Carbon Fiber or Fiberglass body parts being produced

[ivallt]

Hey guys, i am looking in to making some carbon fiber or fiberglass replacement parts for Porsche. Trying to gage interest in what people are looking for that is not currently made? 911 or late model...
Parts and figment would be top quality similar to the Ferrari and Corvette parts i have made.
Is there a market for replacement Targa tops?
Any ideas? We can make anything!


Tauran

[onboost]

Tauran,

I for one think there is a market for for some carbon fiber or fiberglass replacement parts.

I think what the issue is for a lot of the parts, or possible parts, is the cost is out weighing the benefit.

The parts that I think most people would want are more for "the look" than they are for functionality.. which is cool, but once the price is levied, the interest goes away. Most that want these parts may not be racers, but rather those who want to enhance the look and give someone something to oh and ahh about when the car is shown... nothing wrong with that..

A number of people have been interested in both carbon and/or fiberglass rear reflector blanks to replace the standard "PORSCHE" rear reflector. Fiberglass engine shroud and engine tin would be nice. There are a couple of companies that produce and sell these.. but fitment can be an issue, and they're pricey for what they are.

Another Pelican said he had to capability to supply these and needed something to make a mold from, promised a free blank to whomever supplied the reflector. Well, I supplied him with a reflector, he posted a couple of pics of progress, and I have not heard back from him since, nor will he return my emails and PMs.. although I notice he still comes online here. So I still don't have my blank nor my reflector. That being said, there were a number of other interested parties lining up to purchase this part once produced... another Pelican had done a run of these in the past in both Carbon and in Fiberglass suitable for painting. So there is a market for that item which appears to be fairly simple.

I had also so been interested, and spoke to the other party mentioned about doing some carbon dash components or overlays for the center dash area on 74 to 84 911. These were offered in the 90s but have disappeared with the only thing available now being that "peel & stick" stuff and it's only available for the 85 to 89 which has the larger a/c vents. I had even pulled and boxed-up for shipment, the wood inserts from "special" BMW that I own for this guy to do a carbon overlay on... whew, am I glad I didn't send that stuff to him.. or maybe he should be glad!

Anyway, I think there is some interest.. and I have a couple of ideas for stuff. I've done a lot of maintenance, repair, and restoration both professionally and as a hobby on these and other high-end cars.. and I've done some glass-work.. but I don't do glass work! :-)


Any pics of your previous work by chance?

Thx,

Paul

[ivallt]

Hey, Thanks for ideas. Send me some links of the specific parts offline if you have any, and we can go from there.

That is pretty shady for that guy to not send the parts back. If he was not capable then he should have fessed up and returned them.
Here is some of the Ferrari parts our guy makes. Top quality F1 racing standards. Resin infusion with rolled edges. These hoods weight around 10lbs




Are these the types of parts you were mentioning you would be interested in?
DASH COVER:
1969-85 Porsche 911/912/930 Dash Cover (w/o A.C., w/o Speaker)

ENGINE SHROUD:
http://www.qrsfiberglass.com/catalog/images/porscheparts045.jpg

ENGINE TIN/ COOLING SHROUD:
???Link???

REAR CENTER REFLECTOR:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/images/lights/96463116000.jpg

[Kroggers]

How about flat replacements for the bumper bellows?

[onboost]

Wow, nice work.. I like the NACA duct in the hood of the 360 and the rolled edges show nice attention to detail. No chance of splintering or separation on the edges.

The dash in the link you posted would be the dash top. Someone already makes these and although very light, I don't think they sell very well as the CF finish casts an unwanted reflection on the windshield.

The dash parts I am speaking of is below:





The engine shroud is exactly what I was speaking of and here is another example in the raw glass finish along with the Engine Tin:




The reflector in the link you posted is for 90 thru 94. I believe there may be a market for this in paintable glass or carbon fiber finish. The earlier style is listed in the link below as offered by a fellow Pelican. However, he no longer produces these... and there are a number of people who want them!

911 Center Reflector Replacement Panel

Let me know what you think..

[Jeff Alton]

Pretty much everything is already available in CF, so you are jumping into a full pool so to speak. But, if your quality is superior and your price better, then you may have a market.

Cheers

[ivallt]

I think we can manufacture mostly everything at competitive prices. Does anyone else think the bumper bellows were a good idea? I have never seen them made, but it sounds interesting. my 86' could be a test bed for them.

I will look into the cost to purchase and make the dash kit, engine shroud, rear filler panel and get back to you. If anyone has prices on them or already has one to lend (if already being made) let me know so i can see if we can be competitive.

How many people are interested in that filler panel so i can figure out first run costs...

Tauran

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by onboost

The engine shroud is exactly what I was speaking of and here is another example in the raw glass finish along with the Engine Tin:

Where can I order the fiberglass parts in the pic?

Shane

[Jeff Alton]

To be honest with you, the Ferrari hood looks nice, the weave is all lined up, but the gaps appear a wee bit large, at least in the photo. That quality is already readily available.

I think the Porsche crowd is a bit different, more likely to buy CF for weight savings rather than display/show/bling purposes. Therefore the fit is more important than the look. The most reputable places in the Porsche F/G and C/F market have suspect panel gap IMHO. Bolting a bumper on with a tight fit is easy, but getting a door or hood to fit with a correct gap leaves something to be desired.

If I was looking to break into this market, I would focus on the fit and weight savings and not worry if someone is going to mount the panel raw for the now dated C/F look. I have dealt with ALL of the players in this field and even though some are highly praised, even the best leave something to be desired.

If you can fill this void, you have a home run, if not, you will become just another place to buy parts.

Not at all trying to be a dink, quite the opposite. I think there is room for a company that can make light weight, strong parts that actually fit like factory, not like what is out there now. A big market awaits.... But that market is not in dash fascia, it is in hood, doors, fenders, deck lids, bumpers and tails.

I wish you the best of luck, it would be nice for a new player to get this market right. I know we would start buying if the product was "right".

Cheers

[SCWDP911]

Originally Posted by Kroggers

How about flat replacements for the bumper bellows?

+1 or maybe 100 (there was a thread before where I think Dave at TRE was going to try to make these at some point, but has not floated to the top of his (I'm sure) very busy list yet. There were a lot of people on that thread that seemed very interested at the time. Who knows now though. I think it would come down to price. For me personally, I would not pay over $200 for the set of 4 pieces. But I am a cheapskate, so maybe not the best market research here for you.

On another note, how about a replacement chin spoiler that would match the factory rubber one, but due to being FG or CF, would be paintable if desired?

[Richi996]

Checkout the following website for Carbon Fibre parts available in the UK ..

AUTOFARM | Carbon Fibre Porsche Panels & Other Parts

Regards Richard

[snbush67]

How about a carbon fiber Targa Top?

Carbon fiber tail rubber replacements.

[Richi996]

I have never seen a Carbon Fiber cooling fan ... would look great with the Carbon engine shrouding and the rest of the tin ware or am i clutching at straws now !

[onboost]

Originally Posted by Jeff Alton

I have dealt with ALL of the players in this field and even though some are highly praised, even the best leave something to be desired.

If you can fill this void, you have a home run, if not, you will become just another place to buy parts.

A big market awaits.... But that market is not in dash fascia, it is in hood, doors, fenders, deck lids, bumpers and tails.

I wish you the best of luck, it would be nice for a new player to get this market right. I know we would start buying if the product was "right".

Cheers

Jeff,

I whole-heartedly agree with your comments. However, most of the discussion was primarily about the "dash fascia, shroud & tins. Primarily because there isn't much of it around anymore (and yes, not the biggest market) and thus the effort involved to produce doesn't really justify the cost of the current items available by a few vendors. And yes, this would be more of a niche market as opposed to the larger market out there for hoods, doors, fenders, deck lids, bumpers and tails etc..

Regarding that market.. as I'm sure you're aware, there is a whole new level of effort required and involved and the cost would and should be adjusted accordingly.

[ivallt]

Jeff, Thank you for your comments, i appreciate it actually. I agree that the long term market would be hoods, doors, and other light weight panels, or those that get wrecked during racing. There are so many replica tail base wings out there, its difficult to get into that market.

FYI, i talked to LA Porsche Dismantler. They wanted $5000 for a similar carbon fiber Dash set that onboost showed above! I don't even see the stock parts available anymore from Pelican.


Stock bumper bellows are around $65 each. I did find the other thread on the bellows but no one has responded since Sept 2008. $200-300 minimum due to manufacturing costs. Last response to this thread by the guy was Sept 2008, but had at least 6 people interested. I will talk to my fabricator.

I have the chin spoiler on my Carrera, its flexible hard rubber, but could be made. I am surprised there is nothing already out there?

[Grandad#3]

Hello, I was wondering why no one makes chin splitters, spoilers, or side skirts out of Polyurethane. It would hold up much better than three layers of fiberglass. There are enough 944's around that people are always fixing up, and buying parts from overseas that are not available right here at home. The price has to be right in the market as it now stands. Make a great product, a fair price and the word gets around fast. Just my $0.02

Cheers,
Larry

[Jeff Alton]

Originally Posted by onboost

Jeff,

I whole-heartedly agree with your comments. However, most of the discussion was primarily about the "dash fascia, shroud & tins. Primarily because there isn't much of it around anymore (and yes, not the biggest market) and thus the effort involved to produce doesn't really justify the cost of the current items available by a few vendors. And yes, this would be more of a niche market as opposed to the larger market out there for hoods, doors, fenders, deck lids, bumpers and tails etc..

Regarding that market.. as I'm sure you're aware, there is a whole new level of effort required and involved and the cost would and should be adjusted accordingly.

Yes, I just mentioned the body parts because the photo of the ferrari hood was posted. But the same applies to the engine shrowds and tin replacements out there. There is a market for well fitting product in this range as well, a large market I believe.

The point being, any part that gets made should be easy for the home mechanic to fit. If that is the case, you will sell lots of it.

OF course the rub is that the market will only pay what the market will pay. Once that is determined, you can work backward to see if there will be enough income to justify the expense of tooling, testing, production and marketing. Likely there is....

Cheers

[onboost]

Jeff..

Correct-a-mundo on all points!

I have had a couple of the shrouds and none of them seem to fit well. I have also read severl posts by others who have exerienced the same. I have one now that I have not yet started to fit mainly becuase of the headache of doing so.

Best

[motley911]

what about a set of these?

RWB Vented Quarter Windows

I would be interested in something like this with 3" ducts to pull air into the engine.

[onboost]

Originally Posted by motley911

what about a set of these?

RWB Vented Quarter Windows

I would be interested in something like this with 3" ducts to pull air into the engine.

Dude, that's really not a fiberglass panel that you would fit to a vehicle.. that more of custom metalwork to alter the body/window cavity.