# Carbon Fiber Trim



## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

After gaining an interest in carbon fiber projects, I was inspired to make some things of my own. What a better place to start than the complex shapes of the Cruze interior trim pieces? 

First, I wanted to start small and I chose the automatic shifter trim. I started by placing painters tape on the surface of the plastic, marking the edges, and then cutting the tape to form a template for a paper border. The border was hot glued to the underside of the plastic and more hot glue was used to create a fillet where the paper and plastic meet. Usually you would want to use a soft wax for filleting, but I'm just starting out so I'm short on supplies. I also made a stand using wood dowels and popsicle sticks so painting will be easy and off the surface of the table. 
To prepare the trim for molding, a few layers of mold release wax were applied to the plastic and the paper.









The picture below is the result of my second mold attempt. Two layers of marine-grade, one step finish, gelcoat were used. The gelcoat was cured and followed by two layers of chop strand fiberglass, bonded with epoxy resin I bought form a surfboard store. The plastic and the paper came out of the mold effortlessly. The green you see on the mold is the result of adding a few layers of release wax before I went to lay carbon fiber. 









Unfortunately, I had very poor scissors and could not trim excess carbon when I was finished laying it. I think this led to the carbon lifting off the mold and resin filling in under. Another source of the lifting could be from the tilt of the mold, where a slight overhang starts to occur. All the fiber was wetted, but it just doesn't look nice. This could be fixed by adding a layer of resin and sanding it down to shape. 









I checked the fitting and it was decent. The underside needs to be sanded so it sits better, but that will happen after I buy a Dremel to make quick work of it. I plan to attach the carbon fiber using double-sided tape. I will likely try to lay the carbon again and change some things for better results.









This was a quick write up, but I just wanted to get it out there. I will document things better in the future if anyone would like me to and also answer any questions/take advice.


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

Cool !


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Pretty nice .. So a tip I learned when working with CF use a mold that sandwhiches the CF and resin between it with a fair amount of pressure and you'll get a thinner component as well as both sides being smooth. and yes dremel will be your friend when it comes to trim work.


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## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

Mr_Pat said:


> Pretty nice .. So a tip I learned when working with CF use a mold that sandwhiches the CF and resin between it with a fair amount of pressure and you'll get a thinner component as well as both sides being smooth. and yes dremel will be your friend when it comes to trim work.


Yeah a two piece would be nice, but I don't have clamps or a vise. Perhaps bricks on top would suffice. I've also considered vacuum bagging, which could act like a virtual second half that sandwiches. I have some Spacebags laying around and I've read they yield decent results even though it's not the real thing. All I need is one pretty side.
I'm currently practicing filling the voids. Then I'll get it as finished as possible before I try again.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Buy a couple of cans of Smooth-On and make negatives to use ase clamping pieces.


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## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

WhiteCruzeGuy said:


> After gaining an interest in carbon fiber projects, I was inspired to make some things of my own. What a better place to start than the complex shapes of the Cruze interior trim pieces?
> 
> First, I wanted to start small and I chose the automatic shifter trim. I started by placing painters tape on the surface of the plastic, marking the edges, and then cutting the tape to form a template for a paper border. The border was hot glued to the underside of the plastic and more hot glue was used to create a fillet where the paper and plastic meet. Usually you would want to use a soft wax for filleting, but I'm just starting out so I'm short on supplies. I also made a stand using wood dowels and popsicle sticks so painting will be easy and off the surface of the table.
> To prepare the trim for molding, a few layers of mold release wax were applied to the plastic and the paper.
> ...


*The Second Attempt:*
I went with another attempt. This time I had a nice pair of shears to trim excess, payed more attention to pressing the fiber down, and I used a Space Bag as a cheap vacuum bag alternative. The part from the mold had only a few small voids on the edges. A dremel made quick work of cutting and sanding. Then I cleaned up the part and gave it a layer of resin as a clear coat. I will be going for a third attempt because I’m not yet satisfied by the quality of the second.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

That's a healthy improvement over the first one - third one should do the trick (though that one looks good to me).

Side question - what's going on with the silver trim there?


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## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

MP81 said:


> That's a healthy improvement over the first one - third one should do the trick (though that one looks good to me).
> 
> Side question - what's going on with the silver trim there?


The textured trim around the infotainment/vents and the climate-control/shifter? I plan on making carbon copies of that too. The vents might cause a problem because they attach to the trim, but that’s a problem I’ll face when I get there. I’m sure there are other unforeseen issues too.
Fun fact: the carbon shift trim is 8.2 grams vs. 12.0g of the plastic original.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Yeah - ours is smooth plastic - no golfball texture like that.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

WhiteCruzeGuy said:


> The textured trim around the infotainment/vents and the climate-control/shifter? I plan on making carbon copies of that too. The vents might cause a problem because they attach to the trim, but that’s a problem I’ll face when I get there. I’m sure there are other unforeseen issues too.
> Fun fact: the carbon shift trim is 8.2 grams vs. 12.0g of the plastic original.


I am not sure I follow what you mean by the vents attach to the trim. Are you thinking that the cover will make them too thick ( or if you are trying to make a replacement and not a cover that it will be too weak?)

If you are looking for a small but maybe a little bit more of a challenge, I need a replacement part for my Camaro Hot Wheels steering wheel. I'd be willing to kick in a bit to help defray the costs to.









How-To: Disassemble a steering wheel to rehab it. (Hot...


My attempt at rehabbing an eBay steering wheel If you have followed any of my build posts, you know I was looking for a Hot Wheels steering wheel specifically with red stitching and paddle shifters. Well after a lengthy search and a bit of haggling, I purchased a slightly damaged wheel. This...




www.cruzetalk.com


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

WhiteCruzeGuy said:


> Yeah a two piece would be nice, but I don't have clamps or a vise. Perhaps bricks on top would suffice. I've also considered vacuum bagging, which could act like a virtual second half that sandwiches. I have some Spacebags laying around and I've read they yield decent results even though it's not the real thing. All I need is one pretty side.
> I'm currently practicing filling the voids. Then I'll get it as finished as possible before I try again.


Yes weight does wonders. Though from the looks of things your coming along well. I'd be interested in one of these if you decide to put some out there.. 



MP81 said:


> Yeah - ours is smooth plastic - no golfball texture like that.


LTZ trim.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Mr_Pat said:


> LTZ trim.


That explains it - us diesel folks kinda got screwed out of LTZ features with the way they structured the trim levels. I like our smooth silver trim, but I like how that looks too.


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## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

Blasirl said:


> I am not sure I follow what you mean by the vents attach to the trim. Are you thinking that the cover will make them too thick ( or if you are trying to make a replacement and not a cover that it will be too weak?)
> 
> If you are looking for a small but maybe a little bit more of a challenge, I need a replacement part for my Camaro Hot Wheels steering wheel. I'd be willing to kick in a bit to help defray the costs to.
> 
> ...






 If you go to 1:00, you will see how the vents come out with the trim. I will try to make a copy as opposed to a skin/cover of the trim around the vents. I am not concerned with structural integrity of the carbon because three layers are pretty stiff. How to attach the carbon has been on my mind. 3M double-sided tape is easy, but elevation off the surface of attachment might be an issue. They also sell individual plastic clips I can cement onto the part. Another option would be to shape the carbon with all the little flanges like the trim from your steering wheel, which I feel is necessary for the switch pods' screws. 
I have spring break coming up and I would like to work on my steering wheel trim. I'll show you the results.


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Looking forward to seeing how you progress.. If I get caught up with the mountain of projects I already have I may start diving back into some CF molding work again.. been out of the loop on it for a few years.


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

A haven’t gone through all of these carbon fiber molding threads. Way out of my wheel house, but does anyone make an A pillar for gauges. Oil pressure, boost maybe, EGt ect?


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Bvogt said:


> A haven’t gone through all of these carbon fiber molding threads. Way out of my wheel house, but does anyone make an A pillar for gauges. Oil pressure, boost maybe, EGt ect?


ZZP makes one not in Carbon fiber. Dual gauge pod


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## Bvogt (Dec 19, 2021)

Yea. Now that is nice.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

ZZP's is excellent because it matches the factory color and grain.


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## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

Here's the first attempt of the steering wheel trim right from the mold with a quick trim. Nearly great. Used a wet layup with a vacuum bag.


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## Jericz (Jul 1, 2020)

WhiteCruzeGuy said:


> Here's the first attempt of the steering wheel trim right from the mold with a quick trim. Nearly great. Used a wet layup with a vacuum bag.
> View attachment 297308


Looks good. My friend recently got into carbon fiber coating and his beater F150 project will be his first carbon coating project. The new tires and truck wheels are in the mail so we'll do the interior first.


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

The steering wheel trim is clean! If you ever want to sell one lmk 😎


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## pappawolff11 (11 mo ago)

Just curious if you have done anymore with your trim parts.


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## WhiteCruzeGuy (Apr 1, 2021)

pappawolff11 said:


> Just curious if you have done anymore with your trim parts.


Hey,
I've made several of the shifter trims along with redoing molds for the steering wheel. There has been a lot of experimentation with molds, layup methods, and finishing (clear coat, polish, no finish). I really need to find a mounting solution. Clips are hard to integrate, while double sided tape for non/permanent applications seem attractive and easy to include with the part.
Aside from that, I moved a few times since the spring and now I should be settled down for a bit. I will continue to see what I can do and what CF projects I can dream up.


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