Carbon Fiber Bodywork

porchev914 wrote:

:
I would like to hear from anyone that has undertaken or plans to undertake a composite project.....anyone?

Ha! i'm just way too lazy. its enough , just trying to keep up to your posts,:laugh:

porchev914 wrote:

For now, the tanks stays here. I decided that if I was going to do the tank, I might as well make the molds concurrently with the tail

the tank and tail were sanded with 220 and a DA sander. The painted stripes were removed and a few dents located. Nothing major, but I'll fill them in. I cut off the cap hardware, and I'll need to trim down the filler neck and fill in the low spot around it. That way the top of the tank is smooth for mold casting. The tank will be cast into 2 molds, a top and a bottom. The bottom will be a one piece mold, but the top will have to be a 2 piece. When the tank is made, it will be in 2 pieces which will be joined afterwards. In case anyone is wondering, it is my intent to make it so the OEM emblems can be bolted back onto the tank

you get that tank tail and side panels dialed in and I'll trade you those clamps and maybe some more

I will say this, I never dreamed that I'd be making a tank when I started this project 8 months ago :ohmy:

adam,
i keep looking at my z1r sidecovers thinking"man that is a much simpler shape than the kz side covers"and then my mind goes to the roll of carbon cloth i have and i look off in the ether.....
then i snap back and relize that they are probably seven or eight down on the project list,after finishing my small block ford stroker(347 ci.)motor for my vintage ski boat,and behind getting my 1967 chevy truck roadworthy,and behind tearing the buell chop apart for paint and powder and re-wiring this winter,and the zx12 r1 front wheel sheetmetal gullwing triple clamp for my 80 z1r,and.......... i have wayyyyy tooo many projects.well thats not really true i just don't have enough money :laugh: .
the tank thread and your thread has got me wanting to do a quick glass(at first )seat,side rails,and tailpiece all in one nice tidy package.like zed1015's z1r.


keep up the good work,you are very inspiring.

leon

I added some new chemicals to the stable

On the top is Styrene Monomer, which is a thinner for polyester resins. On the bottom is Duratec High Gloss additive. The Duratec is added to the tooling gelcoat at a 1:1 ratio and catalyzed at the same rate. It makes the tooling gelcoat harder, allowing it to be polished to a higher luster and retain it's polished surface for a longer period of time. I got these two chemicals becasue the addition of them will reduce the viscosity of the gelcoat for better sprayability as well as improve the mold finish and durability. I also picked up a $20 spray gun at Harbor Frieght. It has a 2mm tip, which is on the smaller size for gelcoat but we'll see if it works!

I found a small crack in the tail, on the bottom along the left side. I drilled two holes, one in the end of the crack and one in the middle to stop the propagation, and to give me something to fill in to lock it down for refinishing and moldmaking. I may end up having to put a piece of glass behind it, we'll see.

I filled these holes, and a few other small imperfections with spot putty. I'll be able to smooth them out tomorrow and start priming :woohoo:

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Thanks man. Unfortunately, they all exhibit one small flaw or another (or several). To be fair to myself, I've only made 4 total, and they are getting better. They are definately STRONGER than stock...like we all need bullet proof sidecovers, right? :laugh: This is all 200# of me standing on the carbon/kevlar sidecover on a tile floor:

It flexed a bit, but it took it. I was impressed :ohmy:

Remember, stay lubed for life...valvoline


We'll talk Ben, we'll talk. Cool custom candy traded for cool custom candy....

.

THAT would be funny as hell if my T-shirt said VASALINE: stay lubed for life :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I wish my shirt said that

porchev914 wrote:

Thanks man. Unfortunately, they all exhibit one small flaw or another (or several). To be fair to myself, I've only made 4 total, and they are getting better. They are definately STRONGER than stock...like we all need bullet proof sidecovers, right? :laugh: This is all 200# of me standing on the carbon/kevlar sidecover on a tile floor:

It flexed a bit, but it took it. I was impressed :ohmy:

Remember, stay lubed for life...valvoline


We'll talk Ben, we'll talk. Cool custom candy traded for cool custom candy....

It's a good thing for you that it took your weight. I would hate to have to explain that one to the ER nurse. I'll tell the story of how I fell into a lathe at 11:00pm some time.

BTW you asked a while back if anyone would be using this info for building something in the future. Count me in. I want to build this:
www.bateau.com/studyplans/TX18_study.htm?prod=TX18
or this:
www.bateau.com/studyplans/PH18_study.htm?prod=PH18

Keep up the good work.

Hey, that sounds like a reasonable project Josh! This Kz bodywork stuff is all a primer for a future project:

When funds allow, THATS what I wanna build. You know, when I have a spare 200K and a couple years :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

What a strange coincidence. My brother-in-law and I were just talking about airplanes last night. He is a big Lancair fan. I just found out recently that Mooney has laid off all their production people in Kerrville. There are just a few office employees left to try and sell the remaining new inventory. Really sad, but they are mega expensive for a single engine, prop plane. Lancair blows them out of the water on performance from what Tim tells me.

PS my wife wants to know whats up with the lower half picture of some guy standing on top of a part in his bathroom? I told her its just Adam testing his bulletproof Kawk covers.