T-Odd said:
Where's Larry? Seems like he knew a little bit about carbon fiber makings and procedures, costs, difficulty, etc.
IIRC, the final outcome was that it's too costly and difficult vs. very little benefit for our little cars.
Sorry for the delay. I was at bonneville watching our friend Jim (EXJUNK) and his friends run thier car :lol: You remembered correctly Todd.
I certainly am no expert at carbon fiber, but I have played with it a little, so I can offer my take on it. First, I see it like chrome moly, Neat stuff, just not worth the expense or the difficulty for what we are doing. If the ultimate is strength vs. weight is your concern, use it. But for normal use... Nope.
Carbon fiber is a good amount more than glass. Quality glass too, not cheap stuff. I dont have a catalog handy, but will try and find one later to show the prices. I dont think carbon fiber itself is any lighter than fiberglass, but it is stronger, so It can be made thinner, thus lighter. But again does it matter vs. the cost ? NO, not for what we are doing.
Carbon fiber can be laid up just like fiberglass, but you do not get the most out of it. You can use plain polyester resin, but most use epoxy. It is more than polyester, but not like crazy expensive. Again I will try to get some prices later to show the comparison.
Like BT said, to get the most out of it requires some specialized techniques. Vacuum bagging, and an auto clave. The way the formula 1 and indy cars are done, is they use a product called prepreg. it is carbon fiber cloth already treated with the proper amount of resin. No extra resin means no extra wieght. And they also use a honey comb design in the layup. Not like the single wall thickness we use in a T body. getting that light weight vs Strength isnt just in the material. It is also in the design, and construction.
So now... If you dont have extensive fiberglass experience, working the CF will be tough. And like someone else said... trying to get it to lay down with the pattern straight will be tough. Look at a T body. That area around the cowl, windsheld posts, dash area... will be tough to do good. And the bed OMG.... Trying to get all that to lay in, without air pockets... and keep the pattern straight ? you better be real good...
An overlay might be best. The way overlays are done, is simple. The part to be covered is sprayed with 3M spray glue. The CF is put on. Then coated with clear epoxy resin. That resin is then scuffed, and sprayed with clear. High build urethane car clear. Then sanded and buffed. None of the carbn fiber, advantages, but all the look LOL..
I did the switch panel in my car with CF, just to show those on that other T bbs that it can be done without any special tools. And turn out nicely too. This is just one layer of carbon fiber (a small piece bought off ebay) and two layers of 6 oz fiberglass behind it). Nothing special... Maybe I'll do some more complex stuff on my new car
