Carbon Fiber Bodywork

I'm surprised you forgot to mention my gold foil wrapped wiring loom..
.
You're slipping tri....... :laugh:

When you get done with the gold foil loom are you still going to turn some depleted uranium exhaust valves on your little lathe? Sadly, I don't know the proper rpm to turn that stuff. You're on your own there.

I wanna see an unobtanium frame

testarossa wrote:

When you get done with the gold foil loom are you still going to turn some depleted uranium exhaust valves on your little lathe? Sadly, I don't know the proper rpm to turn that stuff. You're on your own there.

I read on the internet that you can get fuel rods from North Korea prety cheap, but I'll probably just use the spent rods from my bathroom scale. I also read that you have to have an insanely high feed rate to properly machine it, so my little lathe won't cut it. I'll have to chuck the rod in my dremel and run it wide open for the right speed, then I'll use a sharp wood chisel I've got to turn it down I've got it covered bro

Ahhhhh unobtanium frames. I'd settle for just an exhaust :woohoo:

Ok, I didn't get sidecover #2 completed until just now. I've got the heater on it and I'll strip it in the morning. I am curious how this one will turn out since I did it all in one shot. I used a face layer of carbon fiber, a layer of fiberglass after that, the coremat, then a final layer of carbon on the back. I substituted one layer of carbon for the fiberglass because 1: I only have 2/3 or a yard of carbon left (1/3 of a yard = 2 peices for a sidecover layup) so I want it to last, and 2: The shit is damn expensive! So I have a total of 4 full layers in this layup. Now the 13"x18" pieces that I cut for the layup are too big in a couple directions, so after I lay the fabric in and get it mostly saturated I cut off the excess sticking out of the mold and use it to reinforce the corners and th mounting points. So there is probably closer to 5 layers in this laminate. I expect to have this part come in lighter than the last one. I only used 5.5 oz of resin, and I'm sure I'll get an ounce or 2 back out of it during the cure.

I started thinking about the cost of making one of these covers, just to start thinking what kind of $$ I would have to ask for if say, someone were to ask me to sell a set to them. So here is a quick breakdown of cost to manufacture:

Carbon fiber cloth- $15
Epoxy resin- $5
disposable tools- $4
Bagging material- $3
Shipping- $5
Grand total = $32 per cover

Now this is a rough estimate, but it is close enough for a cost proposal. Please not that the above cost does not include fasteners, which will most likely double the cost to produce to somewhere around $60 (I haven't actively priced 1/4 turn fasteners yet, but I can see them costing $10 each for a screw and a reciever)
Note I have made no allowance for the cost of the vacuum pump, the heater or the garage radio...least of all the cost of time and materials making the mold :whistle:
Lastly there is my time to actually make a side cover. At the moment it takes approx. 1 hour to prep the mold and materials, and another 30 minutes to lay it up. Another 30 minutes to demold and trim it out, so say 2 hours total to manufacture.

So now with my time added in I have a $90 sidecover plus the cost of hardware. $180 for a pair plus hardware. I'm sure the tail will take more material and take longer to manufacture, so will consequently be more expensive. I'd say total cost for materials to make a full body kit will easily be over $100, with a production cost of $350+. I'm sure these numbers will no doubt make some of you think "HOW MUCH?!?! Who in the hell would pay that much for aftermarket body parts!" But that's why I put the thread up, so any of you can learn from my mistakes and duplicate my successes You just have to make all new molds for yourself first :blink: :huh: :ohmy: :pinch: :whistle:

Here we have carbon sidecover #2, removed from the vacuum bag.

Of note is the trapped resin pockets, just like in the first sidecover. I think I need to switch to a peel ply release film. The perforated release film gets bunched up and doesn't allow resin to pass through it in spots. Certainly not ideal :dry: but correctable

Notice the white patches? Those are areas where my release film didn't cover the mold, so the bleeder material got glued to the laminate. It's a BITCH to pull it off!!! That light polyester batting is VERY strong when you're trying to rip a chunck thats epoxied down. You've been warned

It's hard to see, but one of the resin bubbles up close

all things considered(shop radio and all :laugh: )that doesn't sound to pricey in comparison to what we spend on other custom stuff.it is right around the price where it would make more sense to me to pay you as to spend the time and money to do it myself.
it is like after i got my shop all set up to fabricate and machine.i was like "now i can build anything i want"but i have found that sometimes it is a better use of my time to just buy some stuff and make the things i can't buy.
you get to the point where can i make it?yes
should i make it?not if it will take 8 hours and i can buy it for fourty.
i have my cousins 76 kz900 that i am building in tribute/memory of him as we had started building his 1075 motor when he was killed in a motorcyle wreck.i am now finishing it and am building it into a slammed knuckledragging pro-streeter the way he would have wanted it.he would have crapped his pants over your covers,so if you decide to build some for sale please put me on the list of people wanting to buy them from you.a tailpiece as well if you decide to do those.
keep up the good work,

leon

Now, the Coup De Gras, the sidecover demolded :woohoo:


I was curious how much this sidecover weighed compared to the previous attempt. Well, I succeded there! #2 without being trimmed is 6.4 ounces, compared to the ABS cover at 9.1 ounces and the 1st carbon cover at 9.2 ounces. As an added benifit, the 2nd cover is still signifigantly stiffer than the ABS cover, with fewer layers and less cross sectional area than cover #1

531blackbanshee wrote:

all things considered(shop radio and all :laugh: )that doesn't sound to pricey in comparison to what we spend on other custom stuff.it is right around the price where it would make more sense to me to pay you as to spend the time and money to do it myself.
it is like after i got my shop all set up to fabricate and machine.i was like "now i can build anything i want"but i have found that sometimes it is a better use of my time to just buy some stuff and make the things i can't buy.
you get to the point where can i make it?yes
should i make it?not if it will take 8 hours and i can buy it for fourty.
i have my cousins 76 kz900 that i am building in tribute/memory of him as we had started building his 1075 motor when he was killed in a motorcyle wreck.i am now finishing it and am building it into a slammed knuckledragging pro-streeter the way he would have wanted it.he would have crapped his pants over your covers,so if you decide to build some for sale please put me on the list of people wanting to buy them from you.a tailpiece as well if you decide to do those.
keep up the good work,

leon

Damn Leon, thats a as good a reason as I can think of to build a bike. I AM going to do a tail piece. You're at the top of the list bro

Now for the bad Unfortunately this cover will only be suitable for painting.....at least around the perimeter of the cover to cover up the blemishes.

There are 2 small bubbles at the top mounting point....I believe this is a consequence of the release film bunching up in the corner and preventing the proper passage of air and resin

Now, a couple of small bubbles I can deal with, but the most cosmetically problematic blemish on this cover is at the top rear

It looks like here I had the issue of the trapped resin combined with tiny air bubbles again. It believe that the heat caused the micro air bubbles to expand into a kind of foam... :huh:
I will be switching to a different peel ply and try turning down the the heat on the heater to eliminate these types of defects. If this is the worst I experience, then I'll be happy. Still, they are expensive lessons :laugh: