88TSI_Rob Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Here is a pic of my center console. I needed a way to cleanly house my gauge display and a couple of other things so I built this out of a sheet of CF. http://snipurl.com/4xfe I purchased the 11" x 8" x 0.032" sheet of CF from www.robotmarketplace.com. I was extremely impressed with the piece I got from them. It was shipped in a plain 8"x11" envelope via the USPS, but it arrived completely undamaged and unscratched. One side is a hard, clear epoxy and the other appears to have a very fine black screen (like a silk screen) glued to the CF strands. The clear side looks great, if you've never seen real CF the light bounces off the strands giving it a hologram effect. I used a pencil and ruler to mark out the cuts. I then clamped the metal ruler to the piece and cut the CF using a thin cutting wheel and Dremel tool. CF makes a really nasty mess when cut this way. Imagine taking the lead/graphite out of a pencil and grinding it into a really, really fine powder. Make sure you use eye protection and a mask over your nose and mouth. The CF cuts extremely clean with really sharp edges. Total cost was about $20 and it makes the console look 10X better. The components are: - JVC single DIN, in-dash, 3 disc CD changer and AM/FM radio - Defi Link Display and Defi Link computer/recorder - The toggle switch disables/enables the antenna when the radio is on. - The Green LED flashes trouble codes - The red lamp lights up if there is no knock above 4K RPM, it's essentially a knock indicator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXCONQUESTSIXx Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 i cant see the pic. it has a red X. i would really like to see how it came out! Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Picture works for me ??? Looks damn good for the money spent...THANKS for the link, time to get busy! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 http://www.robotmarketplace.com/images/store_cf_colors.jpg I love that site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXCONQUESTSIXx Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 hmmm..... could some1 send the pic to my e-mail? kx250cc43@wmconnect.com thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hmmmn, now the pic doesn't work ??? It's probably a problem with his host..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heefner Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 I was thinking about this. It looks really nice. Any idea if it would be possible to get a thin enough piece to bend so that it would fit that bottom curve on the console? Can you heat cf and form it like you can plexi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artinist Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 heefner, you that stuff is not bendable. its like glass when it comes to flexability. common shapes are very very easy to make though. its just like fiberglass. lay the fiber cloth and apply resin. it wont be like a professionally done hood but some a gauge panel, its doable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heefner Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 how is the resin applied? If I got ahold of that console piece, and ordered some fabric and resin would it be doable for a retard like myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artinist Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 you can either dip the fabric in the resin or apply with a brush. you can practice on some misc. parts to get a handle on how to do it better. you can also practice with fiberglass fabric since its the same thing prettymuch, only cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_87tsi Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 I have played with cf and i dont think you can get that kind of finish without a vacuum molding process. i did a similar install replacing the console and area around the shifter with cf although i couldnt find enough width so mine is two pieces glued together (simple using epoxy and a 1 inch strip of cf on the underside. I will post pictures when i finish the radio install. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_87tsi Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 that website is gone... finding reasonable first quality cf sheets is a challenge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 that website is gone... finding reasonable first quality cf sheets is a challenge Dammit! > Stupid fly by night companies...Hopefully they're just moving the site :-/ That SUCKS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offalot Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 If it is just looks you are going for , like for interior pieces, try the CF look vinyl http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2465583139 you just heat it up with a hair dryer and fit it around what you need, ive seen some stuff turn out pretty nice. I wouldnt consider this "rice" as what weight would you be saving by making a cf console cover? like an ounce? and you know the kind of impact those things take : But on the same note if I were to see someone with their hood covered with a huge vinyl sticker they would need to get slapped around a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk84quest Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 would http://www.robotmarketplace.com/store_carb...ber_struct.html that not work for the bend at the bottom of console, just buy some and trim it to the size you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolyrgr Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Isn't that bend a part of the lower piece anyway? The one that surrounds the shifter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Sweet, the site is back..... I'm gonna order some stuff in case they get restless again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88TSI_Rob Posted March 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 Isn't that bend a part of the lower piece anyway? The one that surrounds the shifter? Yes it is. The vinyl CF maybe the way to go if you have a small, curvy section that you want to cover, but side by side the vinyl looks like crap next to the real thing. Plus, you have to worry about it fading or peeling. For flat sections like the center console I would recommend the real stuff. I've got a bunch of scrap pieces (3 @ 1.5"x6-7") left over and I'm trying to think of what to do with them. I'm thinking maybe a small mitsu star mounted to the dash...but I'm not sure yet. I need to sit in my car for awhile and brainstorm. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 A Mitsu star would be VERY cool!! Maybe you could do the plate that holds the dimmer switch and the wiper cancel switch thingy... ??? I'm gonna get a couple sheets and do some stuff.. Hopefully, I can eliminate the stock switches, and run some toggle's, mounted to the CF....MMmmmmnn, maybe the piece that goes around the door lock switch and handle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89onaquest Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 As far as buying raw material the best prices I have seen are... www.aircraftspruce.com www.uscomposites.com Also, an almost easier way to apply the resin is with a spray bottle. You of course thin the mix 50% with styrene. Basically just a thinner to allow it to be sprayed effectively. otherwise, use a eye dropper type tool, so you can really control the amount of resin introduced. Yet another way if you are simply interested in wrapping with C/F... Buy a cheapo rolling pin. Soak the C/F in the resin bath, then roll out the excess with the rolling pin. Go pretty heavy on the rolling you want to get the vast majority out (or so I have been instructed to inform)... Actually yes, the preformed "sheets" CAN be shaped by gentle and constant heat from a hair drier/Paint gun. Apply heat evenly and sparingly as possible over the radius of the bend you want. The heat will temporaily break down the resin, and the piece willl deform. Again, this is what I have been instructed to say on this matter. Having done this in the Navy for 2X (twenty something) years, and past encounters with a former member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88TSI_Rob Posted March 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 Just a little update: http://snipurl.com/5cr5 http://snipurl.com/5cr6 http://snipurl.com/5cr7 I used the scrap pieces I had to fill in the storage area and cut a couple more pieces for the dash. This pretty much used up the entire sheet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidkik Posted March 27, 2004 Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 Wow!.. those look really good! How long did it take you? Any tips or tricks that you've found useful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted March 28, 2004 Report Share Posted March 28, 2004 That looks good too Rob! I bet those were a breeze ;D.... I was thinking of CF visors also...Might look OK....I gotta wait until I can get a sheet in front of me to really tell tho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88TSI_Rob Posted March 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2004 Wow!.. those look really good! How long did it take you? Any tips or tricks that you've found useful? The big piece took about 2 hours and the 3 later pieces took about 1 1/2 hours. The best tips I have are: use a filter over your mouth & nose(the dust is nasty!), measure everything 3 times, and cut big so you can trim it down. If you've got a dremel tool with a cutting wheel and fairly steady hands it's pretty easy to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88TSI_Rob Posted March 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2004 That looks good too Rob! I bet those were a breeze ;D.... I was thinking of CF visors also...Might look OK....I gotta wait until I can get a sheet in front of me to really tell tho... Visors! If you make those I wanna see pics! BTW, thanks for your tips. I've got a 1"x2" piece left. Would you like me to mail it to you as a sample? PM me your address and I'll drop it in the mail on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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