I have fibreglass bodied, tubular chassis ford thunderbird (i.e. doorslammer) drag car with central trans and driveshaft in the conventional manner.

The internal panneling is a mess and I want to tidy it up with a new transmission tunnel to enclose both the trans itself and the propshaft. The shape is complex and it will need to be in sections that can be slid into position amongst the chassis tubing.

Normal method would probably be to use aluminium sheet but I'd like to use carbon if poss - largely for aesthetic reasons if I'm honest.

I can see how the wet lay process over a mould might be OK for this but I'm struggling to think of the best way to make a mould. Possibly the cellular aluminium sheet could be carefully bent to shape and then coated with wet lay carbon?

If not, I need some sheet material that can be formed to shape in situ then hold its shape while it is extracted from the car before applying the carbon. I guess thin aluminium might be Ok but I'm not sure it can be bent to complex curves that would hold their shape.

I need some wonder material like thin, non springy, slightly rigid, robust but pliable sheet that holds it shape once bent. Not a lot to ask!

Anybody done anything similar and could advise?

Cheers

I have in the past, made such parts ​​of foam, cut parts from sheet material.
Roughly cut in the form and then part by part build it up. Connect the sheet parts with mounting kit and wooden skewers.
Then gently rub it into the desired shape. If satisfied with the shape and looks close the foam cells with a slurry mixture of resin and glass bubbles. Immediately afterwards, lay up two layers of fiberglass 60 gr. If it has hardened you can start to smooth filling the surface. You have then two options:
1. Use this as an model too pull a mold from in which you will make the actual product;
2. Dissolve the foam with acetone and reinforce the inside with extra layers of glass or carbon. If you go carbon you need to start with 60 grams. carbon, and after the filling is smooth on the outside add a new layer of carbon for the looks.

Thanks Jan - useful and encouraging.

I'm slowly understanding what I will need to do:

Stage 1 - a sketch as per attached

Stage 2 - make a wire or thin tube frame to define the edges and triangular shapes

Stage 3 - cut some foam to fill in the panels

Stage 4 - use the foam as templates for cutting/folding the pre made carbon faced honeycomb panels that Reverie sell ££!.

Where possible I'm thinking of folding the sheets as per  instructions in this link http://www.hexcel.com/Resources/DataSheets/Brochure-Data-Sheets/Sandwich_Panel_Fabrication_Technology.pdf

Need to decide if it will work before spending megabucks on sheet only to trash it.

Thanks again

Good luck with your project. Cant wait for the finished product... I like composites AND good old american ricer killers   And both go so well together, right?

Cheers from belgium.

 



 


    A $1000 electronic device will always protect a 10 cents fuse

How prone are your cars to propshaft and/or gearbox failures??? 

I would be concerned that if you explode a box or snap a shaft and it flails around, you may well end up with carbon fragments shattering into the cockpit.

Obviously if you have some other shielding its not an issue.  Perhaps kevlar included in the layup to hold the panel in one piece incase of a heavy impact by gear parts would be a good consideration????

No worries on that score - we have a new trans blanket and 3 hefty steel loops over the prop so effectively the tunnel is non structural apart from supporting the shifter.