OK guys so carrying on from the discussions in another thread its clear that a few people are interested in buying a set of Carbon Scuttles.

From initial discussions with the manufacturer we would need at least 5 sets to make this viable, cost per set is circa £200-£220.

These will be "All Carbon Fibre" unlike others that are fibreglass with a carbon top face.

So if you would like to maybe participate in a group buy please register your interest and we will build a list.

I will then get the ball rolling as and when enough people have signed up.

I have a pair of very good condition OEM scuttles that will be used to take the mold from so they should fit very nicely.

I am hoping that the large gaps between the ribs can be improved upon too.

 

1. Ian Greenfield

2. Graham (Gray)

3. TonyB

4. TMogsy

5. Richie K ?

6. Therealnips ?

7. BigH

8. Toolboxtrev

9. Car.mad

10 jjr

11. Eddz32tt

12. Jason.300zx

Edited February 27, 20178 yr by Iangreenfield

Hi, is that just to get the first one bought?

 

No mate the molds will be more than that hence why im paying for them

No mate the molds will be more than that hence why im paying for them

 

So how much is the whole shebang? We might as well get this thing moving if so many are still interested.

 

Cheers.

Well the best laid plans and all that, I finally got the cash together to get this on the move, contacted the company only to find they are no longer trading and Terry has now quit the industry altogether so for the time being at least this is dead in the water, sorry guys I was very much looking forward to producing this project but its not to be.

:sad: thats a shame. I wonder if there is another way to do this?

:sad: thats a shame. I wonder if there is another way to do this?

 

Just a thought but I’ve seen some really effective carbon fibre hydro dipping. I don’t know much about the process (but there is a guy on the forum who’s into it, I’ll try and find out who it was and point him this way) but the products I’ve seen look the bees knees. Obviously you’d need a good scuttle to start with but if you’re not really trying to save weight and just trying to get the look then this could work for you.

Just a thought but I’ve seen some really effective carbon fibre hydro dipping. I don’t know much about the process (but there is a guy on the forum who’s into it, I’ll try and find out who it was and point him this way) but the products I’ve seen look the bees knees. Obviously you’d need a good scuttle to start with but if you’re not really trying to save weight and just trying to get the look then this could work for you.

 

Yes theres quite a few hydro dip companies out there but yet to find one that can do a pattern that looks correct

Just a thought but I’ve seen some really effective carbon fibre hydro dipping. I don’t know much about the process (but there is a guy on the forum who’s into it, I’ll try and find out who it was and point him this way) but the products I’ve seen look the bees knees. Obviously you’d need a good scuttle to start with but if you’re not really trying to save weight and just trying to get the look then this could work for you.

 

Its a good idea for people that have a good scuttle, but the one on my black car has disintegrated and had to go in the bin and the one of the red car has started to turn white and brittle. If we made moulds could we take them to a plastic forming/pouring company to make just normal plastic ones? Is that even possible, I have no idea about the manufacturing processes involved...

Hydro dipping is a difficult one with these scuttles, i have attempted it several times and had mixed results.

The main problem with these is the amount of opportunity for trapped air in the moulding to cause blows in the dip.

I dare say it is possible but the failure rate could cause costs to be higher than it is worth.

The setup i had was limited due to size of the scuttles however i will say that if they were taken to a proffesional dipping business, they wouldnt experience the difficulty i would face to do them.

 

Im pretty sure that if you wanted to consult a profesional hydrographics business, you may well get a good price negotiated on group buy for dipping work.

 

Worth a try for sure.

 

Unfortunately my hydro tank is now been scrapped because after the lack of interest, the equipment was taking up far too much space in my workshop and it was pointless keeping as no one wanted anything done.

 

I would advise either approaching a proper hydro business or alternatively there is also carbon wrapping services available.

Wrapping would actually strengthen and protect the plastic even if it has started to degrade.

 

That also may be worth an attempt.

i know a guy who sells carbon bike parts, will ask him if he is interested

If anyone is interested in a group buy for hydrographics, i have a friend who was my supplier who has a professional setup and i could enquire about a group buy discount

i know a guy who sells carbon bike parts, will ask him if he is interested

 

Worth a shot, I have a very good condition set of scuttles to take the mould from

Worth a shot, I have a very good condition set of scuttles to take the mould from

 

he gave me the details of the manufacturer, who already do car parts as well :thumbup1:

 

i will make contact later in the week and send you some details Ian

he gave me the details of the manufacturer, who already do car parts as well :thumbup1:

 

i will make contact later in the week and send you some details Ian

 

Cheers Graig lets hope he can help

Any progress guys? My scuttle is now sealed up with Denzo!!

Any progress guys? My scuttle is now sealed up with Denzo!!

 

sorry about the delay, been some busy times at work recently.

i am visiting them tomorrow with my panels so they can have a look and price them up.

sorry about the delay, been some busy times at work recently.

i am visiting them tomorrow with my panels so they can have a look and price them up.

 

Great news pal. Keep me posted.

Cheers Graig lets hope he can help

 

Great news pal. Keep me posted.

 

had an interesting chat today.

as i think i mentioned earlier in thread, he acquired a load of molds earlier in the year from a company that closed up and he found a set of 300zx scuttle molds in there after our phone call, so he has already sent them off to the factory to get a sample made and they should be back within a few weeks.

 

i left my spare scuttles to compare when they come back, then we can price them up.

this means we should have minimal mold costs to pay, if we need to adjust them.

 

i also left a throttle cover so he can get that costed up.

 

we can also start to list out other parts we might be interested in, and we can cost them up, like relay/fuse box covers etc.

had an interesting chat today.

as i think i mentioned earlier in thread, he acquired a load of molds earlier in the year from a company that closed up and he found a set of 300zx scuttle molds in there after our phone call, so he has already sent them off to the factory to get a sample made and they should be back within a few weeks.

 

i left my spare scuttles to compare when they come back, then we can price them up.

this means we should have minimal mold costs to pay, if we need to adjust them.

 

i also left a throttle cover so he can get that costed up.

 

we can also start to list out other parts we might be interested in, and we can cost them up, like relay/fuse box covers etc.

 

Nice one Craig. Re the scuttle molds would be interested to see who made them.

will be picking up the test pieces today so i will take some pictures and compare to the originals, as well as try and do a test fit on the car if the weather stays dry over the weekend.

 

will also get some individual prices and group buy discount pricing sorted if he has got them worked out.

The quality of the carbon is very good, and the mounting points all look right compared to the set i left with him, although not tried against the car yet.

It looks like the molds he has obtained were the previously made ones that had the larger gaps already made. Unfortunately i didn't get a chance to see them before he sent them off for the test set.

 

I discussed this with him, and he claims that putting the extra ribs in could be difficult as the raw carbon material will have to be cut smaller when it is being made, and will be more difficult to put into place during the build up. This means the ribs have the potential to be weaker and risk cracking during use, which is obviously not desirable by anyone, whereas with the larger gaps, they are able to get the material into place easier and make the ribs stronger. He deals with quite a lot of car and bike parts, so has seen some of these issues before.

 

However, he will discuss with the factory to see what options are available, as these molds were obviously made a while ago and carbon manufacture has come along since then.

 

The way around for us is to bond black mesh to the rear of the scuttle which will blend in and would have been needed to take the place of the finer little mesh strips between the main ribs anyway.

I have a couple of videos but too large to upload here in a zip file, so will find another way.

 

Edited February 23, 20196 yr by craig

I would buy those Craig....... so when are they going to be available for us eager beavers???...... lol

 

I currently have none fitted to my Z due to the old ones literally falling to pieces!

 

Would they be able to make front windscreen trims, t'top middle bar, T'top panels, sail panel covers, etc????

have some test fitting pics and comments, but probably need a bit more time and fettle, or some adjustment with the mold, particularly the smaller piece, mainly because they are much more rigid than the plastic oem pieces though.

 

the large piece lines up perfectly for all of the mounting holes, and although it doesnt curve with the window, flexes easily enough as shown and would easily stay in place.

the short piece will need one of the mounting holes opening up slightly, but the mounting holes are not quite 100% compared to the large piece. it is also much more rigid so i am not sure if the plastic clips would actually hold it in place or not when flexed to fit.

 

overall, they fit together well though, and they look good. i didn't try to fit the rubber trim piece or the clips as yet, i just wanted to check the alignment before the light faded.

 

Same as the old design Craig, the mounting point closest to the bonnet hinge on the small scuttle is a bit dodgy for sure.

Same as the old design Craig, the mounting point closest to the bonnet hinge on the small scuttle is a bit dodgy for sure.

 

seems that way Ian, i guess he got those old molds then. was that a problem before as well?

 

i will take them back with a car to show him the issues once i get the car back together again.

 

if we change the molds too much, then we may have to pay for new ones, which we should be able to do as a club if we have enough signed up for the group buy.

so i would prefer to discuss with him about making them slightly curved to fit the screen better if possible, especially the short one.

i hope he gets a positive result about discussing the extra ribs being put in then.

 

it might make a difference with the car, if we can adjust where we actually need the gaps to be and make them more relevant rather than just try to fit in with the OEM ones?