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> The new front bumper/air dam, For Chris Foley and I
brant
post Jul 13 2006, 10:14 PM
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Kevin...

that is a work of art sir!

brant
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groot
post Jul 14 2006, 05:07 AM
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Some more information about this part from it's creator......


Couple of things about Kevin and Chris' castings:

It's made of three layers: 6K, 11.4oz twill weave carbon, (absolutely impossible to get right now), 1/8" core material for infusion, and carbon/Kevlar hybrid twill, (yet even more impossible to find right now). The part pictured was vacuum infused, a procedure that is relatively new to the industry, and revolutionary in making very high quality castings with really good control over resin content, resulting in excellent strength to weight properties. Autoclaved prepreg carbon fiber would be the next step up from what you're getting.

Also, your two castings are clear gelcoated, causing us to pay very close attention to how the first layer of carbon twill is both cut and placed in the mold. Needless to say, this is tedious work.

It is this precise recipe that allows us to make a casting of this quality and have it come out at 6 pounds, while maintaining incredible overall strength. While I'm happy to duplicate this part for others, I would normally charge around $1100.00 for a part like this.

Now before that shocks anyone into submission, there are alternatives which are all far too many to list, but there are ways to get the price down to the $550 range. Please expect a part like that to be in an opaque gelcoat finish ready to paint, and made of carbon and mostly fiberglass, but will likely weigh closer to 9-10 pounds.

For others, it should be noted that Kevin ultimately owns this mold, and I would suspect that he would want to recover some of the cost of tooling for this piece.

Now, downforce:

What the splitter does is separate, or split the air in the front, forcing a greater volume of air to go over the car. This causes a net negative pressure underneath giving you downforce. Splitters are widely used because of their advantages in downforce when compared to the net drag they create. This can also be advantageous for anyone experiencing a push or understeer because of the new-found aerodynamic grip in the front end.

The carbon fiber splitter for Kevin's 914 weighs 4.6 pounds. The leading edge is reinforced with extra layers of carbon for you Miata punting types, and the bottom reinforced with an inner layer of Kevlar for you mad apexing rumble strip riding types........

Mike Cudahy
President, Prototype Composites
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URY914
post Jul 14 2006, 06:37 AM
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Very very nice Kevin. Don't you have to get SCCA approval before you fab something like this? So you don't get protested at your first race. If it is pre-approved they can win the protest, right?

Paul
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turboman808
post Jul 16 2006, 07:10 PM
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I am very interested in this part. I would prefer a fiberglass part though. Just have more experience fixing fiberglass and none with carbon.
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groot
post Jul 17 2006, 07:05 AM
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Paul,

This part is SCCA legal for production. You're allowed to replace bumpers with a replica.

Turboman, see note above from the builder of this part regarding fiberglass. The $550 part is a mix of glass and carbon. BTW... fixing carbon is the same as fixing fiberglass.
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groot
post Jul 20 2006, 08:49 AM
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I just talked to Mike. The first parts ship out today (one for me and one for Chris Foley).

He will be able to make additional parts in September. At that time, I will list this in the 914 Resources, Parts and Products Forum and be able to get some of these front ends out to you.
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guywan914
post Aug 19 2006, 04:48 AM
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Kevin, was at Chris's shop the other day and was in awe of the workmanship. I like the design as well. Put me down for one. Let me know on possible ship dates and final pricing.
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db9146
post Aug 19 2006, 10:27 PM
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I'm interested in just the splitter. Are those being sold separately?
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groot
post Aug 21 2006, 06:09 AM
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The splitter will be sold separately and it doesn't have any tooling expense associated with it. Should run about $280 plus shipping.

All pieces should be ready to make next month. Mike and I are working on the details now.
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Brad Roberts
post Aug 21 2006, 03:20 PM
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Looks great!

Did you ask them about the 75-76 style fiberglass bumper that "most" of the 914's in the past have run? Garretson did wind tunnel testing on it at Moffet field in Mountain View where they where located. This pretty quickly became the industry standard for 914 race cars because of its flow characteristics compared to the early bumper.

There was also an SCCA issue back in the day: you couldnt add holes to the front of the car, only use existing holes. The 75-76 replica bumper offered the fog light holes readily for brake ducting/oil cooler ducting (the other bumper does also obviously)

Damn. That looks nice.

Cant say that I have ever had any front end "lift" issues on any tracks on the west coast. Not in EP/FP cars at least.

B
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groot
post Aug 22 2006, 08:04 AM
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Thanks, Brad.

We weren't looking to reduce lift, but to reduce drag.

I used this bumper because I had it and it allows a splitter because it has a slight overhang. This bumper was the fiberglass part that had the 2 openings for the fog lights, but Mike closed up the holes in case someone wanted leave them closed. I am opening at least one side for the fog light to get cooling air to the engine.... maybe the other side for oil cooling.
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groot
post Aug 22 2006, 01:29 PM
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If anyone has more specific questions about the front clip or splitter (or other parts), they can contact Mike Cudahy at:

Prototype Composites
2010 West Bender Road
Glendale, WI 53209
(414) 354-5144
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groot
post Sep 21 2006, 05:51 AM
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These parts are now for sale....

Details can be found here: Carbon Fiber Front Clip
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jim_hoyland
post Jul 6 2018, 05:39 AM
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Are these still available ?
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ChrisFoley
post Jul 6 2018, 07:38 AM
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QUOTE(jim_hoyland @ Jul 6 2018, 07:39 AM) *

Are these still available ?

You would need to contact Prototype Composites directly. I doubt they have any on the shelf but if they retained the molds I'm sure they'll make one for you.
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HeinrichKlee
post Jul 6 2018, 04:09 PM
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Very nice!
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cali914
post Jul 9 2018, 08:26 AM
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The carbon fiber lip really looks nice
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Cracker
post Jul 29 2018, 06:31 AM
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Yes. I have two in storage PC made for me a couple years ago. One word of caution, they are not an exact fit and since its not fiberglass, it is more challenging getting a great fit. Nice piece but not for everyone...

Cracker
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