How to Make a Carbon Fiber Car Bonnet/Hood - Part 3/3 : Trimming & Assembly

Incredible series of advanced composites video tutorials showing exactly how to make a professional carbon fibre (fiber) car bonnet/hood. In Part 3 of the series we trim the inner and outer carbon fibre skins using Perma-Grit tungsten carbide tools and finish them with sanding blocks and abrasive paper. We glue bonding fasteners in place for the hinge and latch mechanisms using ET500 epoxy adhesive before bonding the upper skin and the lower skin together using PT326 polyurethane adhesive to make the finished carbon fibre hood, ready to be fitted to a car.
To see full details of this project, or purchasing any of the products used in the video please visit www.easycomposites.co.uk/

[@a0cdhd]

As a writer of technical manuals and probably one of the few remaining on the planet, I am relieved to see that there are still some companies in the market that are prepared to take the time and trouble to craft excellent "How To" tutorials for those with the need to know about such matters.

[@easycompositestv]

In this series we're showing how a *real* carbon fibre part would be made. This is epoxy infused 100% carbon fibre. Sadly, most of what you'll find on the market (and get sold as 'carbon fibre') is mainly fibreglass, often using polyester resin and (horror) chopped strand mat with a single layer of carbon on the surface. The steel original weighed 18kgs, the so-called carbon ones you can buy weigh about 10kg. Our part? - 3.25kg. To the people this is aimed that, that matters a lot.

[@stevesmith8588]

Your videos are the absolute best. The highest quality content.

[@joonesvlog7281]

Well done and easy to understand, very interesting... Need to know more🙏🏻

[@jrarrington3385]

Can a similar process be applied for forged carbon to make a hood?

[@drewdoestrucks]

I used to make hand laid fingerless body panels you could stand on that weighed less than “carbon fiber” body panels from NOPI and similar. They weren’t as exciting to look at, though.

[@easycompositestv]

We have had customers making large body panels straight off and achieve good results despite no previous composites experience.

[@mannewmohandas5537]

Do we get these products in India.

[@96dukeboy]

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why carbon fiber body panels are so expensive.

[@alabaska182]

Lol, that is so wrong, you really think fiberglass is stronger than carbon fiber with the same weight? ROFL! Carbon fiber is stronger, lighter and more rigid.. The only reason you would ever use fiberglass over carbon fiber is if you need more flex in the application or if the application cannot have conductive properties in it (ignoring cost...).

[@joer8854]

Actually there was some research done for making sailboats and they found that (Keeping in mind it's for a boat hull so impact forces won't be the same,) a combination of fibreglass and carbon fibre has better impact resistance.

[@alabaska182]

Yes, there are of course more acceptions when choosing between the two, but I was just giving a broad reasoning for the application.

[@joer8854]

Just thought I would mention it because it's interesting and might be useful for some people.

[@dylanmoore7466]

Ryan Dukes i honestly had no clue this much went into it. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW

[@FunkyMunky1137]

To those watching that may have missed the comment on the first video, Easy Composites Ltd provided an excellent breakdown of the costs associated with a project like this (I won't be able to answer any questions regarding the following information I'm just copying and pasting it): The exact amount of materials you’ll need will vary depending on the size of your hood so I’ll base this on a bonnet of standard dimensions, you can then scale the quantities up or down depending on whether you hood is larger or smaller than an average 1.5m x 1.2m bonnet. Also, some of the steps (like the gelcoating) are optional and other steps (like the bonding of fasteners) will depend on what you need to bond so I’ve broken these down separately at the end. *Complete List of Materials for Making a Carbon Fibre Bonnet Measuring 1.5m x 1.2m* Mould Making Materials: The outer mould and inner mould will be approximately 1.9m x 1.5m in size. This is about 3sqm per mould. Quantity Product Unit £ Line £ 10kgs Uni-Mould Tooling Gelcoat 52.50 105.00 10kgs Uni-Mould Coupling Coat 46.60 93.20 50kgs Uni-Mould Tooling Resin 114.00 228 15m 80g Chopped Strand Mat 1.70 25.5 14kgs 450g Chopped Strand Mat 2.19 69.66 1 Laminating Roller - 75mm 5.20 5.20 5 3” Laminating Brush 2.00 10.00 100 Nitrile Gloves 4.99 4.99 100g Number 8 Release Wax 6.50 6.50 500ml Easy-Lease Chemical Release 16.50 16.50 330g Yellow Fileting Wax 6.17 6.17 1 roll 50mm Release Breaker Tape 6.95 6.95 TOTAL 577.67 Equipment & Consumables Quantity Product Unit £ Line £ 1 Resin Infusion Starter Kit, 357.00 357.00 With Pump, 5kgs Resin TOTAL 357.00 Materials for the Bonnet Itself For a bonnet measuring 1.5m x 1.2m you would want a surface plies measuring 2m x 1.5m. Based on a an outer skin of 200g carbon, 2mm Soric, 200g carbon this means you'd need 4m of 1.5m wide carbon fibre and 3m of Soric for the outer skin. For the inner skin 2m of 1.5m wide 200g Quantity Product Unit £ Line £ 6m 1.5m Wide 2/2 200g Carbon Fibre 35.00 210.00 200g Carbon Fibre 3m 650g 2/2 Twill Carbon Fibre 25.00 75.00 3m Lantor Soric 2mm 8.14 24.42 1 PT326 Adhesive 400ml Tube 48.41 48.41 TOTAL 357.83 This gives a grand total of £1292.50 (ex VAT) for all of the essential materials and equipment to make the carbon fibre bonnet/hood. Remember than most of the equipment can be re-used forever and that the moulds (the most expensive part) can be used to make hundreds of parts if you wanted to. Optional Equipment & Materials If you want to spray the outer skin with a UV protective gelcoat directly into the mould before infusing then you would need a cup-gun and gelcoat but I would not recommend you do this because it’s an added step of complexity. Instead, I would suggest you infuse straight into the mould and then, if the parts comes out right and you want a UV protective coat, that you just lacquer it afterwards. Quantity Product Unit £ Line £ 1 Gelcoat Spraying Cup Gun 130.50 130.50 2kgs GC50 Polyester Gelcoat 11.75 23.50 TOTAL 154.00 If you don’t have abrasive tools for trimming and finishing the parts then consider: Quantity Product Unit £ Line £ 1 Perma-Grit Sanding Block Small 13.96 13.96 1 Perma-Grit Bosch Jigsaw Blade 3.54 3.54 1 Mirka Combination Pack 19.95 19.95 1 Perma-Grit 32mm Rotary Disc 8.33 8.33 Likewise, if you don’t have a dispenser gun for the adhesive or you need the smaller adhesives to bond fasteners in they are listed here: Quantity Product Unit £ Line £ 1 400ml Adhesive Dispenser Gun 52.50 52.50 1 50ml Adhesive Dispenser Gun 19.95 19.95 1 ET515 Epoxy Adhesive 10.17 10.17 It’s worth remembering that in composites, the most expensive bit (apart from the equipment) is the moulds. In the above list you’re buying a lot of equipment for the first time which you’ll be able to use over and over and you’re also making a mould which, if you wanted to, you could also use over and over. If you only use it to make one part then it pushes the cost of that part right up but having a mould does give you options for making other parts and selling them, or making multiple copies for yourself (rally car use for example!).

[@keithnoneya]

Hey FM I thought your breakdown was amazingly good and I appreciate it. I would amend the Bonnet list though as it didn't include the resin and release agents, that's assuming you have all the tools and the mold is already made. You had the best answer to "How much does it cost". I think the cost actually could be zero if you made several and sold them. Then you would have all the molds and tools to make as many as you would want. Me if I did this I would make one for my 1969 Pontiac GTO. I think it would look absolutely stunning on my Black GTO. Thanks for taking the time to do the research for everyone, as I'm sure you spent some time doing it. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@Don_Melon]

thx for saving me time and money

[@Albert87nl]

Thanks for a detailes list and expected costs.. still intenede to go thru with my plans however. seeing the companys that does it to. just dont deliver to my expectations xD! or in carbon at all lol

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Not to bad actually. If you have something other then a honda or bmw, carbon parts can be hard to come by. If you find a couple of other people interested in the same specific part on your favorite forum or whatever you can just make 3, have the others pay for all the materials and yourself doing the manufacture. In the end you have the part for free as well as a free mould and the others have their unavailable parts pretty much at costprice. Everybody happy and a good deal.

[@Don_Dries]

u forgot to add the essential bricks he used at the end, JK thanks a lot for ur time!!

[@BeanieDraws]

Why did I watch a 3 part series for making a carbon fiber bonnet when I KNOW i'm never going to make one? I guess I just appreciate watching other people laying down carbon fiber for some reason.

[@easycompositestv]

It is possible to laminate the hood fastener into the bonnet. You have to consider a number of things, like thickness of laminate, void space between upper and lower skins, access to finish it off, alignment etc. You can always add extra reinforcement if you are worried about strength in that area.

[@koihoshi]

Me: "Oh man i would love to make my own, they are so expensive." *watch all 3 videos* Me: "You know what, I'll just pay someone to do that and now I understand why they're so expensive."

[@totam2115]

You spend a lot of time and money for this project, but not surely we are success hehe.

[@xzistpo]

hahaha exactly my thoughts !!!

[@clancyadams9074]

i think doing your own carbon one off would make a ride that much better.

[@Gendo3s2k]

Yeah, but all of the molding, you'll only do once

[@pieter-dirkbrendeke8528]

@@Gendo3s2k Well actually if it works out well, u can make more and sell them i guess

[@rohanraut92]

Put it back on to the car. want to see that

[@yippeethreeeight]

No kidding!

[@4486igi]

Pretty shure doesnt fit after that unsupported mold twisted by bricks.

[@northsilkscreen8682]

@@4486igi are u sure? that cf does bending but it will stay with the shape. that's why cf is better than pu or fiberglass.

[@user-km5mu7mg6x]

İn this video I can afford just bricks

[@carlosmaldonado8600]

Lol!!! Me too!!!😂😂👏👏👏 you make me the day.. May be in the afterlife

[@Car.los.Moreira]

Me too. Those are easy to steal.

[@davidcordes9283]

You can always use Burt Rutans method and use sand bags. They are DIY friendly since you can use old t-shirts and sow them and sand is everywhere.

[@MrJdsenior]

@@davidcordes9283 Don't remember using any sand bags to build the Long EZ. Are you talking about for stress testing?

[@contytub]

Oh... stealing them from the neighbour's fence ...

[@unrealeck]

I'm waiting for a full double-sided carbon bonnet for my car now and I was quoted 'at least 10-12 weeks' (obviously they're making others too). I can see why it takes a lot of work and expertise.

[@recoverygose]

This entire series was really incredible. I just recently got interested in how laying Carbon Fiber works and this video answered pretty much every question I could think of about how these sorts of carbon panels are made. The length of the videos just goes to show how detail oriented a project like this is. The more time you spend the better the result. Skip any steps or don't take your time and everything you've done has been wasted. Tons of skill and knowledge involved here, great job. The panel looks absolutely incredible.

[@tylerrodriguez9233]

Why do I have the feeling that it would take me 3 years to do this?

[@Marcel-Namsos]

I tought so to.. :)

[@albouraqtimber9441]

I HAVE MORE CHANCE IN LUNCHING A SPACE SHUTTLE THEN DOING THIS

[@Marcel-Namsos]

Saif Al-Janabee Hehehehehehe... :)

[@riksakerssi8894]

if you just had all those tools,chemicals and vacuum pump stuff it would be easy

[@bad4health]

Riksa Kerssi hold my beer....

[@trunker007]

Now I understand why carbon costs so much, a lot of work and detail goes into the making of these things👍

[@perjian1697]

Spectacular series. As a car enthusiast my hobbies have grown to include body work as well as several types of welding. I do believe this will be the next skill set i would like to gain experience in after watching several of the posted videos. Thank you for sharing! !

[@Chocolate9897]

All night I've been watching fiberglass videos, and this is the only video I've seen that does Lamination Proper. Thank you for putting my nerves at ease and doing good work.

[@DrFumesta]

LOL.. all that 21st century technology and then.... BRICKS

[@jonathanvandagriff7515]

BAHAHAHAHA

[@VenturiLife]

I was expecting lead weights myself.. but yeah bricks are cheap too...

[@spike3505]

Could you use sandbags (as long as your bags had a polythene lining so as not to leak sand) as they would follow the profile of the sub-frame to the main panel?

[@DrFumesta]

I think you could use just about anything heavy dude.

[@mlinecomposites1]

Scott Watrous Just so u know buddy that brick doesn't hurt the carbon at all, mostly because he used vacuum bag material to cover the carbon. That bagging material is very strong, it doesn't puncture easily. Yeah u could use anything but I believe the biggest reason for the bricks are so u could see if the part is actually pressing down to the part, and make sure it isn't moving. The reason for me saying this is because I have experience.

[@iraira7467]

Watched all 3 part videos. Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing your work and finished piece!

[@crave8687]

Great job. I've watch from part 1 straight to 3 and I must say after watching it I can see why carbon fiber is so expensive because it's a lot of time and effort and once done right, looks fantastic.

[@alexafa316]

I've recently looked up how carbon fiber is made and this is the best video and now I can do the same and make carbon fiber in mostly all heavy panels on my car

[@imperitortitan205]

I just love how high tech this is and then BRICKS

[@MM-dv8sw]

"and with the information we've given you in this tutorial, so can you." You sir are a master at your craft.

[@alexnicolaou3579]

Easy Composites 10 years ago: 'This is how you make a CF bonnet' Easy Composites now: 'this is how you 3Dprint a mould to make forged CF, also, here is what each CF weave/technique can withstand *strain gauge comes out*' and 'we have CAD and manufactured a CF mountain bike' love this channel and its progression throughout the years.

[@ZxRx7]

Buying a CF part might be expensive, but after seeing this video I understand that it takes a lot of knowledge and patience. There are many stages in the build that will screw up the whole process if not done perfectly (especially if done by a novice), leading to a very very expensive fail. Thanks for the video, it helped me understand that certain jobs are better left to the professionals.

[@sms9106]

One of the best instructional videos I have ever seen.

[@Factory400]

I would never have guessed the amount of labor and sacrificial materials needed. Huge amount of skills and labor on top of the premium materials needed for a good result.

[@jeffreymoffitt4070]

Three people in a garage could make 20+ a day that would cover anything you need for the rest of your life

[@MrDanielsahne]

@@jeffreymoffitt4070 never man

[@jeffreymoffitt4070]

@@MrDanielsahne one maintaining or remaking molds, one laying fiber, and the other pulling and trimming.

[@southjerseysound7340]

@@jeffreymoffitt4070 you are talking out of your ass, to make 20 per day you'd need 20 molds for starters.

[@jameswiththegermanshepherd6628]

This was the best tutorial that I have ever seen. I'm building a 2007 Crown Vic Police Interceptor and replacing the large hood and trunk lid would remove a considerable amount of weight.

[@sayan1667]

Actually, this is very easy thing to do, not hard at all. The only thing is that you have to be very patient precise during the whole process of the making. I will try this with smaller parts so i can get used to it and then i will begin with the bigger parts and maybe start designing parts by myself. Thank you for the 3 great video tutorials! :)

[@dale_ch]

WOW! brilliant series - very informative - thank you 😍👍

[@fredfaour411]

Amazing video! I found this information very fascinating to watch as a fan of carbon fiber car parts!

[@artbysteve215]

Excellent video, it cleared up a lot of questions I had concerning building a part using carbon fiber and vacuum bagging/resin infusion.

[@polygamous1]

Just brilliant even i am Never going to need to do this at my old age watching a master craftsman is always a pleasure with amazing results great job mate very well done who does not admire craftsmanship like this?

[@aldemir6127]

just absolutely fascinating skillful and professional work.

[@easycompositestv]

@Thomas Mulloy From memory, I think the original is around 18kg and this is around 3.5kgs.

[@ramairgto72]

I have to say this was an amazing set of videos, seeing a Pro do this is much like watching an artist. I have been wanting to do some carbon fiber projects for a while, I seen on another video when they just brushed on the Epoxy, doing this "Suck" method was ingenious! I also read the forum msg about making an entire car, hell of a first project!

[@easycompositestv]

Still far cheaper to do it this way than pay someone to make moulds and then produce a bonnet for you.

[@barryfields2964]

Easy Composites Ltd so what was the weight difference?

[@edgarbalderas3593]

About how much does it cost based on products ?

[@300ml_brasil]

@@barryfields2964 it seems their videos are only now trending.

[@grendelum]

what was the total material cost for this bonnet?

[@JKholmatov]

is this hood stronger than an aluminum hood which car producers make?

[@jayphilipwilliams]

Great series!

[@johnwilson4564]

Jay Williams Seems like a lot of work lol

[@imVexedBruh]

John Wilson with a great pay off

[@iangordon1683]

Thank you for such a clear and revealing tutorial - well done!

[@foch3]

I love the one handed hood pickup. This series is over the top.

[@AaronUnknownPerformance]

wow ive seen less work in open heart surgery videos!!

[@easycompositestv]

Sure, to make a high quality carbon fibre part there is a lot of work. It's this amount of work, plus the cost of the materials, that explains much of the cost of finished parts. Remember though, if you can go from 21kg to 3kg (the weight saving of this part) and you're racing your car then a saving of 18kg on a single panel can be very significant.

[@yamafanboy]

what would you sell this carbon fiber bonnet for if you had to go through this entire process without having a mold already on hand to make it?

[@erickrayos]

on this quality of work, it would be on the 2k USD mark.For my car, quality carbon fiber hoods cost over 2k, the cheap ones cost about 800-1200bucks but the fitment/quality of the structure is questionable.

[@andito9973]

@@erickrayos BMW sell a very very small carbon fiber parts for 2k usd, i dont think 2k usd is enough for this big panel

[@beloved_lover]

I just couldn't hold it after I saw the bricks, otherwise nice tools and work space, and suddenly bricks appear :D Nice work still! I hope I have propper space to make carbon fiber parts for my car(s) some day. Man gotta have hobbies!

[@leloodallasmultipass]

this is really incredible. thanks so much for putting this out there. i feel like i know so much about vacuum bagging that i am going to start bossing other people around on the subject.

[@rallyboy88]

the cleanest composite lamination video I've ever seen, very professional good job!

[@Rich77UK]

That was awesome. I do suspect you have made it look simpler than it is for a laymen though :)

[@silvesken]

Let's see what I need for this project: a hood to sacrifice + all the materials + tools + the guy in the video to do the job. Yeh, that's all.

[@silvesken]

Seriously, this is one of the best video tutorial I have ever seen. Even if I don't need a carbon fiber hood, it was worth watching. Well done!

[@aemravan]

i don't think you got the point of making the mould.. lol. you dont sacrifice the original hood.

[@MrJdsenior]

You don't have to sacrifice the hood. ;-)

[@TWX1138]

@@aemravan In many cases there are enough hoods available that it doesn't matter if a hood gets sacrificed. If you're concerned about your own hood, then find an auto wrecking yard with a hood and use that one.

[@aemravan]

@@TWX1138 a) a hood doesn't have to be sacrificed, that was my point. b) It wasn't my concern about sacrificing a hood or not. c) lets see you sacrifice an MKIV supra hood that you found a junkyard :)

[@spike3505]

A great set of video's that have de-mystified the manufacture of carbon fibre car body panels. Thank you very much Easy Composites Ltd. I'm keeping this short as my mind is racing with ideas as to just what I can do to both with the interior and exterior of my 350Z

[@Gtrjerry73]

thank you so much for making such an extensive video. i plan to try this whole process for some of the body panels for my car. thanks!!!

[@eat808]

Excellent series of videos, I never realized just how much work goes into making a carbon fiber bonnet! Can you tell me how many times (if at all) you can reuse the same mold? i.e. how many bonnets could you make from that one mold? Many Thanks again for a very educational series of videos

[@easycompositestv]

You can reuse the moulds dozens if not hundreds of times. You will find over time the surface gloss will dull and you may get scratches in the gel, but in most cases these can be polished out to return the part to its original gloss.

[@imafirinmalaser]

I wanna see the bonnet fitted to the car it was from :( haha this series was amazing. I am so down to do this one day (Y)

[@mi16t]

Live Wire fiat 500 lol

[@Strykenine]

I'm here in 2018 and loved every second of this tutorial. Thanks guys!

[@JesseWright68]

Brilliant! Thank you so much for posting this video.

[@thecorbies]

Hi Easy composites. I've understood the techniques you showed in this series for quite some time, but never have I heard or seen it explained so well. This series is a credit to you and your team. Having said that, I do have a couple of questions. Given that the original metal thickness would have been of the order of 0.8mm Question 1. With the thickness of the carbon fibre, the honeycomb layer (sorry, forgot the name), and the next, thin layer this will make the bonnet thickness 'appear' to be quite a bit thicker than the original. I would estimate possibly around 3mm. Not neccessarily a problem if you stop there, but now Question 2. Similar to the above, now for the build up of the underside skin, the layers will be coming out in excess of the original metal thickness. Again possibly around 2+mm Are you are not now bonding these two layers together and assuming or expecting them to match original the bonnet dimensions? I mean, if you were to measure the distance between the two skins of a given part of the original metal bonnet, it would not be the same as the same part on the plastic bonnet. Perhaps this is why you had to add bricks to the underside skin to achieve a suitable join line. Question 3. In view of this, how do you begin to attempt to 'control' each layer thickness so as to avoid this issue? Question 4. Given the strength/rigidity of the mould that you showed, is it not possible that the addition of x number of bricks could end up distorting the bonnet? I would sincerely be interested to hear your reply, and I would like to say that even though you posted this video series nearly 2 years ago, I'm asking the above questions because I see that you replied to another comment from approx' 2 weeks ago. Depending on the answers to the above, I would honestly consider this system for making car body panels. Regards Mark in the UK

[@TNTdesignBE]

the inner hood should be redesigned (re plasticine the edges so it lifts the inner hood with the extra thickness of the material) or the hood will sit 1 cm too high.

[@anetworkservice]

Well done! Very impressive. I'd really like to attempt a large hood duplication using the same techniques you have applied here. I just need to try and figure out how much material I would need. The problem is that this hood I want to replace is not just big, but it is very heavy. I need to pick up a couple of your kits and do at least one or two smaller projects to perfect my skills first. Thanks for you great video series! Mark

[@joolstaylor5038]

Wow, excellent, definitely doable but so much skill and precision required.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

Great video thank you. Actually interested in making carbon fibre micarta knife handles but this video series was still really interesting and helpful.

[@smeethchaudhari]

Now I realize why it is so expensive... Great job

[@dsofe4879]

I always wanted to buy a car, pull it completely apart and turn it into a Le Mans GTE-style race car, just as a weekend project over a few years. I never knew that you could actually make carbon fiber parts this easily, that's amazing. How long did it take for the entire part? A week?

[@easycompositestv]

nj4ck Hi Nick, yes, it was probably something like that. There's a bit of waiting between stages so it's certainly not a week of solid work; the part itself is only maybe 3 hrs start to finish, once you've got the moulds. Making the moulds is always more work than making the part but you only need to do it once :)

[@dsofe4879]

Easy Composites Ltd Thanks! By the way, do you plan on making more of these videos in the future? This is by far the most informative and well-made tutorial on making carbon fiber that I have seen so far.

[@rafaeldarezzo]

nj4ck I could'nt agree more with you!

[@evo9687]

+Easy Composites Ltd Awesome, be nice to see some more tutorials on other parts you make.

[@erickrayos]

starting from making the mold? to finished product? 3 days since you gotta wait for cure times and whatnot. First day you can get mold done and the next morning its ready. 2nd day you can get the actual part done wait til next day to fully cure then the 3rd day is cutting it to size and whatnot. And if you want a carbon fiber look lay a clear coat on top of it.

[@ahmetkipkip]

Learning something is always good, thanks to easycomposites for explain.

[@easycompositestv]

@csgtfaught Yes, definitely. If you know from the start that you're going to clear coat it then you would skip the stage where we use the clear gelcoat (in the second video) because this effectively does the same thing as the lacquer would. It's actually more common to make the part without a gelcoat and then clear coat it afterwards.

[@cro508]

So I watched all 3 tutorials and I'm now curious how much would a project like this cost including all chemicals and tapes used?

[@hfranke07]

+cro508 Just what I would know too... I know it is not cheap, but just a rough prize.

[@ACTIVEGAMER298]

+hfranke07 he said in another video, 1000£ (1300 usd or so) not including resin or carbon fiber so I would say around £2000 total

[@BandXTube]

Wow. Might as well just buy a carbon hood. Cheaper than making it yourself.

[@ACTIVEGAMER298]

BandXTube yup, but some cars don't have that

[@BandXTube]

ACTIVEGAMER298 True. I feel like if my Jeep Wrangler has carbon fiber parts just about every other car does though.

[@jb_yoh]

When you do the final trim and edge sanding it appears that you would be sanding right into the joint where the two panels are adhered together. Wouldn't that leave a pretty crappy looking edge? On commercially produced carbon fiber bonnets their edges appear to be rounded or have the carbon fiber wrapped from the top around the bottom piece. Is there another coating or something that further protects the piece?

[@easycompositestv]

Hi Scott, actually the edge still looks quite tidy because it is just solid carbon fibre. This can either be polished (just by compounding it) or you can choose to further seal the edge with the application of some resin onto the cut edge or finally you could choose to clear-coat the whole part which would do the job of sealing and glossing the edge at the same time. I would be very surprised if any commercially produced parts wrapped the carbon around an edge like this, no matter how you make a part you still have to have a cut edge somewhere!

[@samiamm5764]

Easy Composites Ltd I think he’s referring to the polypropylene joint between the top and bottom halves of the bonnet, which I think is 35mm inside the cut edge ure referring to. Either way I think ure right it’s gonna hold up fine and there’s no cause for concern

[@YSLDL]

Super clear series!!!

[@SS454LS6]

This is very encouraging as I have always wanted to make my own carbon fiber parts. Thanks for the vids!

[@aaditya20g]

Easy composites you say...

[@drewdoestrucks]

Always wondered if there’s any consideration for the shape of inner reinforcement being that the factory is steel which has very different characteristics than cf. does it even need the inner skin at all? Your other videos show cf quite durable on its own.

[@easycompositestv]

Depends on the use. For most production based cars, copying the panels in carbon is fine albeit not as super efficient as it could be, but still massively lighter. Certainly designing a carbon panel from scratch, you would do it differently and may not use an inner frame of that shape or at all. Especially if it is a structurally loaded panel.

[@mwatkins2464]

This is a great video that I had to go back and watch it again. I wish I could do this to build a dash for my 2001 dodge truck. The old one broke in 50 pieces like regular glass would do. Thanks again for this video 👍👍👍👍

[@macktack2851]

a pleasure to watch very well explained am getting ready to do MGA fenders

[@tannerbean3801]

Didn't show the bonnet on the car!

[@PeopleOfCasinos]

probably didn't fit

[@DSKiV]

:d :d :d

[@4theloveoflife]

It was made as a demonstration not promoting the hood.

[@johncuervo3019]

It did not line up

[@wanderingbufoon]

They’re still moulding the entire car

[@skyty0]

1:58 looks like a Stanley kubrick movie lol

[@vhundurraga]

The best!!!!!...the best!!!.....lo mejor que existe!!!...mil gracias.

[@ungc0]

Its been a long journey, but ive finished watching this. Such a great video, might try this out one day in the near future.

[@Onhaey]

I wonder if the cost in materials would equal that of an aftermarket carbon fiber body panel.

[@erickrayos]

starting up it would cost more than buying a quality finished product, thing is doing it like this gives you the mold at the end which you can make another piece which you can sell :P I do this on interior trims, haven't done a big part like a hood since I don't have the place to do so but for the interior trims I've made I got my money back off the materials and tools I used and more. it does take experience tho to get a perfect looking piece, this video he made it look easy but its not that easy. It is not that hard either, just experience.

[@rumreach3950]

nobody does a quality job like in this video, they use fiberglass inner layers.. This video shows actual 100% cf part (apart from gluing 2 parts with glue)

[@Broadpaw_Fox]

Rum Reach - there is no 'apart from here. Bonding parts together as was done in the series is exactly how all complex carbon fiber parts are made. From McClaren cars to Pagani's- they're all made from simpler panels bonded together. And if you're concerned about strength, don't be - these aren't your standard 'glues, but are designed for this purpose- the bonds are actually stronger than the base materials most of the time.

[@rumreach3950]

Apparently you never saw how the urethane glue looks in 10 years, it becomes very brittle and starts to fall apart. Not the case with epoxy, when the part becomes one solid epoxy/cf piece, so why not spend a little extra and do the right thing? Whats the point of doing all this work just to put glue in there and screw everything up.

[@Broadpaw_Fox]

Rum Reach - I'm confused now... From what I saw, they did use epoxy in these vids. He used a mixing nozzle, but he was using a 2 part epoxy to bond them together...

[@AudioTones67]

Thank you for a brilliant introduction to CF production. So here's a rookie question: I thought ALL carbon fibre production involved baking of the product to cure it. Were these bonnet parts just left overnight on the bench and they cured?

[@easycompositestv]

Anthony Bowe Most typical epoxies will cure fine at room temperature although a postcure at elevated temperature will produce stronger parts. Also a postcure can be useful for bonnets or hoods which may be exposed to high temperatures either in hot sun or from the engine. By postcuring the parts, the part will not soften the first time it is exposed to heat.

[@AudioTones67]

Easy Composites Ltd Thank you!

[@xBIGMUSCLEx]

Easy Composites Ltd What is postcuring?

[@CarbonGlassMan]

***** Postcuring is where you bake the carbon part at a higher temperature. If your part cures at room temp, taking it up to something like 150 degrees will make it soft and rubbery. If you postcure it at 150 degrees, it will stay stiff at that temp. The parts and molds I make I usually postcure at 200 degrees for 8 hours. The reason for that is I use prepreg carbon that is cured at 190 degrees.

[@xBIGMUSCLEx]

GunsNpolitics Ah ok thanks. So if I make a hood out of carbon fiber, I need to cure it at the temperature the inside of my engine bay would be while running?

[@thomasaston4196]

Excellent video. Thank you so much :)

[@MartijndeBontMusicForMedia]

Thanks for this video, nice to see how it's done!

[@nzpork1]

I got carbon splinters just watching this. Cool shit though.

[@rummy98]

As he finishes talking about safety precautions, he begins cutting, pulling a 35k RPM sawblade towards his other hand.

[@dh66]

Ever use a dremel? they only skip out if you dont hold it steady, and when it does catch, it pops up and forward only a couple inches (5cm)...notabigdealyo

[@AdrianPurcell916]

But hes a pro obviously

[@ipsyop]

@@dh66 accidents always happen, especially with complacency, cutting towards yourself if never a good idea no matter how confident or experienced you are.

[@dh66]

@@ipsyop ever use a dremel?

[@ipsyop]

@@dh66 yeah, and I still cut away from myself its not hard and it prevents injury from an accident. Why are you so adamant on cutting towards yourself ? Lol

[@mykline1]

That was a good series for making those parts.

[@kdcustoms1272]

nice job, looks perfect.

[@FrozenHaxor]

I guess it would take me less time to go onto the Mars on foot and come back again than it would take me to accomplish this process, lol.

[@lipposs1]

Sand bags better then brick stones maybe?

[@user-qx7tm5df8j]

if you have some, yes of course

[@pablovalenzuela9089]

A real pro, amazing work mate!

[@GregBird]

Brilliant hood...cool project.

[@jonathanjuarezgarcia579]

Ohhhh Hi-Tech bricks... 7:00

[@lastsparks6447]

He should make carbon fiber bricks.

[@analiliafloresortega8520]

but carbor fiber bricks have no weight

[@kurtkaster5666]

I actually watched all 3 parts to see how you bonded the inside and outside together...and you just used bricks.

[@ZxRx7]

Yeah, he should have asked models to sunbath on the thing! or even better, weigh it down with double Ds (No time-lapse for that though).LOL! :-)

[@freethinkingamerican80]

Fantastic job! Would love to try this one day. You make it look so easy lol

[@easycompositestv]

@Shane Shuford Moulds are always made of composite material for stiffness, accuracy and polish ability. In high volume production, for some processes, aluminium tools are sometimes used too.

[@JerseyMikeP]

Why even bother cutting out the center section of the inner part? It would be easier to glue together/Look better (IMHO) and be stronger ...without much added weight.

[@easycompositestv]

It's personal choice. We were looking for a close copy of the original so cut the centers out. Even without them, this bonnet is plenty stiff enough even for road use.

[@JerseyMikeP]

Thanks for the reply, I'm just worried...If I build one....it won't hold up to the Underhood temps without a Post oven curing?

[@mybeatmhz]

Now I know why is so expenssive :p

[@randalljames1]

I built some wings for a UAV.. The process is actually kind of fun.. Might want to note that radio waves and CF are not exactly the best of friends (enter learn mode).. A proper mold is important when bonding so that the pieces do not flex while being bonded (weight holding pieces together can distort the mold).. Best video series yet of how to do this in clear and simple terms... great job!

[@MrSFSTUDIOS]

So cool! Great job!

[@rogerj412]

The way he pronounces adhesive really bothers me but I'm just a stupid American.

[@Energi2DmaxX]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@judworx]

What? Properly you mean..

[@ymehair]

Wow this process is amazing! It's so beautiful! Thanks for taking the time to do this. Now I understand why it's so expensive, well worth it. :)

[@darylmorse]

Great video. Really well done!

[@gregthomas7950]

Great series! Learned a lot.

[@lumazzoni]

Fantastic work

[@viking8795]

I like how he is telling about the safety without even wearing a gloves 😂

[@EduardoBach01]

Great work!

[@haro10100]

I like the induction of the resin via vac pump verses hand laid on high visual parts thanks for tutor.

[@JayRSausa]

I was planning to make my own DIY carbon fiber hood but after watching this, I might just need to buy 'cause the time and hustle is worth every penny.