So I've often heard people reccomending that if you get a CF hood you should get it crearcoated to protect against UV rays and fading.

I went to two different body shops (One really good one, and one decent one) and both reccomended against it. They said the clear coat won't bond well to the CF laminate, even after a light sanding, and a rock chip could start peeling and the entier clear coat could/will peel away.

So I haven't gotten them clear coated yet. But I feel like I'm gonna get sun fade unless I coat them.

Is this just a damned if you do, damned if you don't sutiation?

Has anyone clear coated their hood, wing, etc and had it peel, or even had it last a long time without problems?



Looking for experiences here.

Thanks
Jeff

 

My c/f came clearcoated already. But I'm not too happy with the finish, as its kinda hazy and spotted. But I guess it'll protect the hood? I hope so.

 

Jeff, I clearcoated mine back in January. So far everything is fine. My friend, scuffed the hood pretty good then cleared it. I have not seen anything wrong with it yet. It looks better then the gel coats that come on them too.

 

Here is my Fiberimage hood clear coated. With just about anything the gelcoat must be sanded to a dull finish for the clearcoat to adhere. There may be some pits in the gel coat when sanded and it may take a bit more clear to fill them in...but its worth it.

 

This is a little O.T.Lip,what color is that?It looks really good.Is it the Cl type S OEM color?Thanks

 

no. lots of people say that til they see the 2 together and its like night and day different. the CL is nearly orange.

its called AZTEC Yellow. the PT cruiser may come out this color. i got the paint code early.

 

I still haven't seen a REALLY good cf hood on a teg. I've seen other cf hoods in the neighboorhood of $2000, and they were works of art. Super light, and a gelcoat to die for. Incredible cf quality too. You wouldn't even dare think of clearcoating these. They were good enough for show, but on a racecar.

Warren

 

Hmm..aztec yellow...looks good though

 

You can clearcoat it pretty easily. It is kinda like preppin fiberglass in a way.

 

Lip that's a cute car you got there Never seen it before until now.

 

hey jeff, w/ the fiber images hood, you don't have to use hood pins now do u?

 

No....but for 10-25bucks and my own drill bit....I'd prefer just to have one. On my launch and stuff my car goes through some abuse so i'd just rather have the pins. By the time i begin braking i'm already over 110mph no problem....just makes sense to have the pins.

and thanks for the compliment

 

My body shop said the same thing about not c/cing the CF. I'm just going to wax it to try to help from the sun. Warren, you don't like my hood? As for quality, it's hard to compare to SPOON though. Back at IAS this year I was really impressed with the BENNEN hood though.

Thanks,
Victor Perri II

 

When I get my cf hood, I'll definitely use hood pins.

Could be dangerous if you have it pop up at high speeds and ~130mph is no joke!

(I know how fast you drive Eric!)

Oh yeah: doesn't the clearcoating of a cf hood defeat the purpose? I mean you are adding weight to something there only to save weight.....


[Modified by Black R, 8:34 PM 7/17/2001]

 

When my boss got carbon fiber valve covers we cleared then w/ a pearl and everything laid down ok but when we baked it in the booth it pinholed really bad. I would let air dry and don't bake in the booth.

 

Lip:

how did you get your hood to flush evenly ? I have a fiber images as weel, and the parts at the hinges sat about 1/3cm too high....making the whole sides uneven...

any tips and tricks you can share...?

thanks

 

Hi Lip,

Nice car, beautiful color and cool hood. Okay now the real question, what's sitting on the dash? Airfreshener?

 

HA HA very funny, um if i do recall I reached those speeds b/c i was following someone <BLACKR> who was racing a 240?...hehe

 

My CF hood has some major pinholes on it. My buddy is a painter by trade and a former bodyman (I have been corrected, there is a differance) he cleared a hood for a FD3S about 2 years ago and it turned out wonderful no chips to this day. He is doing mine in a couple of weeks. See my crappy hood in about 2 days at the ITR expo

 

baby monitor..lol

 

Some our hoods come already clearcoated already. It is pretty much all about the prepping that will determine if it was really worth it. Yes it will not only add more depth to the carbon, but also add better protection. Some of the gel coats I have seen are cheap and are not industry standard.

Here is a better pic. A nice closeup





Pretty much anything that is made out of carbon can be clearcoated. Some of the hoods that we make don't use a clearcoat but instead a spcialy formulated clear gel coat that is used mostly in things that require much larger UV protection llike boats. Also the molds that we have are the best and provide a very smooth finish that requires less buffin. Buffin too much can damage the life of a hood. I hope that answered your question with a little more detail. Peace.