Question about doing a wing

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#1

Well Ive debated purchasing the UUC replica of the M3 LTW (tall version) wing. Its fiberglass, but I want to make a copy of it in CF rather.

Im just curious, if I just use the original piece of fiberglass (the wing itself) how will it turn out? I dont want to add CF onto it, but make a completely seperate one.

How do I get the cf to take the shape of the mold, but not stick to it… ie take the carbon fiber off once its shaped?

Considering some of the forces applied to a wing of this nature (on a track) how many layers of CF would be ideal?

Is this something that could be done w/o an autoclave or a vaccum bag?

Thanks for the help

Allan

#2

Comon… Evan? Bill? Anyone?

#3

Oops… how did I miss this thread? Sorry Allan. Let me go find a picture of the wing and see what’s the best way of doing it. BBL.

Evan

#4

Remember its the tall one. Try www.uucmotorwerks.com

#5

Is it a 2 piece wing? Hmm… Thinking

#6

Ok here goes.

The drawback of making a CF replica using the fibreglass wing is the size difference. The CF wing is going to be slightly larger because you’re wrapping over it. That could cause some fitment issue from the top piece to the bottom piece.

Other than that you’ll need mold release wax and pva film to prevent the CF from sticking to the fibreglass. 3-5 coats of wax (don’t just use car wax) and 2 coats of PVA release film (can either be sprayed if you have an air gun or brushed on) will do the job. I would use at least 4-5 layers of cf but not much more than that before it gets to be heavy and too thick…

Can you do it without a vacuum bag or autoclave? Yes, in this case. You’ll need to spray the wing with the 3M 77 adhesive, place the fabric over the surface, wait a day or two and start applying epoxy. For the first layer, apply lightly so that the epoxy doesn’t eat through your adhesive. The reason why you can get away with using the 3M 77 stuff is because you’re going to be pulling the CF off anyway. If you were to wrap the CF permanently over the wing then this will not work because the CF will come off.

So are you going to do it? If you can pull it off it would be sick.

#7

Am I going to do it? Definately soon. I dont think I can afford it quite yet. I would also like to get some practice on something simpler, but am having trouble finding things. Im still waiting for my sample pack from carb.com too. Do you think that the setup you have described above would be able to sustain the amount of force seen by a wing?

#8

I would definately get some extra kevlar and reinforce it in the areas where mounting is going to take place. For example, top and bottom of the 2 pieces where they meet and the bottom of the bottom piece where it gets screwed onto your trunk. About 3 extra layers of kevlar plus the CF in those areas only should do the job. I think 5 layers is good enough. Of course you can always see for yourself as you’re working on it.

#9

Ok cool. I might be getting the wing in maybe a month or so. I figure someone will want to get me something other than money for a graduation present.