Carbon Fiber What? Door Pockets?

Harlan Chinn · Harlan Chinn's Garage

Wondering if anyone noticed the ad in the latest Excellence magazine for these carbon fiber door pockets? What are these manufacturers thinking? That we would turn our beloved P-cars into a 'Type R' Acura? Six C-notes goes a long ways to better performance elsewhere.

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 09-23-2003, 12:49 AM

The most useful thing you can do with the useless door pockets is remove them entirely. Looks better, too.

Stephan

seqcgr · 09-23-2003, 06:11 AM

Door pockets are useful for holding cans of soda-pop!

Randy Webb · 09-23-2003, 01:14 PM

Yup, I saw them. Was thiking about what the wt. savings would be until I saw they were $600(!). I like ot have map pockets on my ever-lightening tourer. I'd pay $100 to lose 4 or 5 lbs. -- esp. if I was going to replace some beatup map pockets anyway.

So I don't think the idea, per se, is insane.

island911 · 09-23-2003, 01:34 PM

I've got to disagree with ya Randy. (seems insane to me)

I had the though of CF door pockets a few years ago. I figured CF handles etal would be nice too.

BUT, thinking about the way CF breaks into sharp, stiff shards, (think unexpected swbsam crash) and the idea seems really really bad.

Porsche used materials that would "give" for very sane reasons.

CarreraS2 · 09-23-2003, 01:38 PM

Carbon Fiber is the new Khrome.

Randy Webb · 09-23-2003, 02:09 PM

Hmmm, I didnt know it broke into shards -- thought the resin would hold it all together. Guess we need a different type of resin.

CamB · CamB's Garage

Did someone say chrome door pockets?

I would happily take fibreglass ones for the '75 (the cardboard is looking crappy). I want it to look stock, so I want door pockets. The ones I have a re salvageable but not great.

But I think the f'glass ones are too pricey too (remember NZ = shipping costs plus).

Actually, that just made me wonder - how much - if at all - would the CF ones be than regular old GRP?

Jeff Alton · 09-23-2003, 02:20 PM

If you made them with epoxy resin they likely would not break into shards.

Jeff

island911 · 09-23-2003, 02:52 PM

To be fair to CF, the construction of the composite will largely change the break pattern.

The point I was trying to make:
Carbon Fiber is very stiff and has a very low strain to failure. (it doesn't hardly move, unless its broken) So, unless CF is smartly incorporated with other materials you can end up with a deadly/dangerous structure. . .as has been the case with CF ski-poles or archery arrows.

http://www.jhguide.com/Archives/FeatureArchive/2001/011212-feature.html

http://www.beman.com/product-information/index.tpl