http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=2560128#post2560128
Can prepreg come out with that type of gloss on the surface strait from a mold!? And what is all the “spiderweb” looking stuff on the back of the part?
IPT does use prepreg I believe. I don’t know about the gloss but I do believe it does not come out like that right out of the mold.
I’m gonna say that’s prepreg. You can tell how the weave stays straight though the curves. honestly I don’t know what everyone there is raving about, I think the piece looks like sh!t.
MKIV SupraPower
Junior Member
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: Palmdale, California
Posts: 125
very nice! How does the clear finish hold up to the engine heat?
12-12-2004 10:32 AM
IPT
SupraForums Sponsor
Registered: Jun 2002
Location: iptms.com
Posts: 121
It is not CLear coated that IN the Pre-preg carbon fiber it is Thermo-Set Resin So it will not yellow or fade stays the way it is . :!:
Dusty has had one on his single turbo for over a year now and still looks brand new
parker
…Well this is IPT’s explanation anyway to that poster. :?
Evan…CFcraft’g doesent seem to care for the final product,what do you think about its quality and finish ?? :?:
I realize there is wrinkling on the backside from bagging and some low spots on the outer finish near the bolthole stancions …but ?? :roll:
I’ve been building the plugs for my RB26DETT covers which are for twin cams and spark cover.My question is “will the epoxy resin and gelcoat you sell here withstand engine bay temperatures without discoloring” ?
I wouldn't mind viewing what would put that cover to shame as a production part ! :wink:
,..................Vince 8)Look at any of the spoon carbon or kevlar covers. I would love to know what exactly is classified as a “true mold”.
MadMaxx
Member
Quote:MADMAX
Registered: Dec 2002
Location: Geenville, SC
Posts: 227
Most carbon that exists in the engine bay will be fine for many years. If your parts are seeing surface temps beyond 200deg, you have much larger issues than if they will yellow . Besides, UV is your enemy much more than heat when it comes to “bare” carbon.
I’m happy with my resin infusion, works for me
Edit: Good looking parts BTW. How big of an autoclave are you guys running?(end quote)
:o I didn’t read the “true’mold” statement in the post ?? Did I miss something ? :?
They seem to have their act together and certainly have some tested and true customers. Not to mention he has a good demeanor going for him.
:arrow: I do know that the underhood heat soak temps for the 2JZ and the RB26Dett’s see well over the 200 degree hits . Twin turbo bays generate alot of heatsoak during high boost durations but if the systems for air purge and general cooling upgrades are thought out they work great and see long lives.
:?: CFCRAFT’ing,where you just poking fun at his parts in sarcasim?, or did you really mean to “buzz” him ?(maybe its just the way it read ?) They have good equipment and he seems to be genuine in his efforts to bring a nice part to his markets.
........................Vince 8)Look at any of the spoon carbon or kevlar covers. I would love to know what exactly is classified as a “true mold”.[/quote]
- I took a look at about 6 sites carrying the “Spoon” CF/Kevlar covers. And they DO make nice parts. But they are quite abit smaller in their size and I’m sure in the the difficulty to produce. Wouldn’t you think ? Their molds are probably CNC’d since they have been making them in alloy for some time. Just my view,
.
I guess by the remarks made you have superceded his quality in simmiliar parts ? Thats great…I hope to see some of your exellent work.
I promise not to be as harsh/harrassing as you were to IPT ! I’d rather rejoice in your successes and share some experiance,personally.
…Vince 8)
I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on them 
They do make a couple nice products I wouldn’t mind having but the one on the supra forums didn’t look like a piece I would be comfortable selling to a customer.
I don’t make any small pieces myself but there are a couple of my personal projects here.
http://www.icancomposites.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=188
As for my production peices you’ll just have to guess at what I make as I cannot show for legal reasons. They might just shoot me.
I’ve seen an IPT cover in person and it looks fine to me. The finish isn’t a high gloss, but it’s still smooth and dandy. From what I can see they use one single ply of 2x2 twill but with a heavier tow, perhaps 12k and not the standard 3k. You can’t really tell unless you see it in person. The back side, although somewhat wrinkled, is pretty common. This is caused by wrinkles in the release ply that they lay down which will never be perfect no matter who makes them.
Either way it’s not my place to judge other companies’ products. If their customers are happy then it doesn’t really matter what I say.
Vince, I use 2 different epoxies to make engine compartment parts. There’s a room temperature resin that can be mixed with a high temp hardener which yield a end product that can take up to 200F. Other than that I also have a high temp epoxy mixed with the same high temp hardener that will take it up to 325-375 after post cure. Beyond that I have a prepreg that can withstand up to 600F. This is what I use to make the Ducati 999R exhaust covers with.
did I miss out on any questions? I’ll read your posts again.
Evan
As for “true mold”, I really have no idea what the hell that’s suppose to mean. I can only guess it means they’re using CNC milled aluminum molds. Which beg the question how their price can be some what reasonable unless they whore out a lot of each product. Again, if they can do it and stay in business then more power to them.
:idea: Exellent information Evan ,thanks ! :?: Do you happen to know what the heaviest “Tow” we can use in VIP in a single layup ? I realize Autoclave has plus’s re;this…just curious how far we can push it with a part with some 3-D shape as in that cover ??
…Vince 8)
VIP is not limited to the tow size but rather the type of weave. 12K tow unidirectional going parallel to the flow of the resin will wetout nicer than 3k tow woven in a cloth form.
Good morning EVAN ! 
OK, but by “wet-out BETTER” ,…do you mean quicker or better saturation altogether ??
Question 2; So if a thicker final build were to be done all in CF,using several 5.7 oz of 3k twill would infuse better and take form than say,…1 layer of 11 oz of the same characteristics ??(am I making sense ?) :roll:
…V’ 8)
quick & better saturation, yes!
It doesn’t neccessary work that way. The thickness of your laminate has very little effect on how fast/slow the resin is going to flow. It has to do with the reinforcement. Plain weave cloth blocks the flow of resin while unidirectional cloth does not. A loosely woven plain weave cloth will flow better than a tightly woven cloth of the same weave. Etc.
:arrow: Ahhh,I see “said the blind man” ! :lol: Since I somewhat highjacked this thread(sorry :oops: ) I’ll say that I remember Evan telling me that to get a more glossy finish while doing VIP,we can reduce the Vac level back abit once infusion has completed so as to let the surface pressure relax and thus allowing more resin to get between the bag and the reinforcement top layer…Is that right Evan ?
I’ll start another thread discussing weave combo’s for lay-up and do the questions there .
.......................V' 8)Correct, but just a little bit. Lowering the vacuum and having a leak are two entirely separate matters by the way. I did not figure this out by reading a book, so try it at your own risk. Lowering the vacuum too much will cause spring back which will lead to voids within the layers and delamination.
Gotcha". I bought a hospital grade vacuum regulator with VERY fine adjustments to see how well I can pull that “little trick” off ! Wish me luck.
I realize getting it wrong will cause resin pooling too. So I’ll start mild til I trust the technique. :?
…V’ 8)