The original thread was about maxed out so I'm starting this one to pick up where the other left off. So if you've got any questions or if I have any updates they should be posted here.

On the subject of update, I think I will go ahead and do the ttops complete with seal and trim. So if you hit up your local junkyard and find all the ttops missing you'll know why

 

If you ever created a custom dash that looked like the earlier Z's I'd definitely be up for that.

 

As far as the T-Tops go, I figured that all you would have to do is replace the Glass section with CF. It would be a PITA to build a whole new T-Top. Once you have both the right and left sides perfected, you could just sell them with "some assembly required" and only provide what the end user will need to replace the glass section alone. I'm guessing that's at least ten pounds worth of glass if not more like 12-13 between the two sides. Leave it up to the user to swap out the glass with the new CF portion. Easy money.

Rod.

 

See that was my original plan Rod. But I was getting kind of negative feedback on that cause people didn't want to mess with their ttops. So I just said the hell with it. I suppose the best way to go is to offer them with just glass replacements and if nobody ends up buying those I can source some junkyard tops and pull the trim and what not and slap it on the CF and try to sell it that way. I can't imagine a CF ttop not selling if the price is right. Especially if you can keep your glass ones too. It'd be alot easier to get them ttops on and off with how little they'd weigh in CF. I could probably have a prototype set of ttops ready in the very near future as it wouldn't be nearly as extensive as the hood would be. I'll get on that Rod. You gonna want a set if the prototypes are up to your standards? Anybody? No comittment, just interest.

If I can get one serious yes on that I'll put in the order for supplies tomorrow and have a set ripped out in no time.

 

Tell you what. I'll order enough material to make the prototypes and weigh em first and take some pics so you guys can see the finished product and the weight difference. Worst case scenario I'll just throw em on my car that way it's not a total loss if nobody ends up wanting a set. But if I get some orders from you guys I'll start ordering up more material.

And s/c, if you want a set, YES, I can order some C/K. And yes it can be whatever color you want. Still Red?

 

I would love to have a set, and it just so happens, I have an extra pair of T-Tops just waiting for their new CF inserts!!!!

Rod.

P.S. You know the Z32 guys would eat that up like candy!!!

 

yes, I would love to get CF t-tops... whats the estimate on price?

 

Ya see... What'd I tell ya!? he get's the first set of Z32 tops if you make 'em cuz he's going to be the first Z32 person that hasn't thought they were too good to come to my friday night Z car meets. At last, we will have the missing link! he's a cool Z32er!!!

Rod.

 

Red would be alright.. I am gonna do some research.. some one somewhere has to have a C/K black and white... That would be sooo sick..

 

i'd be down for a set of CF t-tops if you made them

i think the hardest part would be getting ahold of the hardware that's inside the tops which operates the locking mechanism, plus i bet that stuff weighs a whole lot too. if you figured out something simmilar to hood pins to hold the t-top in place you could save a lot of work for yourself

your car has t-tops right? if not, i can take some pictures for you tomorrow to show you what i'm talking about. the only part you would have to order would be the weather stripping that goes between the t-top and the door glass. i doubt you would be able to find any of those at the yard in good condition anyways. it's only around $30 per side from VB so it's not a big deal

let me know if you need those pictures

 

007, I've got ttops (unfortunately). So the pics wont be neccessary. s/c I haven't found any white and black (since the Kevlar has a yellowish tint), but I finally found a silver carbon dealer. It's not Kevlar though. And it's REALLY cheap. Cheaper then fiberglass. I don't know the specifics on it yet but I emailed them on weight and what kind of fiber it is. I doubt it's stiff enough on it's own, but as a top layer I'm sure it would work out. I can email you a pic of that stuff if you want. And you can post it on here if anyone else wants to see it (I can't figure out the pic posting thing). Aphrodite, first of all, I like your sig. Very nice. Second, I would need to secure a couple of ttops from a Z32 in order to make some CF replacements. I'll scan through ebay for a set to see if I can get a hold of some that I can use. A friend of Rod deserves a set of CF ttops Suppose I could look for some Z31 tops too while I'm at it. And last but not least, estimate. Why on earth would you want an estimate? But if you must have one I'll have it up by tomorrow night. I didn't get to order the supplies yet as I had to mail a desposit to my bank. I've been using the wifes account cause she has NFCU and it's all over the place. I have Wells Fargo and I guess they don't operate on the east coast. Atleast not in VA anyways. So once the money gets there I'll put the order through. And I'll hit up ebay tommorrow too. It's almost 4am here so I gotta get offline.

 

lol i had the same problem with no wells fargo being out here in NY

check this out, a complete roof section from a t-top car, might be useful for r&d purposes and you wouldn't have to worry about messing with your own car

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsu...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Yeah he has been trying to sell that for weeks. I would like to have the gray headliner though.

 

Sweet, Carbon T-tops would be awesome, as for needin an estimate... Im only a lowly E-4 so have to set aside money ahead of time for my car

and thanks on the sig complement, I came accross that info when I was tryin to decide what to name my car, so decided that Aphrodite was a good name

 

hah I'm an E4 too (only 1 weekend a month, now) ... I feel your pain.

 

OK I'm a lazy sunuvabeech. Well not completely. But I have been too lazy to come up with an estimate. If you save up atleast $6000.00 then you'll definitely be covered Plus you'll have extra money left over to spend on other things. I did however get around to partially dissasembling my Ttops. I got it all the way down to where just the metal braket that holds the locking mechanism was left. They're really easy to disassemble (280zx). I have a couple of questions and a couple of statements to make as well concerning this ttop thing.

First. The little metal trim that goes around the perimeter. That would be MUCH easier to just mold into the carbon. For two reasons. First, removing it and having to fit it to the carbon ttop would not be fun, especially if you damage it, or the ttop in the process. Second, the issue that inorder to keep the part as light as possible, I'd want to keep it thin. Too thin to just remount into the trim. You'd have to use a spacer or excessive adhesive to make it fit. I'd rather just make the CF peice so that the trim is also CF and fitment issues wouldn't be a problem. Is this cool? Or do you guys really like the metal trim (you could always paint it).

Second. I realize in the southWest that the weather never really changes with the exception of a few degrees in temperature. But here in the southEast, it gets pretty wet this time of year, and pretty cold. Average temps right now are about 75-80deg. here in VA. 70deg. and under and I might as well leave the part in the mold for a month, and then hope it's cured when I pull it. So I may end up needing a heated facility before I can undertake this. I'll see if I can dig up some electric heater to run to the shed. That'll allow me to work in the cold. But the other problem is not having a ttop on my car during this whole process. It rains without warning out here. So everytime it rains while I don't have a ttop on my car because I'm busy making CF parts for you guys is a few buck I'm tacking onto Rods final price since he's the one who got me motivated (J/K Rod-digga )

Another question: What type of hood would you most like to see. the turbo/late style, or the earlier non turbo hoods, like the 79-81 had? s/c, you're opinion carries a couple of votes here If it's a turbo style then I still have to source a turbo style hood. But the NA I've got covered. So I'm also going to go ahead and start the molds for the hood as well once I get my supplies. I'm not going to be doing the actual hood yet though. I've got mine pretty straight, but I've still got some work to do to get it PERFECT. If I use a half *** plug then every part I make is going to be half ***. So it's got to be perfect. But it's a non turbo style. Remember though, no matter what type it is, it's still going to be CF.

Once I've pulled a mold from a stock hood, I'm going to use the hood to make a cowl induction plug to make a cowl induction mold so I can make a cowl induction hood for all you guys who've been asking about that one.

Oh, and if anyone would be interested in fiberglass versions of any of the above mentioned products, let me know. The first few parts I pull from a mold are always fiberglass so that the mold can season itself. That way when I move onto costly CF, I won't have to worry as much about scrapping a CF part that got stuck in the mold. I can also make fiberglass versions whenever the need arises. Also, I thought about it and I will also be able to make "cosmetic" hoods as well. A fiberglass hood that has an outer layer of CF or CK for looks (and a little stiffening). I can also make "Super light" CF hoods with the use of NOMEX if anyone is interested in that as well. The cosmetic hoods would be significantly cheaper than the full CF, and the sandwich core hoods would be significantly more expensive (close to a couple hundered buck more, but worth every penny if weight is a concern)

Oh and on a final note: hood hinges. I can't verify this yet. Not until I've pulled a prototype anyways, but I'm guessing the stock tensioners on the hood hinges will have to be removed. The hood will be light enough that you wont need them anyways. You will be able to retain the factory hinges and latch however. Thats it for now, any question, suggestion, responses...let me know.

 

I'm down with molding the t-top to be complete, without having to put the old metal trim on... Mines painted black anyway's. As for the hoods, I'm not too picky on that one.

Rod.

 

Personally, I'd like to have the non-turbo style hood [since that's what I have now ] in CF. Also, for the T-tops, sounds like a plan. I'm not much a fan of the trim either [it'll all be painted or removed on my car anyway].

J, my hood's still available as a mold, you just gotta let me know. Also, I'm willing to ship you my 2+2 T-tops, should you decide to make a mold for the 2+2. As always, let me know bro.

Good to see things are moving nicely. Just don't push it J! We know you're good for it.

-Dave-O

 

i think leaving the trim off of the t-tops would be best because it would make production so much simpler, not to mention they will look better if they're 100% carbon fiber

i've been thinking about this CF interior stuff way too much while working on the interior of my car last weekend, (when i got the car the interior had parts of every single color that was ever offered for our cars, slowly i've been buying up black interior parts on ebay and repainting whatever i couldn't find) and what i've found is that a lot of panels could easily be improved upon and made better if you made them out of CF. today i was messing with the door panels and thinking about how easy it would be to make CF replacements for our car; how cool would it be to make ones out of CF with a built in armrest that doesn't have a tendency to tear off and a built in pod for a 6" speaker in the bottom corner you could also incorporate some modern window switches and door handles for a complete redesign. heck, just model them after 350z doors and use the OEM door handles and everything. i'm probably taking it way too far for most people but then i've found myself making sketches of the car instead of paying attention in Calc II

ahh hell, just make some CF doors like these that are made for the 350z

 

WOW I didn't even think about that. Are the ttops different sized? If they are, then yeah, I'm gonna need a set of 2+2 tops. I'll see if I can secure some locally first though. Unless they are abosutely freaking perfect without so much as a scratch, I cant use em without finishing em. Which would mean painting em. That's what I have to do to mine But hey it'll be worth it in the long run, since I won't need my old tops once I've got some carbon ones.

And on another note. I got tired of looking at my ugly messed up stock bumper today.That thing is so messed up it doesn't even resemble a bumper anymore. So here's what I did. I ordered a bunch of foam today. Yeah baby. I'm going to start carving a plug out for an airdam and rear bumper. I'll most likely be making some sideskirts too. I'm also going to go ahead and make a C/K version of the bumper support (the long piece the bumper mounts to). I figured while I'm making the airdam it would be nice if I could just mount it up to lightweight support as opposed to the heavy metal unit in there now. I'm going to run some low speed crash tests on it too with my parts car I'll just push it with my "good" Z at certain speeds and see if the support stands up. I have no doubt that it will be stronger than the stock metal piece. CF is alot stronger and stiffer then steel. And Kevlar is less brittle than CF (it'll flex and flop rather than shatter) so by designing the piece out of both materials I can keep it strong and safe for road use (though it'll be intended for track use ). Next up, aluminum bumper struts Stay tuned

 

Ooh, thats pretty 007. And definitely something I'll be tackling in the future. Are those full doors, or just a skin? I've spent a lot of time studying the doors and how I would approach them from a CF standpoint and they really don't look difficult at all. The only part that would be hard would be incorporating the mounting points for the associated window and locking hardware. That part would be a little complicated. I figure I'll atleast give it a go. I also figure if I get it right that it wouldn't be a product in high demand. I'm sure I'd sell a few CF doors, but not too many. So if it takes a little time to get em made then it really wouldn't be a problem to do every so often. Maybe a limited run of CF doors. The door panels are simple design too. The only problem is that they're made out of a not so stiff or solid material. So I could only use them as a template, then I would have to use the template to make a plug. Of course, then I could incorporate all the stuff you mentioned rather easily since I've got to mold them pretty much from scratch. And for those who dont care, I can just make Flat panels for replacements that just allow you to bolt on the stock hardware. Those can be done for really inexpensively too.

 

i don't know about you, but i wouldn't want to think what would happen if you got t-boned with those things on your car. i'll just stick with some CF door panels thank you

more pics of the CF doors

http://www.azmaximas.org/steve/album...m/DSCN3074.jpg
http://www.azmaximas.org/steve/album...m/DSCN3078.jpg
http://www.azmaximas.org/steve/album...m/DSCN3080.jpg

 

J, just a thought I had that I'd like to share with you ...

If CF doors are going to be a limited run anyway, and also assuming that whoever buys CF doors probably doesn't have anything else in their car [like power windows, etc], why not just make a door "shell", and rivet Lexan plastic to it for the window? I'd buy a set if you did that. Figure I can just pop the CF T-tops out if I want some air inside .

And yes, last time I checked, the 2+2 T-Tops were different.

-Dave-O

 

Yeah I like that idea.. lexan and Carbon.. mmmm

 

Well if it's something like that then I can make as many as people want. That takes a chunk of the workload off of me if I don't have to worry about stuff like that. I was also thinking about doing a mechanism like what Ferrari used to put on some of it's faster street machines(see Road legal Race car). They just had a little strap like thing attached to the door. And when the window was up it just fastened somehow to the inner door. When you wanted the window down you just unlatched the strap and the window would slide down. Pull the strap back up and it pulled the window back up. Crude but effective. Only problem was it was all the way up or all the way down. I assume you had a little leeway for cracking the window though. But I guess it would be better than nothing. They also only had a metal cable that you tugged on to open the door from the inside. No door handles. It was one of their supercars from the 80's or early 90's. I can't remember which one, but it was fast

I've done a lot more shopping around to find the lowest prices on materials and it's coming along nicely. I'm finding the same materials for cheaper, so this is going to save everyone money. But with the CF shortage in full swing, prices are very unstable right now. I've also got a very cheap source for Nomex so... I did a little inquiring about the silver carbon material. And all it is is fiberglass with some sort of aluminum material. It's very inexpensive and could be used as a cosmetic top layer for looks.

D, I'm sending you a PM here in a few minutes. I've been spending a lot of time with my hood (we've grown really close) but I cant get it right. The only way to get it back to it's original state would be to remove the inner skeleton and that's just too much work. I'm just going to use a different hood. And thanks for the heads up on the ttops D

And of course my weekly update: Still no house. The original house was sold to an investor because he wanted both houses (two houses sitting next door to each other, but for sale individually). I looked at another house and I'm going to make an offer on it. If I don't find a house here soon, then it's back to SoCal for me. I'll have a place to stay and a garage to work out of. It's just the cost of the move would set me back a bit. Well either way somethings going to happen here soon.

OH and PS: I could make some carbon doors that would most likely be stiffer and stronger then those ones and weigh in at less than 10lbs. I'm thinking in the 7-8lbs range