It's been a while since I've posted here;

Below are some pictures from my first 645 project car:









Final Parts finished but not installed:













The original aluminium faceplate:


more installed pictures to come as he is dropping by in the next few days so we can take some good pictures

 

looks really good.
now, i have to ask how you achieved the glossy carbon look..

 

By wrapping using real carbon fiber cloth and multiple coats of resin and finally clear coating. I replicate the processes used to produce carbon fiber parts, just I use the stock pieces as the substrate to ensure they will fit properly when re-installed. Total thickness of the cloth, resin and clear coat is 1 - 1.2 mm (0.04") so thickness is not an issue,

Below are some pictures of the parts in process.











Parts clear coated, but not wet sanded or buffed yet:





.... that's how you get them to look OE quality...

 

do you charge people for this service or can you tell me where to buy the cloth and a step by step write up i really like it

 

That looks so much better than other "guyz, look at my CF interiorz!!" wraps and junk I see.

I wondered why your peices looked so good .. and lo and behold, it's because you're actually using real stuff and the real process, not just a textured film!

BTW, I had no idea that wrapping in real CF and clearing was so thin - I assumed thickness would have been a concern when putting the pieces back together. Good to know.

 

I can put together a write-up fairly easily. The process is not difficult; it's laying the cloth and knowing when you;re coming too close when sanding that's the trick.

The process is basically:

Sand down the part with an 80-120 grit paper. Use a chemical to remove any residual contaminants such as wax, polish (I use a silicone and wax remover) and then prime part.

I then size the cloth and tape the edges of the cloth to maintain it's shape and finally mix up the resin and lay down a coat on the part. This is the tricky part.... laying down the cloth is next.... Basically you need to lay the cloth without distorting the edges or pattern... it can be tricky around the corners and is particularly important on the flat sections as they are the most visible.... Once I've laid the cloth, I ensure its completely embedded in the resin and finally use a heat gun to remove any excess bubbles.

Let cure and repeat resin until resin covers cloth; usually 3-4 coats. I sand in between each coat of resin to level the part and remove any bubbles that may not have cleared from the resin. The final part should be completely smooth before moving to clear coat.

Finally, sand to 800 grit and clear coat. I use a spray gun to apply; I find the retail clear coats don't cover particularly well and remain soft for quite a while which affects how long before you can begin wet sanding (all previous sanding was dry sanding) from 1000, 1500 to 2000 before buffing to a polish...

The process goes something like this:













The biggest challenge as I mentioned, is getting the cloth down perfectly flat and working it so it adheres properly. Make sure you don't over sand the resin or clear coats as you can easily cut the cloth which renders the part useless....

Only the real thing... Tried the vinyl carbon before deciding to use the real cloth and hated it.... so I decided to try real carbon fiber and the difference is immense; no comparison!. I bevel the edges when I come to switches and other similar devices to ensure the edges have a smooth texture when clear coated and eliminate offsetting edges.....

 

great work!

 

Great Job!!! Thanks for the tips/pics on how the process works too!

 

Awesome job! The parts look like OEM!

- Antti -

 

looks good =)