My name is Dan and my part time money pit is CarbonFiberCrafting. Yeah that’s a pretty long web address so I shortened it. You may also know me as potterds. I got on this carbon fiber kick a couple years ago after buying my peice of junk s2000. Before that I owned a 1972 bayliner which was my first attempt at composite work, it sunk the first time:D but I quickly learned the trade and restored it. From then on I started restoring boats and selling them as well as tinker around with the s2k.
Hey guys, My name is Rick and my my screen name is from my racing # from my one and only amateur race weekend four years ago in motorcycle roadracing. Well that is what brought me to composites, I had one ugly, beat up 95’ ZX6R which needed much help. So now I do some work for friends and my self out of my two bedroom apartment in Queens N.Y. Since I am not making much money at it right now, I hold a steady job at JetBlue Airways as a Crew Scheduler. I’m pretty much new to all this stuff though. I have a lot and have some big plans in this field, I love the the design aspect of it all. So if I ask a lot of questions please forgive me. Well that’s me, in a nut shell.
Hello, I go by “JM”…
I’m here with you and I’m hooked on Plastics like you, but I’m really “HOOKED” as I have been doing it since I started my own business in 1977!
I’m glad we have this “PA” meeting for Plastics junkies as it allows me to clean myself at lest for a few minutes each day…
Well, I’m getting the shakes and I need to go and get a fix of Polyester…
C…Ya.
PS: The above is just a joke (not about the business although)…I’m also a Fiberglass and Plastics ROP (free Calif. state job training program for studnts 16 years and adults too) instructor in Garden Grove, Calif. area for the last 12 years…gee time flys when you are having fun… :lol:
Hi Jm,
Just thought you would be interested to know that you’ve been in the business since the year I was born 
Looking forward to reading your posts.
Yea, I hear that a lot from my Fiberglass and Plastics ROP students… :lol:
Hello everyone…I am Vince,and I’m a “FABAHOLIC”. 
I work in thr Research and Development lab for Vapor Systems Technologies located in Springfield Missouri (BRAD PIT-ville" )lol.
Our home office is in Dayton Ohio. Both, my boss and I , are dedicated Auto Racers and builders in our “off-time” and have had years of enjoyment working with cars and composites. I just recently placed a large order with EVAN to move into the “Vacuum Infused Process’s” to enable me to go into full production for a line of CF componets in the Vintage Import Car genre’. 8) (specifically Nissan & Datsun Z"s)
This would of previously remained a hobby,but I lost my Fiance’ in a car wreck last Summer and have to stay extremely busy in order not to become a “TERRORIST” against the terrorists ! :roll:
So I have delved into this venture head first financially and am committed to making the finest parts I can and keep them affordable to all fellow enthusiast that share in my passion to “Raise the Bar” for older Imports for show and performance !
Whew !..Ok…there…it’s out ! :mrgreen:
Vinny-Z
Vince, sorry to hear about your lost…sometimes it is best to immerse yourself into work to get your mind off things.
If you ever have anyone looking for a Fiberglass or carbon fiber modified hood for a 1st generation Datsun 200SX, an adult student of mine is doing a mold for his Mini Stock to race against me next year at Irwindale Speedway.
Also, you might want to check out www.4m.net and look for the mini stock tech section for racing tips.
JM
Hi I’m Rick, Relatively new to CF but have been laminating glass since the 70’s. worked mostly with custom corvettes and building one off show cars till I realized I was killing myself for little gain. Turned to other cleaner careers then into the ceramic coating business [ shameless plug] http://www.hightechcoatings.com [/shameless plug]. I also own and restore Bricklins, hence the screen name here is a pic of my 76 (one of 16) with 443 original miles on it.
Work keeps me busy but paying with plastic cars keeps me happy. I do plan on building a complete CF body for one of my Bricklins, I know it seems kinda “ricey” but each to their
wow, shows what I know about cars. I never heard or nor seen this type of vehicle until today
welcome to the forum.
What a young wipersnapper… :lol:
I have seen that kinda car at a car show in vegas that is about it, they are pretty neat!
The best thing about them is all the running gear and consumable are off the shelf north american production, You can buy parts at napa if you know what to ask for. The one I’m doing the body for has a 550+hp 408 V8 with a Viper 6 speed. I have 4 of these stashed out back.
for more info yo can go to www.bricklin.org or http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~Heritage/bricklin/index.htm
these have always been the common man’s exotic, and are quite reasonably priced.
interesting read.
Bricklin, do you have any need for Polycarbonate replacement windows?
My business (me) have been making them for race cars (some illegal street race cars too) nearly 25 years. Just open up any VW mag and look for a drag car and they will have my windows in them.
No need right now, all glass is still available. The windshields are still made by the orginal supplier ($350@) in the original tooling, I have crate of hatch and side glass so I’m OK the glass. The major problem with the car is the non reapair ability of the acrylic panels, They can be repaired but painting them is not “original” and usually leads to spyder cracking of the acrylic due to the solvents, but I do have a ‘whack’ of original New old stock acrylic panels in various colors. Another problem was caused by the differing expansion/contraction rates of the glass and the acrylic causing the panels to curl on the edges. remember these were built 30 years ago and technology wasn’t what it is now.
My name is Adam and I work for Randtron Antenna Systems in Menlo Park, CA. We design and fab antennas for military aircraft and naval ships. In college I designed a carbon fiber fairing for a human powered vehicle. I’ve always been interested in composites and now I plan to build my very own composite human powered vehicle. I have a friend who has been working with composites for over 20 years and he is going to teach me everything he knows. I am excited about this opportunity. I think I’m really going to like this website and I know I will learn a lot for everyone.
welcome, as a former radioman in the Marine Corps I’ve probably seen some of your company’s work a time or two.
my name’s boogie (switched from james to boogie as my legal name because it’s been my nickname literally all my life, but i still use james for legal stuff). i’m 20 and i’ve been working with various race teams and groups/shops/garages building up engines, turbocharging or supercharging them, suspension work, doing headlight/taillight conversions and other misc bodywork, etc stuff like that.
i’m also a moderator for pocketbikeplanet.com, the world’s largest pocketbike forum. it’s fun having the ability to order around millions of teens around the world. i help organize local racing events at the track for pocketbikes and such as well. i built a full carbon fiber cateyes bike using regular wet layups and i’ve already spotted my bike on 4 other forums.
past few years of my life was building up a track car that i used on the track every now and then, but now i’m working on my e46 bmw which is more of a ‘relaxed’ kind of ride. i also own a ducati 999s, a few pocketbikes, and i co-own a kawasaki/campagna t-rex (yes those 3-wheeled beasts) w/ my brother. two of my close friends are also factory racers for honda’s motorcycles so sometimes i’ll travel with them to races and help them in the pits.
My name is Adam, 32. I have been interested in composites for about 6 years. Nobody built a hood for my 1st gen CRX so I made my own. Man that thing was ugly but I learned a lot. About two years ago, just after 911 I was laid off from my software job of 10 years so I thought I’d get a job I would enjoy, in composites of course. I found a company in Utah called MacLean Quality Composites just looking for any composites job basically and I was hired. I started out laying up carbon hoods for the GM Corvette Z06 program and helped them develop their inspection program. I was happy to do it as this was the first time carbon fiber had been used for a class “A” body panel in a high production setting. We ended up making over 3,000 prepreg uni-carbon hoods. No fabric was used in its manufacture. Pretty interesting layup.
After about 6 months I went to the owners with the idea of building aftermarket automotive parts. They liked it so I got an office job. I ran the RacePlates program until 3 months ago. www.macqc.com/raceplates.htm I also did a lot of B2B composite tubing and molded part quoting for different customers. Mostly high volume prepreg stuff. We had the Trek bicycles account. I was laid off 3 months ago because of the high cost of setting up a first factory in China. Now I am running two businesses, they are:
www.lighterfaster.com Carbon Fiber Body Panels - just sunroof replacement kits for now.
www.carbonfiberbracelets.com
Prepreg Carbon Fiber Jewelry
I also act as a composites broker to some extent for a defense contractor.
I will be setting up a faciltiy soon, still in the planning stages. The great thing about this forum is there is a lot of experience with non-autoclave composites. I have done a bunch of prepreg and some wet layup but not much mold building. I am pretty excited about trying out infusion.
Been into kart, drag, and SCCA racing since I was 16. Happy to be here.