Carbon Fiber Headliner

[ohsnapzitzmeng]

ok so im thinking of doing a carbon fiber headliner and i wanting to add clear coat to my carbon fiber cloth, i was wondering if any clear coat would do or is there a specific kind you need for that hard smooth coat finish

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140383585087&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

 

[ohsnapzitzmeng]

bump

 

[cobb2819]

i'm confused. you're doing a carbon fiber LOOK cloth, or you're actually making a hard carbon fiber headliner??

 

[lethal6]

I can't even imagine how much something like this is going to cost. Considering that 6th gen door panels are in the range of $800 a piece, this is going to be expensive.

I believe the process of doing fiberglass panels is similar to doing Carbon Fiber. I would do some google searching to find out what you need to do. I know it isn't easy and is messy plus very time consuming.

 

[ohsnapzitzmeng]

no its real carbon fiber cloth its just without the clear coat on it, ebay sells the cloth, not vinyl, not plastic, but cloth

 

[vjf915]

Did you really find the need to bump your thread after 7 minutes? Why dont you post a link to what you are referring to, then some members will probably be able to help you out more.

 

[lowlife9]

if you lay that down and use clear coat getting it back in the car without cracking it is going to be next to impossible. and no that's not real carbon fiber its simulated cloth just glue to the headliner like anyother fabric it looks like it already has a sheen to it.

 

[lethal6]

no its real carbon fiber cloth its just without the clear coat on it, ebay sells the cloth, not vinyl, not plastic, but cloth

I know what carbon fiber cloth is, but I guess I don't really know what YOU are talking about. If you are doing "REAL" carbon fiber there is a LOT more to it than just cloth. You need a mold of some sort, the cloth, LOTS of resin, a TON of time, a s**t load of sanding, and then something to clear it with.

A LOT more than just buying cloth on ebay.

I think we are talking about different things here. If it is real carbon fiber and is done the right way, it would cost well over $1k for something as big as a headliner. Just a guess price based on what I have seen. You have to figure how much hoods cost and then go bigger size.

 

[lethal6]

Just read lowlife's post. He is right about getting it in the car. Doing something like a full headliner as "real" carbon fiber would be almost, if not fully, impossible to get back in the car as one piece when you are done with it. Carbon fiber is extremely strong and when done right doesn't bend.

Now you can get faux carbon fiber from a company like dragonplate.com that is more of a laminate type material. It looks EXACTLY like carbon fiber, is cheaper, and is easier to work with. It is a very thin sheet of carbon cloth laid over a laminate material of some sort usually.

That "SMOOTH COAT FINISH" is not what you think it is. It isn't achieved like when you paint a car. I would suggest you google how to make carbon fiber panels. There is a LOT more to it than cloth and just a clear coat.

 

[dufflbagitagain]

no clear coat

If your talking about clear coat on carbon materials its not generaly clear coat on them but its the resin. I have been working in composites for a little while now actually got layed off from hawker beechcraft *lookem up* in wichita ks unfortunate for us machinists layoffs are terrible. Back on topic carbon materials dont use clear coats and hoods and trunks w/e else carbon you may put on your car please dont clear coat unless repainting. The resin is what that nice shine you see with a nice conformed fiber lay under. Hoods doors etc etc are used with pre-preg materials, materials that have resin already injected or coated on the material and then are layed up to the tool or hood and then vacuumed bagged cured and removed-whoola new part. Google pre-preg layup watch youtube clip. If you want that nice shiny film i suggest you take some schooling or gain some experience have a rather decent autoclave or large oven/ dont suggest the one in your kitchen.

 

[dufflbagitagain]

also

if your getting carbon fiber cloth then clear coat wont stiffen the cloth enough you will need a liquid resin system release agents an roof same year as your car mold the fiber cloth and cure it to that then release it then use an industrial adhesive to get it back to your roof. may have to remove the rear seats or somthing to get it into the ride.