cutting carbon fibre

kinkyllama · Post by **kinkyllama** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:09 am

Well I got my APR custom splitter and the tow hooks get in the way. If its possible i might just torch the tow hooks and bending them out of the way. But if I cant do that than how do you cut carbon fibre? Especialy from the middle?

Danny

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:48 am

I would mask off the area around where you plan on cutting, then I would VERY CAREFULLY use my dremel to cut out the area I wanted out of the way... VERY VERY CAREFULLY

More specifically, I would draw out the shape I needed to cut with pencil, then mask around the outside of that area with masking tape and paper to protect the areas around the cut. Then I would do a rough cut of the area using cutting wheels and finally go in with the sanding tools to get a more accurate shape to what I wanted cut.

I should also note that I haven't tried this... but if I was going to do it... that's how I would do it.

chronoti · Post by **chronoti** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:29 am

or rent a recipacating saw those things can cut your car in half .....

well to cut off the hook not the cf that would tear it the hell apart

Audacity Racing · Post by **Audacity Racing** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:31 pm

always always always use a cutoff wheel or a 32 teeth per inch hacksaw... NOTHING ELSE

kinkyllama · Post by **kinkyllama** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:53 am

Well im just gonna cut off the tow hooks... its easyier anyways and i loose more weight!

j/k

What about drilling? the directions say just to drill it but I thought it'd ask?

Audacity Racing · Post by **Audacity Racing** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 5:08 am

twist drill will be fine... DO NOT USE A WOOD BIT OR A SPADE BIT (step drills are bad too)

kinkyllama · Post by **kinkyllama** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:31 am

Audacityracing wrote:twist drill will be fine... DO NOT USE A WOOD BIT OR A SPADE BIT (step drills are bad too)

Alright, thanks!

kinkyllama · Post by **kinkyllama** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:05 pm

Whats a "twist style" I've talked to about 20 people and no1 knows. I went to ace, sears, and home depo... which finally had almost the size I needed (good enough) but only a wood, plastic, and metal bit.. ... I take it that it wont work cuz its a wood bit?

Audacity Racing · Post by **Audacity Racing** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:09 pm

twist drill = two (or more) cutting edges that are twisted (like a standard drill bit for metal). don't try to use a spade bit (the flat ones), a hole saw, or a wood auger (have very sharp, pointed cutting surfaces)

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:51 pm

Whenever I am going to be a lot of drilling on something where I am worried about precision and detail, I always buy more then one bit. I mark in precise detail every hole I will be drilling. I number them all and label them for size (a white wax pencil works well). You might even consider centering and drawing circles for you to drill inside of. If I have one size of bit that is going to be used for too many holes, I will get two or three of that size bit.

The idea is that a dull bit pushes it's way through the material more then it cuts through it. Dull bits lead to fraying and sloppy holes in my experience.

Long story short... Mis en Place (a french term used in cooking that means, "Everything in Place"... meaning you have all the tools and everything set up before you begin cooking).

kinkyllama · Post by **kinkyllama** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 9:49 am

Man it was a pain in the ass to install the damn thing.. and its still not done.

I cant put all the bolts in the seal it off cuz the intercoolers in the way.. i cant take the intercooler off without the bumper being off... i cant put the splitter on w/ the bumper being off cuz i cant reach the bolts. grrr So directly in the middle there is a small gap that air can pass through... and im not sure how to fix it. Self drill screws would not work either.

Also the splitter aims up instead of down (like its supposed to.. or even straight) so it doesnt do its job perfectly. Although I did take a test drive and it seamed to help alot... i didnt wanna do any hardcore "testing" on the street since my last ticket though. But Im very suprised that it seams to help alot at speeds as low at 60-70mph