[Blacdout96]

Blackbird/Sweet/Arock - I happened to look on his sight, those prices are a little high. 1,100 for a hoop, 2400 (1200 ea) for doors? I want to know how many layers he's using, because the main cost in composite parts is the R&D. I doubt his molds are made from CF, and if so, good on him, but 99% of molds are fiberglass. There are pros and cons using it, but outside of F1, top tier racing teams, the military, and a airliners, without having an autoclave, you don't need to worry about the expansion rates really when curing. This might be why everyone walked away when he came out with these products.

Blackbird - I thought about dash pads a while ago after mine splintered when I turned the heat on on a cold day, but two things I realized would be a problem. One problem is the vents. They are so thin that I would have to redesign them to handle being pulled out without twisting or getting damaged, so if people were looking for O.E. look, the vents would be different. Also, the dimples that the plastic has would make the finish look like crap, like dirt got into the epoxy, and if I sand down the pad to be smooth ,I fear the piece will reflect the light into the windshield, making visual problems, though the solution is to just paint it. it could be done, and I'm not sure what new pads are going for, but since the ABS is already thin, not many layers would be needed, and could handle a lot more abuse with chassis and dash flex, and they'd never crack.

V- I would need a perfect hatch, no scratches, scrapes, gouges, etc, plus it would need to be on a straight body vehicle. I must first "egg crate the part from the outside so it doesn't flex when taking off, then put an egg crate on the inside and remove the outside egg crate, that allows the part to not become twisted when working on it. If done properly, a donor part may be just as good as originally used. Many companies lay a layer of wax and PVA, then pull a mold off of it, and put it right back on the car, though I couldn't say 100% it'll be fine. A slight rip in the PVA may grab the paint, taking some with it, but I prefer to lay coats of epoxy primer down, and sand it to a few thousand grit just to be sure, so I prefer parts that aren't important unless they are rare, then I have to work with the paint on it. As far as a hatch, sure, it can be done. That's a two part piece where two separate molds must be made, one for the outside, and one for the backside, then both pieces are put together with a special two part epoxy glue.