How to Make a Carbon Fiber Car Bonnet/Hood - Part 1/3 : Making the Mould

You're welcome. Please just spread the word about our company; we do these videos to share our passion for carbon fibre and composites and to raise our profile around the world. If the 100hrs+ we put into filming and editting this series helps a few people to make some really amazing parts (or even start a business) and gets us one or two links on forums and blogs then it's all worthwhile.

I really wish I'd watched this $200 (in materials) ago. :) Great series - thanks for taking the time to make these videos. I used hot glue to attach flange forms to my plug, but didn't put tape down beforehand. Because, hey, how hard can it be to remove hot glue? (ProTip: It's not difficult, but super time-consuming. Use the tape.) Also, filleting wax is freaking impossible to find in the US. I've found that a sulfur-free oil-based modeling clay works very well. It doesn't dry out, PVA will stick to it, and it's easy to remove from the plug once the mold is complete. (I'm not an expert - just making this stuff up as I go along.)

I have work due in an hour, and I’m watching this. Nice work self!

Yes, the mould can be reused dozens if not hundreds of times. We use Uni-Mould based moulds in our own workshop for some of our production parts and they wear very well. The more you look after them the better they will last. By having a good gelcoat finish you can also at occasional intervals re-polish the mould to take out any scratches or dulling that has occured with regular use.

Depends on the engine bay temperatures. A engine with good heat shielding will generally not be a problem as the air temp under the bonnet will not likely reach more than 60C. Some high powered cars may be higher so you need to check.

You're welcome! We're working on some more pretty exciting professional carbon fibre tutorials so keep an eye on our site and this channel!

In this video we're using a 200g 2/2 twill 3k carbon fibre for the visible layers. We use a Lantor Soric SF2 core material on the top skin and for the inner skin we use the 2/2 twill 200g fibre again backed-up with a 650g 12k carbon. When you're laying reinforcement into the mould dry it should be quite easy to keep the weave nicely aligned. It normally gets distorted in a wet-lay process when you're pushing it around with a brush or roller. You don't have that problem with resin infusion.

I would like to do as much of my car as possible , I have a '67 Toronado - nearly 5000lbs ! This video series has really inspired me to Replicate all the front end metal -Hood Fenders in and out - Rad support and the valences , Doors deck lid and I even would like to attempt to do the Body Shell ..

I recently started working in composites after working with metallics the majority of my career and these videos are invaluable. I just wish I had a big enough garage to do this at home. Thanks

Best quality video from 2012 I've ever seen! Great explanation. Clear, detailed. Spot on.

In total we used about 20kgs of the Uni-Mould resin, 7kgs of chopped strand mat, 5kgs of the coupling coat and 5kgs of the tooling gelcoat however this is a small part (a FIAT 500) and a larger part would require more resins and glass. Remember that we made an inside mould and an outside mould.

The mould making process (as shown in this video) does produce fumes, you need good ventilation and you could also wear a mask. At normal low levels it's not dangerous. Making the part itself (the resin infusion) is low risk; good ventilation should be adequate. Trimming the part requires (video 3) requires a good mask because you're generating lots of fine dust. Take a look at our new cutting safety video if you want to learn more about masks.

The four videos you have on your channel are BY FAR the most intelligent, concise and in-depth I've found on youtube for how to work with carbon fiber. Thank you very much for all the effort you put into this series.

I must say, I'm so impressed by the professional process used. I guess that's why you end up with the immaculate finish. Cant wait to see how the final product turns out!

Last night I some used JB Weld to seal a crack on one of our taillights, so now I know all the ins and outs of epoxy and resin for car applications just like this guy! 😂

Yes, that's what I was talking about. The original hood will certainly come out of the new mould no problem but because I ground off the latch and hinge-pins then the original steel part cannot be fitted back on the car (it was only £50 off eBay anyway!). If you want to keep the original in a condition where it can be put back on your car then you would have to work around any bolts or catches which is perfectly do-able but a little more awkward.

Lots of patience required to do this line of work. I could see why CF hoods and other parts are pricy because of the skill set and labor behind it. Good job dude! 👍🏽 keep up the good work you do. 😎

I love the video, it gives me a new appreciation into why carbon fiber parts are so bloody expensive.  I wanted to make parts for my old 82 LeSabre, Buick, just to be different and improve it's economy but had to sell the car.  I was slightly regretting it when I read the title to this video then I thought, holy hell you used up like 8 sheets of fiberglass matting, chopmat, and you haven't even made the part yet.  I would have rather just stripped the parts off the car, sent them to you and have you do it because to quote another American, "ain't nobody got time fo dat (Kimberly "Sweet Brown" Wilkins)"

@easycomposites these videos are a godsend. Never thought I'd be able to make my own carbon fiber parts. Thanks to you guys I'm halfway through a new intake manifold. Your in depth videos are easy to follow and saved me a ton of time and potentially expensive mistakes.

Nice , my old work...i work long time ago with production yachts , spoilers for cars , sand box for winter time..🇵🇱🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿👍