First step think about what why and where you need one.

So I need one here! Rather my buddy does because his bay has the battery tray removed.


Second step remove everything well out of your way and get everything organized.

You will need to make a mold and the modeling material of your choice. You can use cardboard, metal tape plastic, etc. Be creative.

To make the mold you will need.
Fiberglass
Resin
Gloves
Modeling material
Horse hair brushes
Mixing cup.
Razor knife.
Mold release wax.
Pva.

Depending on what you are making your bracket for you may need more but this is a basic how to.

Thirdly, model up your material. Here you will see I am using a material that is the same thickness as the part I'm going to fabricate. Usually a piece of cardboard is thick enough to replicate a carbon part. With tape then placed over it your part when finished will nest tightly on the piece you are fabrication of of. In this case my shock tower.


Fourth, prep your area with a realease so your resin will not stick to the substructure. Wipe on a heavy coat of release wax. I use meguires mold release wax. It is readily available at any west marine store. Let stand 25 minutes.

Fifth step is to start laying up. Mix your resin and get your fiberglass ready. I use chop strand mat on most of my molds. It's important that you do not cut the csm with scissors. Just tear it off. Brush on an even coat of resin on your material and place a layer of glad on. Dip the brush and start wetting out the glass with a fast dabbing motion. Keep doing this until you build up a thick strong mold. I didn't photograph this step unfortunately because my hands were busy and I don't want resin on my phone. Now let the resin cure up and take a break.

Sixth step. Rip that baby apart. I brought a crow bar but... Didn't need it. Take a cutting wheel and quickly trim the excess glass strands away. Clean the mold with warm water and soap. Now you are ready to make the carbon part.






Seventh step is to make the carbon part. Wipe on release wax and let that dry. Brush on a coat of pva and let that dry. Now get your carbon ready and with the same technique brush on a coat of resin and lay down your fabric with a dabbing motion. Let cure.

Eighth step. Separate your part from the mold and trim it up to size. I use wedges, Popsicle sticks, plastic spreaders, crow bar, your name it to separate parts.

You are done.






I use vacuum bags and many other materials for my parts to achieve slightly lighter and better performing parts. The instructions I gave you will still give you a strong and light part.

After all it's just a bracket or whatever simple composite you want to make... Maybe a throttle cable bracket?

Thanks for reading.

Dallas

Hope this helps you fabricators out ther

 

Btw... Aside from waiting on wax and resins to cure I made this bracket in a few hours. Granted aluminum angle or sheet metal would be cool and work just as good. You can't go wrong with carbon unless you fukk it up. On the other hand. This bracket is stronger and lighter than aluminum or steel of the same weight and now that I have a mold I can make another in around two hours start to finish. So carbon has its benefits and drawbacks in most cases.

 

is there a reason you didn't make the bracket out of aluminum or steel and then just use that for the mold?

 

Yes actually. Making the bracket from scratch would have added much more time. Using The material I model with took about 3 minutes to cut with a razor knife and position in place. To fab a metal bracket would have took much longer. The shock tower is not flat and level. So making a metal bracket to follow the compound curves and engine bay profile isn't hard but would have taken time. Building the splash mold in the car was simple and fast. Longest time was spent waiting on cures rather than fabrication.

 

Another crazy bracket

 

Dallas, thank you for making the quick how-to. Please keep the little projects coming!

 

Will do. I plan on making another write up for another simple project I will be releasing soon. It will be a universal canister catch can. So stay tuned. You are very welcome.

 

Coming from someone that knows next to nothing about working with fiberglass and or carbon fiber, that is wild. Just out of curiosity, what's a rough initial investment to get into making small parts like that on an "as needed" basis? And on a similar note, is there any company in particular that you prefer to buy your supplies from? I've always wanted to learn how to work with fiberglass, carbon fiber, ect, to make a custom part here or there.

 

A few hundred bux initial investment will get you started doing wet layup and small molds. Just remember things like sandpaper and gloves and cups are not included. But... You can buy small starter packs from fiberglast.com or even aircraft spruce. That comes with fabric and vacuum bag supplies. Search carbon fiber vacuum bag starter kits and a bunch of different sites will pop up.

I honestly look for auction prices on eBay for the best price carbon material.