[flash]

ok - since the supercharger project is dead, i am again thinking along the lines of reducing weight - time once again to revisit the world of carbon fiber



i am merely posing a question at this time, to gauge interest



the premise would be carbon fiber construction, primed (no carbon fiber look), oem mounting (same hinges, latches, etc), sheet metal fit and finish ( - paint grade, smooth, no pins or weird gaps, yada yada)



the items would be hood and cab boot lid - weight savings would be about 25lbs each

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[rhudeboye]

I cast my ballot but had to answer no to the first one as Im not serious about it. I am however interested.

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[Anchorman]

At the moment, I have to stay neutral. This is not an area in which I have a primary interest, so it would have to be kind of bargain-priced (which is something I don't expect) for me to consider swapping what are basically perfectly good units (my current hood and trunk lid) to save weight that I should really save by going on a personal diet. I understand the "everything but the squeal of the pig", but it's simply not that important to me.

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[flash]

pretty much what i expected too - no worries - just poking around to see what makes sense

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[saxman]

why not offer it in a exposed carbon state? Would reduce costs at the manufacture, and expand the market to those that like the exposed carbon look. Those that want to paint it would have to pay for it to be primed regardless, just a matter of if it's before or after the original purchase.

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[ds968]

no interest here. if it involves repainting, I'd have a minimum 100lbs weight savings in mind

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[flash]

i gave this one a lot of thought - i am very set on what i would do here if i decided to go forward - i am tired of spending my day working out parts, am not even sure i want to do this, and am just about ready to call my car "done" - i am only interested in pursuing it under one and only one premise - that is that it would be a direct replacement for OEM - no changes, additions, deletions, alterations, or options



one reason that i would not do the carbon fiber look is that there is a lot more finish work involved in getting a carbon look that isn't flawed - also frankly i just don't want to make one - this is one where i think it's wrong for the car, i'm going to be a bit of a jerk about it, don't particularly care what anybody else thinks about that, don't want to make it like that, but am more than happy to let somebody else do it if they want to



this is something i am really only considering for myself, and not all that seriously - nobody is forcing anybody to buy it - the cost is not the primary prohibitive factor for me - i can do it as a one off, and not really give it a second thought - it's really more about the time i would have to spend on it that is the problem - that being said, if i didn't knock out a few while i was at it, i would catch grief from others who wanted one - if and only if a few others wanted to go in on it when i did it, i would do a very limited run - then i would stop - this is not something i would ever do again, unless i broke one myself and didn't have a spare, and wasn't willing to merely put the sheet metal hood back on - not even sure i would keep the mold - pretty sure i would destroy it or sell it - i do not want to go into the carbon fiber parts business - i would also not build one for race cars - i'm not even going to do that for my own race car - i'm going fiberglass on that



so, the bottom line is, it's this way or not at all - i'm just too swamped to take on another line of continuing products - it's really starting to eat into the time i can spend on my real job - screwing around with this stuff probably cost me about $60k last year - it's about time to just drive it and get back to what i should be doing

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[Johannvb]

I don't think I need carbon fibre body parts...but I could do witha pretty airbox ;-)





No worries Flash....I know you are not going to make one! But wouldn't it be beautiful?

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[Cloud9...68]

Flash,



I would LOVE a carbon fiber hood, and your approach to it matches what I would want exactly. My problem is that raising a family on one income (even a senior engineer's income) pretty much precludes stuff like this for the time being. However, if you decide to delay working on this particular project for a while, there's a reasonable chance our family income will be significantly augmented about a year from now, so if you're still contemplating building a few in that timeframe, I'll be first in (what looks like a very short) line.



And I'm sure we all understand your exasperation with spending so much of your time, and your own money, working on amazing parts for this very cool car. You've more than earned a well-deserved break! Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

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[porsche]

I would also want an OEM fitment hood in "paint grade."



With one additional option: twin NACA Ducts!!!



My introduction to these compelling little air scoops came via Ferrari's F40. The F40 had/has lotsa NACA ducts and after all these years later, I still want one - oh real BAD!!!



So with my F40 infatuation filling my thoughts (night & day), I was delighted that Porsche also had an early 90's car with ducts, the 968 Turbo & Turbo S.



Thus, without hesitation, I'd like to add a super light hood with twin "Factory" placement NACA Ducts please.....



2 cents,

Porsche

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[Cloud9...68]

My car has the NACA ducts, again fitted by the PO. I think they do a nice job of slightly "spicing up" the look of a gray car like mine. Plus, they provide much-needed cooling to the power steering fluid reservoir <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[caffine]

With my current hood in need of minor bodywork and respray I just may be interested. I'm not one for glitter; matching the rest of the car would be the most pleasing to me eye.

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[xrad]

Very interested, but I have a recessed badge and i like the look.

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[flash]

you would be able to add your own naca ducts, but i won't be planning them in - i'm not doing these myself unless i can make them useful, and seal up the air from getting under the hood - i've been spending a lot of time sealing off the engine bay from extraneous air, and it has helped with downforce- besides, there are already a lot of places for me to take in front end air if i want it



now, a reverse duct as an outlet to relieve some underhood pressures might be a thought - we had to do that on the mgb too - i've been giving that particular issue some thought lately

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