Postby DjPantsSpecR » Sat Dec 19, 2009 6:28 am
I just sold one of these two days ago, and hopefully one more in a day or two here. This is very exciting for me.
The price of these parts are a lot higher than what you expect to buy from competitors. We make a carbon fiber hood for a 1969 Pontiac Trans Am. It costs 4000 dollars. That sounds like a lot, but it has lots of things you've never ever seen on a CFRP hood. This isn't a pontiac site, or i'd go into it, but if anyone is interested in hearing (or seeing pictures) why and how this hood actually sells for 4k lemme know.
But your typical $500 dollar carbon fiber hood is:
Fiberglass.
Then they put one layer of 3k carbon fiber on (an overlay, never part of their resin infusion process). And then they claim they have "true rolled edges." We make parts with resin infusion, it is VERY difficult to get all the air bubbles and imperfections out even under ideal circumstances. Crosses in the weave naturally want to create air bubbles at these junctions. We go back in and fix these problems. Thats why it takes MANY more hours to produce a quality part.
Finally they slather the top with cheap polyester resin again and sand it with the DA. This is one of the reasons why these cheap hoods are so wavy. Ever seen a carbon fiber piece that was so flat your could paint it? Ours are, because they already have been. Like i said our painter is astonished.
When i say "they" i mean some company in china or Korea, because the big carbon companies arent making this stuff here. Its not made by people who have necessarily even seen the vehicle that it goes on.
So yeah, you could get a hood for this price. But it contains about 50 dollars in carbon fiber. The entire hood is fiberglass, the underside is CLEARLY fiberglass, the skeleton is always fiberglass, and then it has a metal latch. Our $4000 dollar hood contains nearly $1000 dollars in just carbon fiber. It is truly made entirely of carbon fiber. We built this one for the boss, so it's built like a brick s*** house. It only drops 30lbs from the car, but it supports his weight (160lbs) without buckling, even on one foot... Thats unique to say the least. Future hoods will not be built this way necessarily. I'm currently working on a 15lb one. That would drop nearly 45lbs.
So with that said, this stuff isnt for everyone. Custom stuff is always nicer and consequently more expensive. We're not making any money right now, just trying to figure out how to keep our heads above water. But i will take any inquires for custom stuff, and i've already been talking to Greg here about a little something somethin for his vert....
Modified by DjPantsSpecR at 8:33 AM 12/19/2009