean and simple, they are the ones that you push in then push in on the center and it expands and holds it in place, easy to remove and easy to replace...most commonly found on fender liners and under trays on new cars.
For the handle/pull, I think the stock handle would be fine just with a hole and slot cut so the panel can be slipped over hte mounting tab and then the handle can be reassembled. You could also find a place like where an open bolt hole is and mount a tab and pull strap to it then cut a small enough slit in it for the strap to come through, clean and mounting is hidden.
09-18-11, 12:31 AM
#4
im liking the strap idea! and also the push pin mounting idea.
did some measurements earlier, 19"x42" will be the rough panel size before i cut the angles. pretty much my whole roll of fiber if i make the sheets 3 layers thick. making me nervous cuz there really isnt much room for mess ups. i had the idea of making them 2 layers with one layer of fiberglass just so i can make them bigger. idk, im gunna sleep on it overnight
did some measurements earlier, 19"x42" will be the rough panel size before i cut the angles. pretty much my whole roll of fiber if i make the sheets 3 layers thick. making me nervous cuz there really isnt much room for mess ups. i had the idea of making them 2 layers with one layer of fiberglass just so i can make them bigger. idk, im gunna sleep on it overnight
09-20-11, 12:37 AM
#7
pull handles (best deal I could find)
http://www.sierramadrecollection.com..._detail&p=2353
carbon fiber and carbon/glass sheets
http://www.jerrybickel.com/carbon-fiber-products-1.html
You can order by the square foot, and it's relatively cheap.
http://www.sierramadrecollection.com..._detail&p=2353
carbon fiber and carbon/glass sheets
http://www.jerrybickel.com/carbon-fiber-products-1.html
You can order by the square foot, and it's relatively cheap.
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09-20-11, 08:51 PM
#8
Love Those Red straps!! i already have the fiber so im good on that.
so i was going to form the sheets on top of that sheet metal i have but i read that the resin/hardener will react to it and could potentially catch on fire! =/ seems i need to find a large sheet of glass.
so i was going to form the sheets on top of that sheet metal i have but i read that the resin/hardener will react to it and could potentially catch on fire! =/ seems i need to find a large sheet of glass.
09-23-11, 10:06 PM
#9
I did the exact same thing about 8 years ago for an FB I had for a DD. I ended up using all the stock handles and even put the lower carpet covered pocket thing back on and the top edge after I recovered it.(Use motorcycle seat vinyl, it stretches in two directions easier)
One tip though, go with glass for your lay up sheet. Find a place that sells used building stuff and buy an old sliding door. It will be perfectly smooth and the edges are protected buy the door frame so it can be stored easy. You can also look underneath through the glass for bubbles in the CF/resin. Getting rid of them will be your hardest part unless you vacuum bag it... but that is a little more advanced.
Get actual mold release wax, about $10 a tin IIRC but it will handle the heat.
I used a layer of CF and then a layer of 1.5 oz matte to back it up. Otherwise it will be strong but razor sharp on the edges. Also, get surfboard resin. It has UV protection in it so your CF will survive.
To hold it on I used the few screws that handle needed and velcro. Velcro gets tighter with vibration and it keeps the parts far enough apart to stop rattles.
One tip though, go with glass for your lay up sheet. Find a place that sells used building stuff and buy an old sliding door. It will be perfectly smooth and the edges are protected buy the door frame so it can be stored easy. You can also look underneath through the glass for bubbles in the CF/resin. Getting rid of them will be your hardest part unless you vacuum bag it... but that is a little more advanced.
Get actual mold release wax, about $10 a tin IIRC but it will handle the heat.
I used a layer of CF and then a layer of 1.5 oz matte to back it up. Otherwise it will be strong but razor sharp on the edges. Also, get surfboard resin. It has UV protection in it so your CF will survive.
To hold it on I used the few screws that handle needed and velcro. Velcro gets tighter with vibration and it keeps the parts far enough apart to stop rattles.
10-15-12, 09:52 PM
#15
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m wanting to do some custom panels for my fc. wanting to use the nylon strap to pop the door but haven't figured out how to fix the locking mechanism....unless i keep the stock one, but that wouldn't be as "cool" 
11-22-12, 01:12 AM
#18
In the first pic I posted, you can see the panel was cut to right below where the sheet metal flares out. Looks perfect there to me. No need to mess with any resin unless you really want to wrap the whole door. Flat panels are easy to locate.
Carbon/Glass Sheet JBRC2122
Carbon/Glass Sheet JBRC2122
