Gents,

Total novice looking for advice. I am a novice car restorer (engine builds etc.) but lacking in bodywork skills. I have been lucky enough to purchase a Lambo with carbon fibre side skirts. They have been damaged by kerbs. I have just been quoted £4000 to have them repaired which seems nonsense.  the damage is low down so I reckon the weave may not match perfectly but as it is dark it should not matter too much. Do you think this could be repaired using one of your kits, and if so which one should I purchase? Regards, John

As the damage is quite significant then we can certainly provide youwith the products you would need to make a sound structural repair however, as the weave has broken then you’re never going to be able to make a repair that is invisible and leaves the part looking like new.

 

To make a structural repair, I would suggest using our Carbon Fibre Rapid Repair Kit.

 

This includes some carbon fibre fabric and epoxy resin so that you canadd some strength from the inside of the part. You can add layers underneathwhere it has worn away. 

 

You will need a sharp stanley blade to trim away the yellow kevlar"fluff" you can see in the photo. Also during your preparation, tryand remove what looks like marker pen or black paint someone has used to tryand disguise the damage as it makes it look worse. You can also ‘run’ someresin into and around the cracked carbon fibres on the surface which will sealthem and so water ingress or further damage on the surface.   

 

Having added some new, additional reinforcement on the inside of thepart (restoring its strength) you can apply a layer of resin across the surfaceof the repair and then sand and flat this down to make leave a smoother finishto the repaired area. The release film in the kit is quite useful forstretching over the curved surface to give you a relatively smooth finish tostart with and thus less sanding work. Finally, as the part was glossyoriginally, a coat of 2k PU lacquer over the whole part will bring the fullgloss back and leave it looking as good as it can.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

Alternatively ... when the structural repairs have been completed, mark up "cut-lines" on the outside,  outside the damaged area, buy some Pro-finish 200gsm twill from EC, then carefully cut the Pro-finish to fit your "lines"
Sand down the surface and "skin" the damaged areas in new CF .. , then get it clear coated... We are talking about a Lambo... Right? ... MUST look the part ...

"Sapere Aude"... Dare to KNOW!

The written word is the only truly efficient vehicle for transmitting a complex concept from mind to mind...

103% of all people do not understand statistics...

Do not adjust our mind, theres a fault in reality :-)

Many thanks Warren, will study your help guides and work out a plan.

Thanks Dravis, I like the idea of creating a 'feature line away from the damaged area. I will study the help videos and if its OK with you reply if I have any further questions. if it does not look too god I can always paint it afterwards!

Regards,




John

The only problem with skinning sections of it, is getting an exact match, if the part was pre-preg originally then finding a fabric that is a perfect match could be difficult especially if its anything exotic.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

I do not think you'll be able to make an exact match to a specialized Pre-preg part, which is why I suggested setting up some nice looking "parting lines" and skinning to those lines.

Another way would be to set up lines, and get the parts painted to cover the repairs.

"Sapere Aude"... Dare to KNOW!

The written word is the only truly efficient vehicle for transmitting a complex concept from mind to mind...

103% of all people do not understand statistics...

Do not adjust our mind, theres a fault in reality :-)

I agree with Dravis' line of thinking. You will never be able to make a seamless repair, so why not make a feature out of it? If you can't match the repair so it's invisible, then make it stand out in a good way. 

This might be an unorthodox approach but given its always going to look repaired if you try to match the weave why not make it a new feature?  Ie make the new bit obvious so add some silvershadow fabric or coloured carbon?  Alternatively you could do something good with paint?  Whilst I wouldn't recommend anything gaudy there is some good inspiration in the hotrod world.




BTW: I'd LOVE a lambo.  Soooooo Jealous!

Many thanks for the reply. I like the idea of the feature and if it does not look well I will go for the paint or wrap option. Although wrapping real carbon fibre in a carbon wrap seems a bit perverse. A summer job when I build up the confidence. Will post a picture when completed.

Regards,

John