garrett376

Thought I'd share... I finally got around to installing these after a year or so having a door panel with a speaker hole in it! Considering all the parts that are omitted from the stock door there is actually quite a weight savings with these things - the sheet of molded carbon is just a matter of grams! Plus, no ugly holes where the speakers used to be!

Ugly door shown first, then the improved versions!

psychoideas

That's pretty neat!
Where'd you get em?

How much $.?

elbeee964

Hey, Garrett-

Looks quite swell! A very clean design.

Carbon on the interior has me thinking big, ol' honkin' splinters in an accident.
Is that covered with a vinyl coat? Or is the carbon somehow chopped fiber?
Regardless, I guess it's not a problem at all seeing how everyone and his dog runs the stuff in the racing world -- but in my former aerospace world(s) those carbon splinters were some of the scariest things I'd ever come across (in the non-metal realm).
So what's the low down on it's construction?

-Lonnie

Marc Shaw

Ooh, nice.

Does this mean you are trying to pretty-up the race car?

Marc

springer3

Great looking. Does anyone know if you can retro-fit manual window regulators? Getting rid of two big DC motors, switches and wiring would save a few more pounds at modest cost.

garrett376

My friend made these for me - mine were the prototypes. They are made up of 3 layers of 200 gsm carbon box weave cloth, vacuum consolidated to one atmosphere, and cooked in an oven for 4-5 hours. The resin used is aero marine grade epoxy, which has UV protection. They are not painted so they show the carbon texture and have a matte finish. The end result is 1mm thick (or thin, as Apple computer always says!), reinforced in the switch areas and the top round section to 2mm. They weigh around 300-400 grams!

Springer - I was thinking of removing those motors... This project was a weight reducer, but more importantly a hole-in-the-door sealer for me! It bothered me having those gaping holes in the doors!

elbeee964

In the parlance of the trade, they'd call that 3 plies "plain weave" cloth, vacuum-bagged for a 4-hour cure cycle.
(And if it's similar PW to what I've seen, it comes in at cured thickness of about 0.078" per ply. So, with your 3 plies... [engaging Jethro Bodine-capacity cipherin' brain] 0.234", or about 6mm... So, nope it ain't the same. Your's is about 1/6 thinner per ply. Very cool!

garrett376

Yes sir, it's the expensive kind of carbon, I'm told - my friend who makes these panels builds america's cup boats out of this stuff!

LA964RS

How they attach to the door?....don't see any screws....or maybe they are just hard to see.

garrett376

Good question! We debated screwing it in, but decided at this point to use double-sided tape. The panel is so light, and is held in firmly by wrapping the door at the top (we made it so it goes into the door frame along the entire window section), as well as the screws from the pull handle pin the mid-section, that the tape works great on the periphery and looks even cleaner versus using screws.

dutchcrunch

that plastic seal that covers the doors internal can be ordered from Porsche !!!! its in the parts catalog