ZexGX

iTrader: (28)

My 6LE carbon fiber hardtop roof panel is finished being made and is almost in my hands, and I wanted to know if there are some ways to protect it and still have the weave visible. 6LE isn't too sure about that beyond what the manufacturer said, which is it's made of "marine grade UV resistant resin" so it should be good to go as-is, but I'd like to further protect from UV damage if possible.

For the ZR1 and ZL1 exterior carbon pieces (roof, lips, inserts, etc), GM used a "secret" additive to a clearcoat that is extremely expensive. I read somewhere that it has something to do with a UV protectant coating used for PCBs. Not really sure where I can find that stuff or what ratio it needs to be mixed with a clearcoat, what type of automotive clearcoat to use, or if it's even possible to mix it in a commercially available formulation with an automotive clear. I think it'd be awesome if the secret came out and can help people with builds that have exterior carbon pieces. GM says if a carbon part gets damaged, to replace the entire thing with a new piece. Real helpful.

I was wondering if there are other ways to minimize UV damage to carbon parts, while keeping the weave visible. First thought was to clearcoat it with a good quality UV-cure(?) clearcoat or one that is supposed to be UV resistant. Not sure if it would work, but perhaps a UV resistant clear 3M vinyl film with 303 Aerospace protectant spray regularly applied could work? Post up if you have any more ideas or know for sure what works and what doesn't.

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

Marine Grade UV resistant resin is the Resin that doesn't yellow, which is the problem with some of the cheaper made parts that use crappy resin that yellows.

Putting anything over it is like putting a water resistant watch into a water tight container before swimming with it, or to be crass putting a condom over a condom thinking it gives you better protection when in reality you may end up causing a chemical reaction between the resin and what ever you put over it that could effect it's UV resistance. Best to just leave it alone unless anyone on the forums have seen issues of these CF parts yellowing.

ZexGX

iTrader: (28)

UV resistant does not mean UV proof... Even ZR1s, ZL1s, and BMWs that have visible carbon weave exterior panels from the factory eventually have issues with the resin changing color. Here is an article regarding how GM tried to tackle the issue: http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/chev...bon_fiber.html

jlcustomz

Looking into making a few cf parts myself later.
The biggest option would be to spray a few coats of automotive clear with a high uv rating over it.
Not sure what brands & type would be best.