Volvo 122S Build Thread: Scope-creep the Sequel

[Canuck]

Sorry for the delay - I've been busy. Back on the project now.

[Canuck]

[Canuck]

We're making carbon fibre parts for the car.

[Alex Buchka]

Been following along your videos for a while now. Killer work and super inspirational!

[Canuck]

Originally Posted by Alex Buchka

Been following along your videos for a while now. Killer work and super inspirational!

Thanks Alex...it's projects like yours that give me bad ideas

[Canuck]

In this episode, I take a beating with molds that didn't work and my efforts to fix them and make these parts.

[didenpx]

Just checked out a couple of videos (they're great!). Subscribed on YouTube and will be following closely. Thanks for documenting!

[Canuck]

Originally Posted by didenpx

Just checked out a couple of videos (they're great!). Subscribed on YouTube and will be following closely. Thanks for documenting!

Thanks - I'll do a proper update on this thread in a few weeks. Just up to my ears in dust and sanding right now.

[Canuck]

The next episode - I change it up a little and try my hand at making a few carbon fiber parts.

[Canuck]

[LloydDobler]

You're a madman. I'd get about 20 minutes in to that and just quit.

[Canuck]

Originally Posted by LloydDobler

You're a madman. I'd get about 20 minutes in to that and just quit.

LOL - that's a pretty accurate description. Even tonight as I try to get the final mold done, there was another two blisters that popped up during the 400 grit wet and dry. Should be polished tomorrow. Hope I can get the first one done right away.

[Canuck]

Sorry folks...I've been a bit busy. Time for an update post. After three weeks of hard work getting the molds prepped (see above video's) it was time to move on.

So a few patterns got made...



I sprayed a few coats of Duratec VE Primer (with a 2.3 mm fluid tip gun...this stuff is thick) in the mold once the surface was coated with mold release.



It dried nicely. Revealing a few small flaws that I decided I don't care about (just a few pin holes).



Then it was time to start loading the carbon fabric. I'll try to keep this part sensible - it's harder than it looks to do a fender. Lots of compound curves and flanges and stuff in the way. I'm also down to working in about 2 square metres in my garage.

The fabric is a 6K 369 gsm 5S Harness weave. It's got some good strength properties and drapes nicely, but was shifting a lot, so I'm glad I'm painting this stuff. Twill is far easier to work with.



This layer is laid with the "strength" going along the panel. Next up some 12K 150 gsm ±45° biaxial cloth. It's not woven - and the angles were placed off set to the first layer (so they're going across the panel at ±45°. Make sense?



Then another layer of the harness weave 90° to the first layer. It went in easier than the first.



I then added a urethane foam core (mycell) - 6 mm thick with 1/8" holes drilled on a 1.5" grid.



Another layer of the ±45° biaxial cloth over that...we're starting to have some bulk here.



And a final layer of the harness weave.



I'll be bagging this all up later tonight and then infuse it with epoxy later this week. Total weight of the finished part is 1.7 kg of carbon = total around 2.8 kg when done.

[moise]

[LC4CARL]

Love it.

[Canuck]

Last night (after a failed bagging attempt the day before) I got the fender infused. The bag pulled a vacuum without much trouble and in one hour it was finished. I'll demold it tonight - so stay tuned. Video will follow - I'm providing complete details there if you're crazy enough to give it a whirl.

First up - the infusion resin channel (the dark thing in the middle) worked great. Better than expected. I'm glad the guys on the DIY Carbon Facebook page convinced me to shorten it up a little.

This is about 10 minutes into the infusion.




The hard part is getting around all the curves in this fender. Here you can see the core material - should be overkill strong.



As the flow came around the headlight bucket, progress slowed - it has to draw through and increasingly saturated stack of materials, so takes more time. A few lines help me see that it's still working...and I was fidgeting.



Clamp that sucker off - it's all over now. It was suggested that I use release fabric as a resin "stop" - so areas up by the headlight for example. There is no carbon under these areas and the resin doesn't like flowing through the release cloth. So it stalls the flow while the resin finds a new path of least resistance. Same along the part edge mount flange. You can see the wet line and it doesn't get to the vac line. I may add a little fabric over the suction line in the next fender to keep my catch pot from doing silly things.

[Canuck]

Anyone want to see the result?



I had a hard time getting it out of the mold, but it did come out. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

[GTJordan]

[Vol242vo]

Very cool!

[blackadder]

Wow!

[Canuck]

Had some trouble with the second fender. I switched epoxy (first fender was with some old stuff that I had for years and never used, new epoxy infuses faster - lesson learned) and needed to get an ultrasonic tester. These fender molds were generally brutal - I should have redone the gel coat and the flanging was pretty complicated. Learning how to bag a large part on such a complex part was a mistake.

It did turn out - lucky I guess.



Details were nice and crisp.



Nice and straight...they are not perfect - but a coat of primer is all that is needed to correct the surface - the error is in the mold!



I also made my first headlight bucket reinforcement ring. It's really nice. One more of these to make and a few other flanges that have to be added then they are done. Probably a few weeks away from them being done for real.



The harness weave is pretty cool looking stuff.



After these are done, then the hood and trunk need to be done.

[Vol242vo]

I know you’re going for weight reduction, a huge part of me wants to see all this work without primer and paint, so much Carbon Fiber!!!

[Canuck]

It's ridiculously light weight...but to get maximum strength and stiffness this stuff needs a post cure heat cycle. So, I figure I should reduce my floor space even further to about 1 m^2 of room to move with this magic.



It's just 1" X 2" spruce - so when the time comes to turn it into kindling, it's ready to go. Now, I'm going to need some insulation, so I added this bubble wrap foil nonsense to my shopping cart.

And we have a gigantic oven.



The idea is that is sits on the two folding tables and use my propane space heater as the heat source. I left an air gap at the material join on the top so things don't get out of control.

Loaded up with the fenders and associated parts.



This baked at 50° C for 8 ish hours and it all turned out great. I didn't dare take it to full strength at 85° C for 8 hours as it's only worth a few percent over what you get at the much safer "lower" temperature. The air gap was about right and on the lowest setting for the heater, it was nice and toasty in the garage for a change.

Next up - getting them all joined up.

[matt b]

Impressive work, they came out great especially for a first attempt.

Why the foam inside the fender ? I'm curious as to what it does.

[Canuck]