Aluminum or carbon fiber

[kovert]

I'm building a 69 camaro and I'm trying to figure aluminum or carbon parts
I can get the whole aluminum kit at a good price !! Price wise it's better aluminum ic cheaper is carbon that much lighter or is it the look that your paying for too????

[70rs]

Which parts?
There is a aluminum front end in the for sale section at the bottom of the page. Good deal on that.

[kovert]

Originally Posted by 70rs

Which parts?
There is a aluminum front end in the for sale section at the bottom of the page. Good deal on that.

Yea whole front end hood trunk fenders bumpers etc

What I wanted to do is fenders lower valance bumpers aluminum
And header hood cowell trunk carbon ... But is carbon that much lighter panels ???

[Huyzel]

The weight difference is not going to vary much between the two unless you are going with a full carbon fiber part. I see a lot of people cut cost by using a trunk that has a carbon fiber skin but has a fiberglass structure. Going this route is much more cost effective and will be up to par with aluminum as far as weight goes. A full carbon fiber will generally cost you twice as much compared to a carbon/fiberglass part. So is going the full carbon fiber route cost effective for a street machine? I don't think so. Another factor I would consider is serviceability. Working with materials such as aluminum, fiberglass, and carbon fiber require different skills and tools. This may increase the cost of the build because as we all know, aftermarket parts require tweaking to get perfect fitment. Not everyone owns TIG welder or have spare carbon fiber rolls, resin, molds, vacuum pumps, etc.. However, if all you want is to slap a car together and making it perfect is not a big deal then I would go with carbon fiber.. If you are going to paint over the carbon fiber parts you can get panels that have defects at a lower price. This also answers your question about "are you paying for the looks?". Sometimes during the manufacturing process the carbon fiber material shifts which causes visual defects (twill shifts out of place) but does not affect strength. I like the idea of carbon fiber because it is strong and doesn't dent. Using carbon fiber parts to dress up a car can either make it or break it.