Took the words right out of my mouth!!

At 12:21 AM 9/8/2007, Stephen Grisanti wrote:

> >Your pricing MIGHT be a little off.  You can get
> >carbon fiber hoods for about $800.
>
>How much do you think it cost to make that first Civic
>carbon hood and how many of them are out there?  The
>second was cheaper, the 100th way cheaper and the
>1000th maybe $400, so they can sell it for $800.
>
>Stephen
>
>--- "Chris S." <mrpolak@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>
> > Live it to the list to tear any idea to shreds.
> >
> > Your pricing MIGHT be a little off.  You can get
> > carbon fiber hoods for about $800.
> >
> > Max Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET> wrote: $500?  The
> > last time I checked, graphite cloth in a 6 oz,
> > weight was
> > selling for about $75/yd.  I don't remember if that
> > was 38"wide cloth
> > or 60", but the fact of the mater is that you're
> > looking at maybe 3
> > layers minimum to make that top stiff enough unless
> > you took some
> > sort of foam core stiffener and that carbon top
> > would likely not
> > survive much of a hail storm either.  The foam core
> > stuff ain't cheap
> > either. d.  Something with that many convolutions
> > would almost have
> > to be vacuum-bagged and I'd want a couple of layers
> > of kevlar under
> > the foam core just for strength. The kevlar is a
> > bargain at like
> > $15-18 a yard if you get it from
> > www.sweetcomposites.com  Then
> > there's the cost of making the mold for the top
> > after you make the
> > male plug to make the mold from.  The Westy top
> > wouldn't be rigid
> > enough to mold.
> >
> > Let's see, that first carbon top would cost about
> > $12,000, and the
> > next one maybe only $2,000 if you di all the work
> > yourself.
> >
> > DM&FS
> >
> > At 10:34 PM 9/6/2007, Don Hanson wrote:
> >
> > >a Van top from carbon fiber, while it would be very
> > trick, from a practical
> > >standpoint makes little sense.  Unless you're Bill
> > Gates or Jay Leno or
> > >someone with lots of money to spend on a
> > questionable project.  The amount
> > >of material you'd use to make the part...fiberglass
> > or carbon fiber.. is a
> > >lot.  Glass fabric is a little heavier and not
> > quite so stiff, but it is
> > >about 1/100th the cost of carbon fabric..In a piece
> > as large as a Westie
> > >style roof, you might save oh, say 20-30 lbs, by
> > using carbon fiber rather
> > >than the normal glass,  but you'd probably spend
> > $500 doing it...You could
> > >save almost that much weight just by vacuum-bagging
> > a fiberglass lay up and
> > >being very careful with the fabrication..
> > >   Now, in a racecar or a bicycle or an America's
> > cup yacht or an
> > >airplane...that kinda dollar per lb. may be worth
> > it..but for the top of a
> > >Vanagon?  Prolly not to normal humans...
> > >   Don Hanson
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> > Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you
> > sell.
> >
>
>
>
>
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