What I have been up to.
 

Not something I have highly publicized yet, but last month I quit my IT job. Someone has to stay home to raise my son because I am not putting a 3 month old child in daycare.

Also I'm a daddy now, so there's that. :help:



I'v posted teasers, but finally I am getting down to business making parts as I've threatens to for years. If you're a member of the RD Sharks group on FB you may have already seen this, but it's time to share with the HA family.



The story goes: I was stuck in rush hour traffic last week in 95+ weather and my Tib started to overheat. It never actally boiled over, but something struck me. I am adding a smaller radiator and adding heat. I'll need something to help alleviate that. So I am making a vented hood:



Attachment 2311

(photoshop mock-up, results may vary)



On Sunday I removed the hood and prepped it:

Attachment 2312



The plastic flange was added:

Attachment 2313



Several hours of polishing and prepping and finally as of tonight the Gelgoat is on:

Attachment 2314



By tonight the fiberglass backing will be applied and I can finally start on the bottom.







My goal is to have done by July 3rd, for Caffeine and Octane:

Carbon Fiber vented hood

Carbon Fiber hatch

Carbon Fiber front strut bar



Expect more cool things to come.

:thumbup: Nice! Cant wait to see the final product!

I'm also getting my hands on a friends GC. Were going to work on some raw carbon interior bits you might be interested in. ;)

So, about that vendor status?

Good luck, and congrats!

I vote for a carbon fiber front strut bar that is Air Ram friendly!

The first one is going to be the simple design shown in the vids I shared previous. Once this one is done and tested I can work on an airram friendly unit.



Thx! Hopefully this becomes something nice to pay the bills and allows me to stay home saving thousands on daycare.

Some people have already seen this but today was a great day! First of all the molds for the hood are taking shape:

Attachment 2316



I still have to sand and fix a few problem spots due to age and hail damage, but it's looking very good at the moment!

This weekend the plan is to make a fiberglass hood skin and start fabbing up the vents.



I also got a very nice deal on a pair of hatches! That's right RD1 and RD2.

Attachment 2317



Prototypes to be unveiled on July 3rd. I am trying to work out a deal with our local Caffeine and Octane show so I can set up a booth and showcase these along with the stuff I am working on for my MR2 and a small G35 interior project I am working on with a buddies car.

Had some issues with that first hood mold and had to scrap it. I as hoping to have the prototype done for a show this morning but that setback cost a week of work. :banghead2:



The second mold here has more reinforcement and some different techniques that will resolve the previous mold's issues:

Attachment 2332

I still have to fill in a few chips which are a normal part of the molding process, then I am going to add some thickness in the gelcoat by spraying a few fresh layers of gelcoat on the existing layers. The goal is to build up a few mil so that I can add several mil of clear and UV protectant on the final product without harming the fitment. A deep clear coat will give it a nice three-dimensional look that will really enhance the carbon effect.



So yes it is taking longer than anticipated, but I really want to release a quality product.





I have also started on the hatch:

Attachment 2333

This still needs sanding and filling before it's ready for testing. Sadly as it turns out the only way to make a good quality mold with OEM fitment both externally and of trim pieces, is going to mean the hatch has to be hacked up. So there is zero room for error. This is going to drag production time out, but once I am satisfied with the top mold I can take the grinder to this and prep the bottom.



It may be later this month before I am ready to sell, but I am hoping to do the package deal, both hatch and hood at a very enticing price. :thumbup:

Of course I'll sell either individually and the more people on board the better the price.



This is far from the end. The strut bar is coming soon (pending CNC build) along with a full CF RD2 dash overlay. It'll be much more cost effective to make a stick on overlay than it will be to manufacture a full dash, so keep on the look out for all of that as well.

Wait, you're making a carbon hatch? For an RD1?? To sell????? How did I miss this thread!?!?

Oh hey yeah Tibbi, by the way, you have to reinforce the sh*t out of a mold the size of a car's hood, in order for it to be usable to pull parts off of it when you're done. Think, at least a few dozen feet of 2x4 lumber braced across the back or plywood in several crisscrossed rows, if you don't go for a beefy metal framework instead. You've got to get it so rigid that there's zero flex, or it's trash.



You might look into using T-slotted aluminum as a bracing system for the backsides of your molds.



http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...minum&_sacat=0



It's a little expensive new, but not so bad at secondhand. You can custom-cut the pieces to length and with the right brackets you can make pretty much any size/form frame you want, and just lay up glass right around it, so it's integral to the mold you're making. Or maybe use wood inside the glass and just have a few t-slot pieces bolted on and poking out, and you can have metal reference points that are good for mounting or bolting to handling fixtures.



Coming from someone who has done some fiberglass work before: This is a huge undertaking and you get props for getting this far. Don't be discouraged at how much work this is, and don't be surprised at a large amount of error (and waste) during the trial-and-error phase. It's just part of it the deal. Once you get your molds done, just treat them with respect and you'll be soooo happy you took the time to get your molds right before you started trying to produce parts for sale.