Carbon Fibre Roof

[e30bhachu]

What would the weight loss advantage be and how much stiffer would the car become carbon fibre is supposed to be stronger and lighter than metal !!!!!

[Dave_M3]

I was really looking forward to making my iS a baur to do the cage and covering it up with one of these...

[E3018iAT]

Any news on the Touring side of things? Can it be done?

[Dave_M3]

Anybody else want to make these so?

[Andye]

As before, the contact I had isn't keen on small runs now that he has a motorsport contract, there obviously isn't a credit crunch in the world of carbon fibre! I'll try to twist his arm again but he wants a minimum of five orders to make them, thats five saloon and five touring if people want them as the mould is different for both apparently. Cheers, Andy

[Dave_M3]

We easily had 5!!!

At 300 quid it was a pretty good price I thought so people were pretty interested

[Dave_M3]

Also I know that the guy with the fiesta that has one fitted had some "flex" problems and had to have some extra bracing put on his cage to stop it.

As if Fiestas were a rigid car to start with

[miniblob]

£300!!!!!! Was that the price?????? Surely it can't be that cheap??????

I have some even more naughty plans, but i don't think i will have the money to make them happen for quite a while now!!!

Would still love one for my touring though - if it could deffo be bonded on well enough to replace a standard roof (no cage!).

[Dave_M3]

Yep, that was the price.... hence it never coming to anything

[Andye]

Hi guys, I can try the guy again, but to make it happen then I need five DEFINATE orders and £100 deposits. I'll try and talk the guy round and I'll keep you posted. Cheers, Andy

[Dave_M3]

You know I'm mad after one so I'll start the new list

1. Dave_M3 (DEFINITE)
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[Andye]

Right, I've talked with him again and this is where we are.

I've got a perfect non-sunroof steel roof skin to give him to take a mould from, he wants £200 to lay up the mould.

He needs five definate orders and the roofs will be £500 each, which is more than before and he couldn't really explain the increase. He said that if I get 5 orders I can have one for free but I'd rather pay my share and reduce the cost as I really want to get these under way. So basically we need 6 orders, me and five others to get the cost down to £450 each including the set up costs. Not cheap but a nice product, let me know what you think and if you still want to do it? Cheers, Andy 07866256713

[miniblob]

Take it there's been no progress on these?!?!?!

Let me know if a batch of touring roof's ever goes ahead!!!

Personally, i think £450/500 is a fair price - as long as they are top notch!!!

[treeseries]

just wanna give this a bump i was looking at getting a carbon roof from geoff steel racing as a one off they were lookin for £2500 all in? so why hasnt this happend yet im definately interested and would be well up for it at 500 thats a bargain. can we try get this going again????

[Andye]

I'll try my contact again but the last time I chased him he had a big motorsport contract and didn't have time for short runs. If anyone knows how / who / where we can start this off again then happy to do some digging and phone calls. Cheers, Andy

[Dave_M3]

I'd still really want one but just can't spare the money at the moment
450 quid still isn't too bad really considereing the amount of carbon your getting and it's not like its just a simple flat piece of sheeting!

[treeseries]

a man called will at geoff steel racing was willing to do me one i never mentioned bulk buying etc but he was definately willing to do it.

[e21Jason]

Hi

I am getting a price to do these from another source sorry for the thread highjack but if people are still intrested i will post up the detials

Jason

[Dave_M3]

I got a price from a local company for 480 euro recently.

Haven't seen their work yet though and they have been slow to get back to me on another job so will be interested to see what develops from your source, Jason.

[phil540uk]

I would potentially be interested but want to see one fitted first to see how it meets up with the rest of the car.

Phil

[e21Jason]

Hi the guys at

http://www.performance-trim.com/index.php

have come back with a price of 495 so add your names

1 e21jason
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[treeseries]

1 e21jason
2 treeseries

[Andye]

I'll contact them about the roof that I have available, mint "non-sunroof" roof that is off the car.

[performance-trim]

Yes, we'd be very happy to take this on at Performance-Trim

Andy has just been in touch about having the roof, so between us we'll sort out the logistics of getting this down to us and inspecting it. It really has to be perfect, or everyone will have dented carbon roofs

Price is still £495 including vat. We need 5 orders to bring it to production. 50% in advance, then 50% when ready to delivery. Postage is £25+vat within the UK (can also send worldwide) this also covers insurance, so there's no risk that it won't be perfect when it arrives.

We'd be looking to take deposits before Jan 31st (once 5 have confirmed). Moulding can take upto 6 weeks, then we can make 2 per week (in the order in which deposits were placed).

Any questions feel free to call. I can't get on all the forums as often as I'd liked, so calling or emailing directly is the best way to get in touch.

Best regards, Mike

www.performance-trim.com

07717418174
08458339690

[RPM]

Just notice your using my race car on your website for the E30 door cards

[UweM3]

I wouldn't go anywhere near a hand layed carbon roof on a trackday or race car E30.

Unless somebody buy's an old shell, fits a carbon roof and rolls it down a hill......

[Dave_M3]

Feck it Uwe... it'll be better than a rusty sunroof model roof skin thats also been butchered for room to fit an FIA cage


RE: Mike. I was the one e-mailing you during the week about the roof and other bits too but didn't get a chance to ring you yet with work today and yesterday. Might get a chance tomoro

[e21Jason]

I expect my cage to be a stronger than the stock roof and as the roof skin was removed to fit the cage it is easier than refitting a new skin
only concern would be the roof splintering on a roll
Jason

[Dave_M3]

Yep, thats what I was thinking too. you would get brilliant welds all around the top of the cage and you wouldn't have to take the whole-saw to the floor if you didn't want to too as you would need to welding a cage with the original roof in place.

Suppose, a carbon-kevlar skin would be the ideal approach.
Other thing I'll be interested to see is how the carbon skin joins up with the rest of the shell as the E30 doesn't have nice "roof rail strips" for want of a better word for a distinguishable join between carbon and metal.

[Turbo-Brown]

Ask them to incorporate a layer or so of diolen into yours Jason, I believe it acts like the laminate interlayer in a windscreen so it keeps all the broken bits of laminate from flying about in the event of a crash.

[treeseries]

can i just ask how much for fitting?

[UweM3]

Feck it Uwe... it'll be better than a rusty sunroof model roof skin thats also been butchered for room to fit an FIA cage


RE: Mike. I was the one e-mailing you during the week about the roof and other bits too but didn't get a chance to ring you yet with work today and yesterday. Might get a chance tomoro

I have a mate who is involved making CF parts for bikes. There is more to it than just making a mould from a part and lay some carbon sheets in it afterwards. There is some testing involved afterwards as well. How many of the small CF manufactureres do you know destroying parts to check for quality?
And there are shells designed to take a bonded roof skin and there are others.

Each to their own.

[treeseries]

why has everyone got this problem about the roof? i dont drive with the intention of crashing and rolling my car??? and as everybody who seems to be getting one is after a roll cage aswell surely that more than makes up for any structural issues? i'd guess that a car with no roof but had a cage was safer than a car with a roof and no cage.

[Dave_M3]

My thinking too... I don't really plan on rolling mine either but you never know what can happen or even if you don't roll it, somebody else can cause you to have a big off too. Structurally it'll be fine, the carbon shards might give you a few scratches alright though if your that unlucky but feck it I'll have other problems to worry about if things do go very wrong on me

I know its not the ideal approach Uwe but as my current roof is useless and I plan on using quite a few more carbon bits for bodywork I kinda just want the roofskin if it can be bonded to the shell without too much problems and not look shite.

I know somebody working in the composite department of Aston Martin... wonder if he can do something on the side for us