James
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- James
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2017
- Threads
- 14
- Messages
- 560
- Reaction score
- 558
- Location
- Huntington Beach
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 JLUR, 2018 Jaguar XE, 2018 Fiat 500E
- Occupation
- Real Estate Broker
- Thread starter
- #1
Hi folks
I wanted to share the project I just finished for my cabinet system.
Prior to making this cabinet I had built one out of aluminum, it is solid and works great.(see photo) The problem I was having was the aluminum one was too heavy. How heavy? 120lbs. My JLUR has the Mopar 2” lift and is great off road until I put the roof top tent and load it down with all of my gear for a 5-7 day trip. I also noticed even without all of this I was sagging about 1-2” in the rear. I dealt with this weight problem before with my TJ build and decided I needed to cut weight on my cabinet one way or another. On my TJ I played with springs and shocks to the point it drove me nuts!
I started looking at my options. Carbon fiber is super light, strong, yet omg $$$$. Wood weighs more than aluminum.
Considering I have never worked with epoxy let alone carbon fiber I knew this was going to be a challenge.
I started out trying to find out if anyone else has done what I was trying to do, after searching the Internet I could not find one person who has done this and posted their results. My next steps was to start watching as many YouTube videos on carbon fiber and see what problems I’m going to have to deal with.
After I felt I was up to the task I started looking where I was going to purchase everything. Did I say it was expensive?
I found a company who sells carbon fiber seconds at $17 a yard vs $35+ a yard. I also wanted the red Kevlar/ carbon fiber drawer faces look.
I made my order, coming in at around $950 including shipping. Ouch! Yet my aluminum one was almost this same amount.
Next step.
I decided I would build a mold and do the layering in the mold. Since a vacuum pump runs between $600-$1,000 I decided I would just use trash bags filled with water as a compression to remove any of the extra resin. The best way would be a vacuum bag.
Everything seemed to be working out fine I did four layers of carbon fiber. Installed a lot of large trash bags, filled with water, went to take a shower, in the shower I had a good amount of resin in my hair that was hardening up. Went downstairs to give myself a gasoline shampoo. Put gasoline on a rag and was trying to get the resin out of my hair I noticed water coming out of the bottom of my mold. One of the dam trash bags had a hole and was leaking. Had to pull a pump and pump the water out of all the bags. I was in my garage until 1am dealing with this mess!
When I removed the cabinet from the mold the next day I found I needed more layers of carbon fiber, it was way too thin.
The bitch is after each layer I have to wait 24 hours for it to dry.
Next would be to install the inner wall, screwed up on this part because I did not account for the top and bottom and this will need to be cut and remove about 1/4 and Re epoxied. Darn!
Once the cabinet was finished I decided to make the drawers. I did the same thing by making a mold. One of the problems I had with my mold was the resin would get between the cracks of the wood and attached to the wood. When taking the mold apart the wood mold would break off pieces of the wood. Darn again! I then ran out of carbon fiber and resin! Gosh darn it!
Not to mention I wanted the inside of the drawer to have the red Kevlar look, so the first drawer I wanted to use the Kevlar. The red Kevlar material I got had already been pregnatided with resin to make it easier to work with. Have you ever tried to cut Kevlar? Broke three sets of scissors. razor knife? Does not even make a scratch in this stuff. I had to go and buy heavy duty metal cutters. Let’s just keep adding to my tab.
I had to order more carbon fiber and resin and the place sells pre made red Kevlar 24”x24” panels. Tack another $800 on the tab! This project was spiraling out of control on costs, I’m too deep into it to stop!
After adding two to three more layers of carbon fiber to everything I was in business. I needed to trim the drawers and cabinet. I went and purchased a Dremel. Just add it to my tab! The dremel cut the carbon fiber really easily, again the Kevlar was a bitch and burned through a few cutting wheels.
I added the drawer rails test fit and the faces of the drawers, this was when I noticed the inner wall being too tall. All of this took around two weeks.
I now needed to do a coat of UV resin or the darn thing could yellow over time.
This resin is much more difficult to work with, it is measured in grams. The other resin was really easy to work with because it is 3 to 1 and I used a simple measuring cup.
I borrowed a scale to measure it out, for every 100 grams you need 2 grams of hardener. I spilled the resin on my friends scale, just add that to my tab.
I layer a good coat on everything and waited for the next day. Wtf! The resin is still wet after 24 hours. Being pissed off and knowing I needed this finished this week because I was leaving for the overland expo next week I did what you should never do. Make another batch and this time double the hardener so it would dry. Really bad idea!
As I was brushing the new coat on it started gelling up and hardening leaving a ugly mess that will need to be sanded at a later date.
The next day after I had time to cool off from making a bonehead mistake I wrapped everything up.
Now came the big test how much weight did it save me?
The aluminum cabinet weighs is at 120lbs. The new carbon fiber cabinet? 33 lbs! Cost almost $2k
Before saying the $2k would be better spent on springs and shocks, I spent a better part of a year with my TJ trying all kinds of springs and shocks before I removed my wood cabinet and made out out of aluminum. I burned through a boat load of money and never really solved the problem.
How does the new cabinet work and compare to my old one? Worth every penny!
What would I do differently!
I’ll try to do a short list.
Buy the vacuum pump and do it right.
Secondly, I would figure out all of the parts and make one big panel of carbon fiber and cut all the parts out, make a mold or jig and attached all of the corners together vs one big mold. This would give me a much better product in the end.
I wanted to share the project I just finished for my cabinet system.
Prior to making this cabinet I had built one out of aluminum, it is solid and works great.(see photo) The problem I was having was the aluminum one was too heavy. How heavy? 120lbs. My JLUR has the Mopar 2” lift and is great off road until I put the roof top tent and load it down with all of my gear for a 5-7 day trip. I also noticed even without all of this I was sagging about 1-2” in the rear. I dealt with this weight problem before with my TJ build and decided I needed to cut weight on my cabinet one way or another. On my TJ I played with springs and shocks to the point it drove me nuts!
I started looking at my options. Carbon fiber is super light, strong, yet omg $$$$. Wood weighs more than aluminum.
Considering I have never worked with epoxy let alone carbon fiber I knew this was going to be a challenge.
I started out trying to find out if anyone else has done what I was trying to do, after searching the Internet I could not find one person who has done this and posted their results. My next steps was to start watching as many YouTube videos on carbon fiber and see what problems I’m going to have to deal with.
After I felt I was up to the task I started looking where I was going to purchase everything. Did I say it was expensive?
I found a company who sells carbon fiber seconds at $17 a yard vs $35+ a yard. I also wanted the red Kevlar/ carbon fiber drawer faces look.
I made my order, coming in at around $950 including shipping. Ouch! Yet my aluminum one was almost this same amount.
Next step.
I decided I would build a mold and do the layering in the mold. Since a vacuum pump runs between $600-$1,000 I decided I would just use trash bags filled with water as a compression to remove any of the extra resin. The best way would be a vacuum bag.
Everything seemed to be working out fine I did four layers of carbon fiber. Installed a lot of large trash bags, filled with water, went to take a shower, in the shower I had a good amount of resin in my hair that was hardening up. Went downstairs to give myself a gasoline shampoo. Put gasoline on a rag and was trying to get the resin out of my hair I noticed water coming out of the bottom of my mold. One of the dam trash bags had a hole and was leaking. Had to pull a pump and pump the water out of all the bags. I was in my garage until 1am dealing with this mess!
When I removed the cabinet from the mold the next day I found I needed more layers of carbon fiber, it was way too thin.
The bitch is after each layer I have to wait 24 hours for it to dry.
Next would be to install the inner wall, screwed up on this part because I did not account for the top and bottom and this will need to be cut and remove about 1/4 and Re epoxied. Darn!
Once the cabinet was finished I decided to make the drawers. I did the same thing by making a mold. One of the problems I had with my mold was the resin would get between the cracks of the wood and attached to the wood. When taking the mold apart the wood mold would break off pieces of the wood. Darn again! I then ran out of carbon fiber and resin! Gosh darn it!
Not to mention I wanted the inside of the drawer to have the red Kevlar look, so the first drawer I wanted to use the Kevlar. The red Kevlar material I got had already been pregnatided with resin to make it easier to work with. Have you ever tried to cut Kevlar? Broke three sets of scissors. razor knife? Does not even make a scratch in this stuff. I had to go and buy heavy duty metal cutters. Let’s just keep adding to my tab.
I had to order more carbon fiber and resin and the place sells pre made red Kevlar 24”x24” panels. Tack another $800 on the tab! This project was spiraling out of control on costs, I’m too deep into it to stop!
After adding two to three more layers of carbon fiber to everything I was in business. I needed to trim the drawers and cabinet. I went and purchased a Dremel. Just add it to my tab! The dremel cut the carbon fiber really easily, again the Kevlar was a bitch and burned through a few cutting wheels.
I added the drawer rails test fit and the faces of the drawers, this was when I noticed the inner wall being too tall. All of this took around two weeks.
I now needed to do a coat of UV resin or the darn thing could yellow over time.
This resin is much more difficult to work with, it is measured in grams. The other resin was really easy to work with because it is 3 to 1 and I used a simple measuring cup.
I borrowed a scale to measure it out, for every 100 grams you need 2 grams of hardener. I spilled the resin on my friends scale, just add that to my tab.
I layer a good coat on everything and waited for the next day. Wtf! The resin is still wet after 24 hours. Being pissed off and knowing I needed this finished this week because I was leaving for the overland expo next week I did what you should never do. Make another batch and this time double the hardener so it would dry. Really bad idea!
As I was brushing the new coat on it started gelling up and hardening leaving a ugly mess that will need to be sanded at a later date.
The next day after I had time to cool off from making a bonehead mistake I wrapped everything up.
Now came the big test how much weight did it save me?
The aluminum cabinet weighs is at 120lbs. The new carbon fiber cabinet? 33 lbs! Cost almost $2k
Before saying the $2k would be better spent on springs and shocks, I spent a better part of a year with my TJ trying all kinds of springs and shocks before I removed my wood cabinet and made out out of aluminum. I burned through a boat load of money and never really solved the problem.
How does the new cabinet work and compare to my old one? Worth every penny!
What would I do differently!
I’ll try to do a short list.
Buy the vacuum pump and do it right.
Secondly, I would figure out all of the parts and make one big panel of carbon fiber and cut all the parts out, make a mold or jig and attached all of the corners together vs one big mold. This would give me a much better product in the end.
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