How are these coming along? Do you have any prototype pictures? Looking forward to seeing the end product
Hi Pete, funny you should ask. The production mold is nearly ready for use and we spent last week redesigning the underside of the bonnet. There have been times when it would have been easy to say "that'll do!" but the extra effort in development has been worth it. I'm really looking forward to getting mine on the car
Rubbish, I meant to take close ups. Do you required dimensions for the catches? I can then measure the holes on mine and we can see if there is enough space.
I've been getting my measurements from the aerocatch website. There's a pdf with a template drawing. I should be able to work it backward from which bolt hole you mentioned...(should, lol) I'll come begging if I run into problems Cheers
We've tested and tweaked this bonnet so much now that we decided to find out what would happen if you were to stand in the centre of it. (It seems to be done thing after winning any race) The test subject got a bit carried away.... [video=youtube_share;F1F2HxQ1ACo]http://youtu.be/F1F2HxQ1ACo[/video] He was under the impression that he'd won the championship. We've got a bonnet in the mold at the moment which should be twice as stiff but we think it'll be overkill (It's due out of the mold on Wednesday) We don't know unless we try
It's even better when you realise that it doesn't have an inner frame. The bonnet in the video is a mix of bi-axial weave, honeycomb and chopped glass. The one in the mold is the same construction but it's a bit thicker and we've upgraded the resin.
^^ I agree Looking forward to seeing the production-ready version and finding out about prices/availability etc.
Thanks again Gents. Here's another short video of a pre production bonnet. [video=youtube_share;N5Jl66jUqvY]http://youtu.be/N5Jl66jUqvY[/video] We're fairly sure about the recipe and method for this now so we can release a price. We are going to offer these to people on the forum for the same price as the heavy duty full frame bonnet, even though the material costs and labour are higher. Customers will be supplied on a first come first served basis, giving priority again to those involved in the thread. So that's 295 plus delivery. Delivery prices are yet to be confirmed but rest assured we don't want to make to profit from it.
How tough is the bonnet vs stone chips? We have seen it take a persons weight very well, but what about flying bits of gravel / small stones? (different type of impact) price seems good
There isn't a firm rule for projectiles. There will be a limit to its ability to resist such impacts, but I'm confident that it would take more hammer from such things over a steel item. If something were to chip our composite bonnet, that same something would more than likely leave a large dent on a steel item, leaving you with a bonnet that needs a respray whereas the composite one would merely require a localised repair. Now that you've mentioned it, I've got an idea for more testing!! More videos tomorrow
lol I'm imagining some kind of vid featuring an industrial wood chipper aimed at a bonnet with you pouring a bag of rock in Was just wondering about chip resistance if the car infront of you had recently been in the gravel trap, if it's easy to repair then thats great This one uses the original bonnet catch?
I said "Great Stuff!!" a couple of days ago, is that me involved with the thread?! lol I'll have one when the queue goes down. Nice work.
Looks brilliant! Whats the final weight? Will it be possible to make ones without any mounts for the catch? (although I realise this will only mean omitting 2 captive nuts probably!)
YES!! Now that looks proper! Very impressed with what you've shown us in the vids. There's next to no flex when you drop that bonnet! amazing when you've just seen the lack of framework on the underside! Well done lads! Will definitely have to get my hands on one. Cheers, Bruce.
