I am close to buying a carbon fiber engine cover. This is a real one. I am wondering how they how old to cold canadian winters, and hot summers? do they crack with the cold and then heat or are they just fine?

let me know

 

Carbon Fiber engine cover should easily handle hot and cold. Not sure why you say Canada gets hot in the Summer.

 

Eastern Canada gets hot...
And the winters are insane.

 

i guess u can do an overlay with your own

 

When I looked into getting a CF engine cover for my 06 they guy wanted $260 and my engine cover to bond the CF to. I don't know if you found a cheaper way but that is alot for a piece you rarely see.

 

I saw on ebay that they were selling CF engine covers for the TL.
I think it mentioned that it was pure CF.
Was around 400 I believe

 

$299.99
eBay Link

 

1st off, Ya it get's hot in Canada. in American schools, they only teach you American history, so I understand why you would say something like that.

Other than that, I am working with a guy to get a brand new engine cover for my 06 TL, he sells them on ebay. I Just wonder if they would crack, as my friend had a carbon fiber hood and it cracked due to the hot cold hot cold mix.

 

Not a bad engine cover.

 

Dear God, you can wrap the entire engine bay cover set for under $100!!!

Talk to a shop for a wrap, I am going to be doing this for a late summer project, I'll have the DIYs up later, if you want to wait that long

 

DeathMetal, please do post. I bought some carbon fiber looking vinyl and tried to wrap the pieces-it didn't work.

 

I don't have any pics from my last wrap

It's really not hard in the least, check this link out, you guys will find that this is MUCH, MUCH easier then you may think!!! Just take your time and you can do it!!!

[youtube]6rTWaV1imzs[/youtube]

 

Oh, one more thing to note - this is a UK based company, get your materials from uscomposites . com.

They are in stock now that Boeing hasn't sapped the world's supply of CF due to Dreamliner construction (this was a VERY real problem a few years ago)

 

So I'm assuming in your superior Canadian schools they teach you how hot it gets down here in NC?

 

I'm calling "bullshit" on your friend's hood cracking due to temperature. Most composites, and particularly carbon fiber, have an extremely high resistance to expansion as brought upon by a thermal load. Don't take my word for it; at a Young's Modulus value of around 18M (that's higher then TITANIUM ALLOYS), AND, to boot, a coefficient of thermal expansion at an almost negligible value, particularly in the temperature regions of which we are speaking. Any failure would occur due to a shit resin being used, see conclusion (d) of hypothesis (i) (citation: http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0022-3727/6/3/304, you can order the full article if you wish, all you're going to find are a slew of alphabet soup and diff-e-qs...which are awesome)

CF has been used in military aerospace applications long before its commercial use came to a head, most notably in stealth applications wherein a fighter will go from the baking desert heat and be well up above the stratosphere within a few minutes, and, last I checked, the DoD is not keen on losing million-dollar fighter jest or playing such things to chance.

So no, I'm sorry, your friend is DEAD WRONG.

 

FWIW DeathMetal, your engineering based assessment is likely quite accurate about the strengths and uses of CF.

The truth is though, the cheap epoxy used in fabricating many CF hoods and overlays is not UV tolerant. After a few months of exposure in the hot sun it breaks down and cracks. The CF is still fine, but the finsih looks like shit within a year.

That's likely what was implied by the "cracks" referenced above. They likely are interpretting the heat cycling as the culprit, but it's definately the sun that does it.

 

vis make the best hoods....have one on my 1992 integra for like 6 years now....looks great still

 

I know, that was mentioned as well (save detailing UV effects). No doubt, crap resin in the example at hand, even without seeing it.

 

I bought the carbon engine cover. It's on it's way and I will upload pics when its on. Thanks guys!

 

Are you going to use the 3M carbon wrap? As I was reading earlier posts in this thread, I was thinking all along that as long as that stuff can hold up to the heat, it might look pretty good......

 

Not familiar with the 3M carbon wrap, I have always purchased from uscomposites. Again, the CF has absolutely nothing to do with neat resistance; you need to use a quality resin to ensure a robust mold. I am going to try and do the engine bay this summer, although at the rate that the current modding is going, I don't know if I am going to get to it. I am hoping for an unseasonably warm fall.

I see you're in Doylestown, you're about an hour from me. If you want to split the cost of resin, we can do this at my place later on next year (it's about $100/gallon for the really good stuff)

 

Just buy the real cover, not that other stuff!

 

I can spend $120 and wrap my entire engine bay or spend $300 to achieve the same effect...HMMMMM...

Were it for weight loss, sure, go with CF, but pure CF for cosmetic purposes only?

 

the ebay cover would be less hassle

 

i just watched the video and it dosnt seem that hard

 

death metal, you think I can wrap my a-spec lip with that stuff? I would never be so lazy in ordering someone else's work then I can save 200 dollars. Hey, why not start a JNC CF wrapping business....HMMMMM..

 

Yeah, it can be done, you just need to use a slower curing resin to minimize rigidity, it's a royal beotch as it's best wrapped, then installed (after tape off) to ensure the cure occurs in the proper position.

I made a promise to my wife NOT to do extra work to others cars, but she has been nagging for that vacation...

 

They never complain when its for them :-). I need a vacation...

 

I will show you guys the pic of the REAL cover when I am done. For those of you DIYers, do it and show us. Id love to see how it turns out!

 

I'd rather wrap my stuff because I wouldn't doubt that it doesn't fit right. Ask anyone that has ever bought a CF hood or trunk, it never fits perfect. My friend bought a VIS trunk for his WRX and it did not fit correctly. 300 bucks can go a lot further unless you have a ridiculous show car with so much money in it that the 300 is pocket change. We all know your not going for weight reduction, so unless you have a CF fetish its a waist. As long as you happy, thats all that matters.

 

It will fit for sure as it is made from the oem molded plastic cover, and if it doesn't i will get my money back, I got a deal on it too so no worries. It's just one of those nice looking peices, that look great and is cosmetically pleasing. It's for me to like not everyone lol. Anyways I will post pics when it gets here.

 

 

there it is guys...my carbon fiber engine cover from CARBON FIBER WORKS!

 

congrats on the CF cover dave... looks goood... now all you need is the other pieces

 

Looks nice...can you comment on your impressions about the quality, etc.? Does it seem like it will hold up to the heat of the engine?

 

This is a completly solid rear peice of carbon fiber, it was made amazingly well. Yes it will hold up with the heat. I am pumped about this peice. It really sets off the engine bay. I showed a few people tonight and they were shocked at how cool it looks. I am glad I got it.

Now I just need to dress up the engine a lil bit more. Any idea's? and no the seller doesnt have any other carbon peices for the tl engine bay, lol

 

yeh theres alot on here... its the battery cover intake cover etc that CF ... looks sick

 

Send me a link where I can buy the other peices k?

 

FOR EVERYONE INTERESTED IN THE CARBON FIBER ENGINE COVER. HERE IS THE INFO. CONTACT THE FOLLOWING SELLER WITH THE INFO BELOW. TELL HIM DAVE SENT YOU.

carbon_fiber_works@hotmail.com

http://carbon-fiber-works.spaces.live.com/

 

^^^ Looks like good quality work. Is a Volvo v70r fast?