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cutting holes in a Carbon Fiber hood for vents?


Guest ON3GO

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hey guys me and my dumb friend V8dats were talking.. i brought up how i want those 280ZX turbo hood vents on my Z but im getting a carbon fiber hood for my Z. how easy would it be for me to cut the holes in the hood to place the vents? and if i were to do this how would i make those vents hold in place?

if i cant do this then what kind of shop can? im guessing a good body shop can.

thanks

 

mike

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gonna get it from classicdatsun

i still havent heard if he finished with the carbon fiber ZG flares im gonna buy.. i hope all is well over there.

ok cool cool.. ill start looking for some turbo vents then.

 

mike

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first question?

CF hood for what year Z? I'm looking for one for my 280Z and my friend 240Z.

Please let me know if thats what kinda Z you've got the hood for.

 

2nd,

I believe that you can poxy them in with something called Fuzor or something like that. Its 2 tubes of a mixing compound that once it dires its not going ANYWHERE. Some will break before that stuff gives away. I'd use the method as instructed above, then I would fit the vents in a use the proxy to hold them in. Should go for a clean job.

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ON3GO,..the first hurdle re;grafting in that Nissan NACA style duct is that it is molded in a very ridgid carbon plastic material and will want to dominate the space it takes up next to a larger plane. :( What I mean is before you cut ,besure to locate the natural exsisting curve of the form so the hood material won't have lots of give ,flex or wave.

I'm assuming that your clearcoating the C/F as to enjoy the weave 3D appearance ? 8)

If your going to color the hood ,youll still want to find the sweet spot to locate so you don't use too much heavy filler tring to make the mod fit !

Thats why I usually make independant molds of each componant AFTER a parent desighn study is finished and dedicated for the look your after,not later on completed part. :cry:

.........I've done alot of this type of FAB so ask away ! :wink:

..............Vince

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yes ill be keeping it in raw carbon fiber look.. nice clear coat.

how would i keep it from flexing when i cut the holes? i know one vent is larger then the other...

what would be a good way to seal the vent on the hood also you think?

thanks man

 

mike

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I'd suggest using a roto zip style cutter, since it would be less likely to leave a rough edge on the carbon fiber after cutting. Lay some masking tape over the area and mark the lines you want to cut on the tape. The tape will protect the rest of your hood from scratches as you drag the roto zip over it, and to some degree will help prevent the carbon fiber from fraying as you cut. Sand the edges of the hole with some 300 grit sandpaper, and then seal the edges with some CA (Super Glue) Sealing the edges will prevent it from delaminating later on. Hope this helps a little,

 

 

 

 

Mike

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Retro fitting the part is very possibly going to leave you with a certain amount of Tension around the area cut out (your warned ) :roll: But if you must,proceed by locating the Field or Area that best suits the Arch of the duct,mark with strips of 3/4 " mask tape So you can write on tape your cut line.

Remember; :shock: your going to need to Make a jamb recess first that the duct will later rest in,and make the part removable and look professional while adding rigidity as well.the jamb will be molded directly off the backside of your duct.a beginners way,is to take thin plastic sheeting( Bag like thickness)and lay over the backside of the part,then mix your batch of glass in strips around the edges of where the mounting points would be,you can use a right angle hand grinder later with a 50 grit disc to clean up the edges later.essentially the area your creating will resemble an "L" or a small shelf for the parent part.

Are you still with me ?

:roll: ................Vince

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Well perhaps I should have started by saying;Like all things,there's a steep learning curve,and a lot of on the spot creativity working in this kinda' fab.

But,these "Labor of Love " kinda' projects are what make all of our cars unique and easy to APPRECIATE ! (as the youth of our nation say;WORD !) :roll:

I know,I know...don't you hate it when older guys attemt slang ! 8)

If you can be patient for just a bit longer,I've got several hood designs in the works and the main molds are done !I just havn't had time to photograph and catalogue them yet !I've inventoried 50 yards of C/F and 200 yards of glass,and about a thousand dollars in Epoxy resins to prepare for a lot of hand lay-up.

My intension was not to JACK this thread on sales of my hoods !

So if you still want to cut we can proceed ! :-D

..............Vince

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In that case Cool ! Ive even got one that incorparates the early 80's Trans-Am fender side vents grafted onto a early Z hood,very tough :twisted:

looking !

But on your" Wants" for a turbo nissan duct, I was on that 8 months ago,thats one good reason I'm so familliar with the Arch concern.

And yes it does look COOL ! 8)

Bare with me and I'll work up some photo's as soon as I can. I have to travel to Sacramento and Stockton on the 23rd and then to N,Carolina.

Let me know guys if there's any additional interest !

:?: ...........................Vince

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Hey Vince,

 

glad to see your working on some more cool stuff, im very interested in a carbon fiber hood, but want it to be exactly like the hood i have on my turbo car (dont know if you remember it or not) lemme know if you want to see some pictures of the vent setup i have on my car. the great thing is, is that it looks like stock from a lot of different angles because it fits flush in the hood, but as soon as you get up on it its "like woh"

 

haha...umm....yeah.

 

anywho, ive been working on some carbon stuff for my car as well, it sure is a steep learning curve, many a mold has been trashed along with the fiber and resin. P.S. do you have any really cheap sources of vacuum bagging setups?

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