Carbon Fiber Hood Interest?

[beeze455]

Tossing around the idea of making a mold for a real carbon fiber hood. Would like to gauge interest. Debating on features, but this is what I am thinking. Hood will fit stock and stock locations and items like the intake will all stay the same. The vents will all be cut an inch bigger and the vent to side of the head light will be 2 1/2" with a pipe that dumps right on quickdrive. Under the windshield will be venting to let heat rise out--people would be surprised how much heat this will vent out. All opening covered in frog skin. Price should be under $300 and the weight will be lighter.

I am almost certainly going to be making some kevlar/carbon side panels, but need to do some testing. They will be vented and thinking under $400.

Any real interest?

 

[m1kflyingtiger]

So your looking at 700 for the full set up or 1100?

 

[gmustangt]

id be intrested

 

[LoudHandle]

If you can hit your price point and be a quality item they will sell.

As that is about half the cost of the Patrick Custom Carbon's pieces

 

[Scott]

I would love to see it.
I REALLY considered the Patrack's products. I even loaded up my shopping cart on a couple occations.
Then I backed out.


Two reasons that people would buy carbon panels:

1) Confirmation and documentation of an actual weight loss...


2) Just looks cool and they have already wrecked their stock equipment, needing to replace it with a cost-similar alternative.

 

[CDK]

If you can market it for $300 or under, sign me up. I will take one tomorrow if it's a quality product.

Any possibility in using different colored carbon fibre fabrics for color options? Perhaps white for the LE guys?

 

[LoudHandle]

Since colors came up, I'd be down for two sets in the Blue Hexcel Texalium, if doable at a similar price point.

 

[Excalibur]

Interested! I also have looked at the Patrick carbon and mesh hoods.

 

[tdbaugha]

I'd be down. Definitely if it were only $300 and lighter than stock. Same goes for the side panels.

 

[beeze455]

Carbon Fiber is only one color.

Color choices will introduce another material like kevlar or like mentioned above texalium. This changes the properties of the hood--weight, impact and stiffness to name a few. These are sometimes downsides and sometimes upsides. Kevlar flexes a lot more while carbon is very stiff and a little lighter. You have to make molds and mess with the materials and layup to get a good fit. I am thinking I want my hood stiff and light, but want my side panels farely stiff and be able to bounce off a tree and pop back out. Hood will be first with no color. If I do go ahead, I will make sure to send one to mountainhorse for a review.

 

[powerfuldodge]

Side panels for sure

 

[CDK]

Carbon Fiber is only one color.

Color choices will introduce another material like kevlar or like mentioned above texalium. This changes the properties of the hood--weight, impact and stiffness to name a few. These are sometimes downsides and sometimes upsides. Kevlar flexes a lot more while carbon is very stiff and a little lighter. You have to make molds and mess with the materials and layup to get a good fit. I am thinking I want my hood stiff and light, but want my side panels farely stiff and be able to bounce off a tree and pop back out. Hood will be first with no color. If I do go ahead, I will make sure to send one to mountainhorse for a review.

Good points all around. I do believe if you were willing to use hybrid fabrics for color options, you would see a lot of interest since you'd be offering something no one else has. Completely up to you, I'm interested regardless of color options!

 

[Scott]

Carbon Fiber is only one color.

Color choices will introduce another material like kevlar or like mentioned above texalium. This changes the properties of the hood--weight, impact and stiffness to name a few. These are sometimes downsides and sometimes upsides. Kevlar flexes a lot more while carbon is very stiff and a little lighter. You have to make molds and mess with the materials and layup to get a good fit. I am thinking I want my hood stiff and light, but want my side panels farely stiff and be able to bounce off a tree and pop back out. Hood will be first with no color. If I do go ahead, I will make sure to send one to mountainhorse for a review.

I had Big Jim Madison's Outlaw Composites carbon/kevlar hood on my old GenII mod.

Freakin great stuff.

I still have a couple disks that I cut out of the dash panel. That stuff is STRONG!!!!!

 

[ak]

I'm in, make them the same as stock is best for me. I almost order pcc side panels last week so I'm ready to buy.

 

[mountainhorse]

Epoxy/CF or Vinyl/CF?

Prepreg or Infusion?

Layup (layers and material)?

Outer finish (raw resin or clearcoat for UV)?

CF/Kevlar has some interesting properties that would make it nice for a hood.

I'd like to see a smooth top hood, with the ability to cut out and vent as preferred.

Great concept for sure and, like said above, if you have a reasonable price point, you will sell them, lots of them... shipping/boxing will be expensive.



.

 

[beeze455]

Here go all the secrets...




Epoxy/CF or Vinyl/CF?
Epoxy for most stuff and maybe all.

Lemme go in detail though... I may consider poly for some items. I dont see any real advantages of vinyl. Poly is proven and the stuff I use is used to make surfboards. It is also a little cheaper, but harder to infuse with. Poly has uv reistance and requires no clear coating. I could make hand laid windshields at a very nice price this way.

Prepreg or Infusion?
Infused. May consider hand layup or a pressure mold for some items. I do not care for prepreg.

Layup (layers and material)?
CF or Kevlar, but again that is part depending. Some items could have a core too. I would never give my exact procedure for obvious reasons.

Outer finish (raw resin or clearcoat for UV)?
2k Clear--I have too for UV reasons. I could mix in some UV resistance, but 2k clear looks and does not change the color.

CF/Kevlar has some interesting properties that would make it nice for a hood.
Looks like as people respond about colors it is quickly leaning this way.

I'd like to see a smooth top hood, with the ability to cut out and vent as preferred.
My mold will be much like the original hood. I may make another mold, but highly doubt it.

Great concept for sure and, like said above, if you have a reasonable price point, you will sell them, lots of them... shipping/boxing will be expensive.
They will be so light UPS will ship them for free. Overnight.

 

[Scott]

Here go all the secrets...


They will be so light UPS will ship them for free. Overnight.

Yeah right....BWAAAAHAHAHA

I like this guy.

 

[sledheadd]

Cool these will go well with the carbon fibre C3 pro chassis that I will be running next year.

 

[moly may]

Pics will seal the deal for a lot of guys me included. cant wait to see them. That is a very reasonable price as well.

 

[joshkoltes]

i would like a custom one that only uses one half of the headlight with the other half being incorperated with the intake, frogskin faceing forward.
double benefit, more intake area in better locations, and less power draw from the electrics for us turbo guys.