looking for a carbon fiber/plastic/fiberglass EXPERTS !!!

Zeetah

if i were to build body panels for my Z out of lets say CF, how thick would it have to be? would the thickness have to be the same as my OEM panels that i replace? and what about the thickness of plastic or fiberglass, same question.

are the thicknesses of the front and rear bumper, rear and front fenders, side skirts, hood, all the same? havent gone out to measure it myself...

thanks !

Minato

The thickness depends on the panel, and the curvature of the part. Different weights of fabric will also change the amount needed. For something flexible like the bumpers, 6-8 layers of 6oz fiberglass or carbon fiber would probably be sufficient.
The mold will be difficult to make of the bumpers, because they are flexible, and have sharp 90degree corners (around the edges). You don't want to have a distorted mold, although since the final product will be flexible it probably won't be a huge deal.
What is your goal for this? Weight savings?

Zeetah

weight savings will definitely be a +, my objective is to accomplish the complete body style of my imagination... something that isnt out there in the market.

i know i have to do more research, i wish i saved it, i was just looking at something, and they used 200g cf, than a white puffy thing that looked like something you would put on top of your mattress if its too hard to soften it, and then another layer of 200g cf, white thing was in between... any idea what that was? or if i need it, i thought it was just CF sheets and the hardeners of course, would i need other fabrics?

and you said 6 layers.. why 6 layers exactly?
what i used less

Minato

white puffy thing was probably a high density foam. That is called "sandwich" composite. It can make a much lighter/stiffer carbon fiber or fiberglass part, and be cheaper too. (it is structurally like a steel i-beam) I've made a hood using CF/nomex honeycomb sandwich composite construction weighing 7.3 lbs, stiffer than anything you could imagine no homo. It was a pin on hood though, 4 hood pins, had to remove the whole hood to check the engine. you could lift it off with one hand though, so it wasn't a big deal for me. I'd definitely recommend reading more, and order some epoxy or resin, and fiberglass and start practicing. You will make many mistakes at first, but it is the only way to learn. start making molds of small things and working your way up. It is an expensive habit too, my hood mold cost about ~75-100$ to make, hood cost about $550 in materials.

KaienZ34

For almost full CF Z check these.

Nissan 370Z Forum - NYBladeZ's Album: St. John's Red Z

Nissan 370Z Forum - billet370's Album: Carbon Fiber 370z

__________________

Zeetah

what was your mold made of that it cost so much? im thinking of using foam or clay, which ever is easier and cheaper to work with.

why did your hood have pins? couldnt you attach it like your OEM hood? im sure its possible and should be fairly simple, no?

absolutely correct about practicing with smaller items first lol, the materials i think i need are
- vac bag pump thingy ( dont know the proper name )
- cf and fg sheets
- the hardener ( called epoxy resin? )
- and the liquid you put over your mold so that you can detach your finish product after so it doesnt stick to the mold itself

right? i know im obviously going to have to do more research, but i just wanted to get an idea of it, still have a couple months of ()@#&@ WINTER....................

Zeetah

thanks,

i hate how real cf looks greyish, i love the look of cf wraps, i ordered samples and love how they look black and IS black..

gota do some studying about these..

KaienZ34

Nothing short of DRY CF will be lighter than the OEM plastic bumpers, side skirts and aluminum hood, fenders, roof etc.

__________________

KaienZ34

You can get it in many colors other than the normal black, like red, blue, yellow or goldish kevlar.

__________________

Masterbeatty

Also the type of fabric has a different strength when flexing. 2x2 twill is strong two ways and the shredded type has different properties good for a different application. So research what type of material you need for different parts. Wrapping a part I good for looks not function.

__________________
2011 MB 6MT
Masterbeatty journal

Minato

I made a positive mold of the stock hood out of fiberglass mat and polyester resin, it's the cheapest way to make a mold.
I used the hood pins for ease and cost. If I wanted to hook up the hinges, I would need to make a mold of the underside of the hood too, not just the outside, which would double costs of the mold and make it more complicated.
Vacuum pump is a necessity to make sure the CF sucks into the mold without air pockets.
Their are 3 different liquid systems, epoxy is the strongest and most expensive, polyester resin is the cheapest, stinkiest, weakest (This is what you find at lowes)
The most popular mold release agent is called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Good stuff.

Mold making is really the hardest part of the whole process, you need it to be thick enough to be stiff, not any big air pockets, and you need to make it bigger than the hood (or whatever you're making). You can do that by gluing plastic or covered cardboard on the underside extending out, then laying the fiberglass over and wetting it all down with the resin.

Here is an excellent resource, which is what inspired and taught me how to make my hood. Warning: you will probably spend the next 6 hours straight reading through everything.
Sub 2500 lbs. 96 Mustang Cobra Project... - Ford Mustang Forums : Corral.net Mustang Forum

Zeetah

6 hours of reading? oh man..... lol
ya i was hoping you wouldnt have to make an inside mold and just attach the hinges anyway possible without doubling the cost....

i bought my cf sample wraps from metrorestyling.com, they forgot to send me something that was suppose to be included in my package, and i emailed them about it, they replied within less than an hour and sent it free of charge, excellent service and i loved the product, anyhow, id LOVE IT if real CF would look like that, not the real cf i see around on car panels and interior trims, they all look greyish...

if i were to go the fb route, what materials would i need?

Zeetah

ill try to check out the different colors, black and red are is my theme, since my Z is already black. i cant wait

Zeetah

wasnt aware of that.. wish there was a decent place here in ontario canada...

Zeetah

oh another thing i was curious about was, do i HAVE to have a vac pump?
and, some people talk about high temp epoxy resin? i dont have those huge ovens that bake and cure car panels like the ones at bodyshops, so whats my alternative? i know some people just wait 12-24 hours for the resin to harden up