Carbon Fiber

I peruse a lot of GTM build sites, looking for ideas. One thing I have looked at for my other cars is carbon fiber parts. These are expensive!  The GTM stock interior is black plastic, and there are no third party vendors offering carbon fiber upgrades, So how do you incorporate carbon fiber into the GTM build ? There are a couple of options.

I plan to install fender louvers. Besides wanting these to have a carbon fiber look, I also want to have black rivets for the install. One thing that drives me nuts are these elegant pieces held on by shiny aluminum colored rivets. They just look out of place to me.

One place is located in the UK is called Carbon Mods. They sell a couple of different kits to create a molded carbon fiber part, or to cover the part in a high gloss carbon fiber cloth. This is not a vinyl product. Think of it as decoupage for car parts. This process will take about 2 or 3 days to cover a part. The result is spectacular. Personally, I would try this out on a smaller part and debug the process. I think this process would prove difficult with larger pieces. Carbon Mods has a great instructional video that explains their process.

The other place I came across is Destron's Garage. Their approach is to cover the part with a air breathable wrap made from either carbon fiber cloth (for interior products) or a UV resistant carbon fiber vinyl (for exterior products). This is an easier process and more applicable to larger pieces. These guys are very responsive. They answered both my email query on their contact pages, as well as my questions on their Face Book page. They have a decent step-by-step instructional page that explains their process.

The roof scoop is a very large piece. I figure this winter work that can be accomplished either at the Northern or Southern Man cave locations during the winter months.

The Carbon Mods approach probably lasts longer. However, my GTM will not be sitting outside in the elements fighting off rain, snow, sun shine and bird droppings. My GTM will be pampered like the Corvette and the Boxster. If I am very fortunate, I hope to purchase garage condo for the entire fleet.

Of course, no GTM is complete without a Gen II splitter. One of the planning considerations  is to divide things that can be accomplished on the chassis, and items that can be worked on in the Man  Cave during the winter months. Those living in southern climes don't have the same considerations, but a Minnesota winter can put a dent in anyone's build schedule.

I asked Destron's Garage what the life cycle was for their exterior product. They say you can expect 5 years, and if it is pampered maybe another 3 to 4. By then, I'll want to do something new to my GTM.