Carbon Fiber hoods

[IZwack]

It has to be powdercoated. If I was to get one, that is what I would do.

dun wanna burst ur bubble but I dont think carbon fiber + resin can be powder coated.

If carbon fiber is done right, not just for show, it can be beneficial. It is stronger and lighter than fiberglass.

It can be beneficial but probably not in off roading. Ive used carbon fiber (with nomex) for aerospace related projects for the reasons you stated - strength and weight saving. But our SUVs hardly ever leave the ground and well, they're not exactly the perfect vehicles to run the quarter mile on. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for composites and I prefer working with composites than steel. But IMO, I would rather spend that $400 on say a locker - something that will actually help out on the trail.

 

[chriswells78]

Just about anything can be powder-coated, you just have to take it to a professional to get it done right. I believe the new Ferrari's are powder coated carbon fiber as well as the Saleen S7's

 

[410Fortune]

Why?

Most "carbon fiber" parts I have seen so far, hoods, fenders, dashboards, etc are really fiberglass with one layer of CF on top for looks.

I cannot imagine spending this much $$$ for a hood for an Explorer, I dont care what it's use. And if you do decide you need one, dont PAINT over it ir color it, hahaha leave it CF.

 

[IZwack]

Just about anything can be powder-coated, you just have to take it to a professional to get it done right. I believe the new Ferrari's are powder coated carbon fiber as well as the Saleen S7's

then tell me how your going to get electricity across the resin? carbon is a decent conductor by itself, but once the resin is on top of it, itll probably conduct just as well as a piece of paper. in addition, putting a carbon fiber hood in an oven at 400 degrees will probably start to deform the resin. if u really want composite painted correctly, try epoxy-based paint : epoxy on epoxy.

 

[chriswells78]

It the hood mentioned in this thread is indeed fiberglass covered in CF, then it is not worth $400.00 and nevermind. I was reading a FAQ on Powder coating a few months ago that said that it could be done, I would have to find it again to find out how they said that they had to do it. Google it, that is what I did.

 

[NaplesBill]

i think the best way to find out whether or not this is carbon fiber is to call them.
but carbon fiber hood for 400 dollars? wowzers on that! i think you can find fiberglass hoods for a lot cheaper. carbon fiber does nOT have that many advantages of fiberglass when it comes to body panels and hoods on cars. carbon fiber panels are, as many have stated, just for show.

CF is supposed to have much better strength(not an issue here though). It all depends on the look of the vehicle whether or not it will look good. I've only seen one 2nd gen X with a CF hood and it looked pretty good. It was a monotoned green one. If you have a lot of chrome or bling I don't think it will look too good. It will most likely look out of place.

I have a VIS CF hood on my 3rd gen and it is real CF. I paid $500 with shipping and taxes.

 

[expo5.0]

how many of you have taken your hood off before?

my 2nd gen hood weighs so little to begin with...

 

[sikamikanico816]

how much is little? less than 20 pounds or what? im curious whether to get a fiber glass or carbon fiber.

 

[expo5.0]

i would guess that it weighs 34 lbs. you might save 15 lbs by swapping it out- personally i'd rather just put my significant other on a diet.