We are excited to announce the winners of the Create Your Own Carbon Fiber Composites Challenge 2022. We weren't sure exactly what to expect for our first contest, but the quality of the work in the contest submissions was mind-blowingly high. Check out the video announcement over on Street Bandito. Thank you to Fibre Glast for partnering with us on this contest, and thank you to everyone who participated!
The First Place Winner Brent Shanahan used our Small DIY Carbon Fiber Kit to make a multi-piece mount for rally lights on his 1983 Porsche 944. He sent us a video and a few pics, and we loved seeing the details of his process (also his dog). Brent's project is a rad blend of high-tech design and DIY fabrication. After taking a 3D scan of his car using COLMAP, he designed his part in CAD software factoring in air flow for cooling/aerodynamics and mechanical considerations for demolding. Next, he 3D printed the the mold for the cap and used the materials from the kit to start wet layup. The part cured for 12+ hours, and despite a little uncertainty from the weather, Brent was able to pop the light cap from the mold like a pro. The next phase was printing the two piece mold for the light mount. He filled in a few gaps and thin areas in the mold with modeling clay. Great ad hoc solution! Layup, cure, and release seemed to go pretty smoothly on the light mount. To finish the multi-piece part, Brent screwed the rally light to the mount then screwed the cap over the light/onto the mount. The two pieces fit together well and housed the rally light perfectly. Lastly, he dry fit the part to the car, and all that careful design planning clearly paid off. The contours of the part follow the body lines of the bumper and fit with the grill. We are floored that this is Brent's first DIY part. More videos, please!
The Second Place Winner Will Drees used our Small DIY Carbon Fiber Kit to make a radio delete panel, headlight blanks, and an upper grill for his Lexus ISF time attack car. Will sent us several high res pics, and we were able to zoom in to see his attention to detail. We weren't lucky enough to get a behind the scenes view of Will's project, but his precision work was evident. He plans to use a second kit to work on the rear glass and maybe the trunk. We definitely need an update on this build!
The Third Place Winner Steven Swartzentruber used our Small DIY Carbon Fiber Kit to make a headlight bezel, tank skin, tail skin, and taillight cover for his 1977 Yamaha XS750. He sent us a some pics and a few snaps, and we could easily see how clean his parts were. Love the look of carbon fiber on this bike!
We added Honorable Mention Winner Griffin DuBrule because we were so impressed with his effort and attitude. He used our Small DIY Carbon Fiber Kit to make a mount for the Mk4 Supra spoiler on his Subaru BRZ. Griffin sent us a video and a few pics, and we instantly connected with the trial and error vibes. He shared the design process (love the addition of a wax spacer), the challenge of mold making (same), and troubleshooting the fabrication. We are hyped to see your next project!
