My adventures in Carbon Fiber

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 06:32 PM

I`ve been trying to make something custom for this show I`m in on Friday. I screwed up a few times and then I screwed up again. Finally I have something respectable. I hate showing up to an event looking like I just rolled in off the street. So I made this cover for my license plate on the front. I can`t really remove the plate because I don`t have plugs for the holes and there is an ugly bracket thing. Anyway, I made this to cover the front plate and perhaps win some points. What do you think?

Its only one layer of carbon fiber, so you can kind of see through the fibers when there is light behind it. I used a polymer resin instead of the traditional acrylic resin. The polymer dries much harder and much glossier. Looks pretty nice though, eh?

**EBPcivicsi** · 07-11-2004, 06:47 PM

Looks really cool to me! Great idea. Do you have to run front plates in your neck of the woods?

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 06:52 PM

I think that is pretty much a standard law everywhere. Cops are really tough on us around here. It doesn`t bother me too much. You gotta do what you gotta do.

**EBPcivicsi** · 07-11-2004, 07:02 PM

Hmmm, I guess in TN it either isn`t a law or they don`t enforce it. I have never seen anyone here with a front plate.

**Woob** · 07-11-2004, 07:11 PM

Looks cool, but the joining seems little spaced apart. I like how NC doesn`t require it and radar detectors are allowed. Too bad I live in the one of the safest cities in the US, that means cops everywhere u look.

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 07:24 PM

Originally posted by EBPcivicsi
Hmmm, I guess in TN it either isn`t a law or they don`t enforce it. I have never seen anyone here with a front plate.

That may be. You`d have to check your state motor vehicle code to know for sure. I just did some research and see that the front plate law isn`t as standard as I thought. This link has some really interesting arguments for making the no front plate law standard. I`ll have to do some more research.

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 07:29 PM

Originally posted by Woob
Looks cool, but the joining seems little spaced apart.

Joining where? I`m not sure what you are looking at. You can barely see little pin pricks of light between the weaves. It doesn`t really matter since it will be mounted against my license plate and no light will come through. I could probably just paint the back black and solve all of the problems.

**Woob** · 07-11-2004, 07:37 PM

Originally posted by Jngrbrdman
Joining where? I`m not sure what you are looking at. You can barely see little pin pricks of light between the weaves. It doesn`t really matter since it will be mounted against my license plate and no light will come through. I could probably just paint the back black and solve all of the problems.

Opps my bad. Light played with my eyes. Paint it black might work, but I sorta like the silver look. What color is your car again?

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 08:04 PM

White.

**EBPcivicsi** · 07-11-2004, 08:51 PM

Looks even better installled. Did you ever consider using a black frame? Just wonder if it would make the the CF and the frame blend a bit better. Either way, looks really cool.

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 08:55 PM

Actually, I did. I put a black frame up for comparison and I liked the chrome better. I kind of wanted to draw attention to the area instead of making it blend in. The chrome frame is just the amount of `bling bling` that the doctor ordered.

**probegt** · 07-11-2004, 10:34 PM

that is pretty awesome looking. Especially since you did it yourself. How hard is it to work with CF.

**Jngrbrdman** · 07-11-2004, 10:37 PM

Its a little tricky. It just depends on what you are making. I screwed up two of these before I got it right. I also screwed up two or three spark plug covers for my engine too. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it then it gets easier. Patience is the key. That plate cover took me over a week to make.