Carbon fiber dash & door trim DIY

[Godsplumber]

Wow, thanks for this thread. Looks good.

[DMC1805]

Here we are the epic conclusion of my carbon fiber project. I finished clear coating, color sanding and polishing all of the parts. Here are the photos:

[DMC1805]

I don't really know what to add as far as the painting process. I used a high solids, polyurethane, two part clear coat. For the buffing process, I used a machine polisher with a 3M finishing compound. After that I waxed everything and reinstalled.

This was a lot of work, but I am happy that I tackled the project. I am also happy that I am done and can relax.

[red_johnny]

Amazing! Looks very good, you did a great job! Though I am not a fan of CF I do like how this came out. A good option for those who do not have ambient lighting and have the crappy textured door panels. I wonder....if there is a way to add in acrylic tube (or something) to this process and make your own ambient lighting? Might be a project I would be willing to tackle down the road.

[01pewterz28]

Now that is Bad Ass and dedication killer job on your project

[babytiger]

OP, truly amazing. I read the entire post and was amazed at the transformation. Very impressive work.
Let us know when the next project starts........... because you know you aren't done

[camarostar2010]

wow..your work is awesome....really brang out the interior...look expert man...congrats

here are sum pics of my work thus far...I don't have a table. or much room...but i manage to use make shift things, like a spare tire, a crate...and whatever I though would work. I choose an orange carbon fiber/kevlar mix that first the i/o orange I have. Its very close to that red/orange color. And the gloss is amazing I have to sand to get a perfect look. But it looks so good just as is, that I might settle for it.

[camarostar2010]

I must say the size in length, the flimsiness of these panels, and the contour/curvatures/dents/odd shapes, and delineations of this panel make this job much harder the the average piece. I will do the rear trunk plastic corner lids today, or at least began them. I hope this helps some one out there to be bold, and to make happen on there project as well. As much so as i was inspired bythe OP

[DMC1805]

Originally Posted by camarostar2010

I must say the size in length, the flimsiness of these panels, and the contour/curvatures/dents/odd shapes, and delineations of this panel make this job much harder the the average piece. I will do the rear trunk plastic corner lids today, or at least began them. I hope this helps some one out there to be bold, and to make happen on there project as well. As much so as i was inspired bythe OP

That doesn't look too bad. I would block sand it with some 220 grit to smooth it out, then add another couple of layers of resin. That will help level things out.

[DMC1805]

Before I started this project, I considered stripping the silver paint from the backside of the panels and putting the carbon fiber on the backside. If somebody wants to give that shot, it may become a popular option. I'm thinking for the best look a vacuum bagging process might be in order.

Another good reason to cover the back side would be, you would be able to save ABL. I personally hated it and left it off anyway, so losing it was not an issue for me.

This might shorten the process, due to the fact you would not need to sand and smooth the resin layers on note surface of the cloth since you would be seeing the backside of the cloth through the panel.

[camarostar2010]

Originally Posted by DMC1805

That doesn't look too bad. I would block sand it with some 220 grit to smooth it out, then add another couple of layers of resin. That will help level things out.

I most certainly will......i just did the rear pieces...also featuring lots of curves and so on...so there goes another project .lol Pics coming soon.

[Jason@JacFab]

I went through the whole thread and looked at your progress, and I must say amazing job OP!! I've never been a fan of carbon fiber but THAT LOOKS SHARP! Makes me want to revist my "woodgrain" hydrocoating interior project (even though there's a lot of people down on the woodgrain, I like it)

[camarostar2010]

new pics of various stages of my cf work, enjoy

[camarostar2010]