By Davajn - 3/21/2015 2:48:31 PM
Hey there
In all automotive sports we all aim at light & strong constructions. Thus im looking into making a couple of custom parts for my snowmobile, to make it lighter and stronger! One more bonus that carbon fibre gives on a snowmobile vs aluminium that is used today, is that i wont get any snow or ice buildup. If snow or ice cant get stuck that means alot less weight. Looks like you guys at have the parts & know-how to make my project go as smooth as possible! I need to get some recommendations of you guys of what kind of parts i need to start with. On a snowmobile you have 3 main parts that can be lightened and made stronger. That is: 1: Body Panels ( Doesnt need the overall strength like chassi components due to they arent aiding the structural stiffness) 2: Tunnel & Chassi components 3: Suspension & Rear skid components 1: Here's an example of some parts that already made by various companies as a carbon copy of the OEM panels, or just OEM parts in its aluminium/steel form. http://patrickcustomcarbon.com/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=173Sidepanels: 1m long, 0.6m height Hood: 1.1m long, 0.6m wide 2: Subframe with tunnel.  The tunnel can be made without the running boards and bumpers etc. That could be mounted afterwards.  Tunnel size is around 2meters long, 0.25m height & 0.4m wide 3: Suspension  Rear suspension rails How are these made when they have 2 areas that are alot thicker?  What kind of material is best suited for body panels that doesnt require the strength as other items. And what do you recommend to use on tunnel and suspension parts? Hope i get some help because id really like to get this started. I need everything so i can make a professional mold up to finnished carbon parts.
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By Snowmixer - 3/25/2015 3:43:43 AM
Well, Davajn, it sounds like you've got a great idea of what you want to do!
Yes, stronger and lighter is what I'm aiming for as well. I am working with a 2007 Yamaha Phazer MTX. If you're familiar with this machine, you probably already know it needs to be lightened a lot! It's kind of funny actually, I'm doing pretty much the opposite of what you are. My sled was a 144x14 wide track, and I'm stretching it to 155x15 wide. Overall, the machine will only be about an inch (25.4mm) wider, but if I run out of other projects, I'd like to make some front suspension parts for it as well to narrow the ski stance a bit. My background is mostly in precision machining, so that part of the project went pretty smooth, but now that I'm getting closer to needing the composite parts, I've been trying to do a lot more research. It's amazing how much there is to know, and I find it both exciting and challenging to learn and attempt!
Your plan with the tunnel sounds like it should work pretty well! I wish I could use formed aluminum for my tunnel mold, but ended up designing a new tunnel altogether (to allow mounting of a different rear suspension, etc.), so I am building the tooling plug entirely out of foam. I do tend to feel like I have attempted a HUGE project for a beginner, but luckily I have a good friend (and fellow sledder) who works with composites every day, (doing fabrication and repair on large aircraft) who I can consult if I run into a problem.
I am from Washington State in the USA, near Seattle. As for the pictures, I think I added them as an attachment and did not embed them, so you may have to right-click and open them in a new window or download them by clicking on the link?
Regarding the composite suspension rails pictured above, the company that makes them has a nice selection of photos on their site showing closer views, etc. as well as many of their other composite parts. http://www.carbonsled.com/Photo_gallery.htm Also, have you seen the Ski Doo 1200 turbo built by C3 powersports? I just tried to link to their site, but it looks like it's down for maintenance. Anyway, they had a lot of pictures and a nice video (may also be on youtube) showing a lot of their carbon fiber work, infusion, etc.
Well I guess that's all for now, and I agree, it's nice to see another sledhead with a similar mindset! It would obviously be easiest to just ride our sleds as they are, but for me, the building and modifying to the way I want it is half the fun...maybe even more!
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