WTK: Possible Molding using a pedal car ? text

[fanofprops]

Another topic a bit "off the chain" .....

I am a HUGE James Bond fan and an even bigger Aston Martin automobile fan. I picked up a publicity pedal car that was produced in conjuntion with Z-UP and the james Bond film "Die Another Day." The car is 100% plastic and somewhat cheap in manufacture.

My question would be...would/could it be possible to use the body of the little plastic pedal car to mold a more stable and well-built body of the Aston for another project? I have a fairly good supply of sheets of carbon fiber (in rolls)....yes, the expensive stuff that seems to be made of gold (read: very expensive)!

So does the Board think that it would be feasible to roll the sheets around the plastic body of the pedal car and to somehow be able to apply the "glue" to the carbon fiber and viola, something to work with on the lines of an Aston Vanquish body?

Still trying to get this in my mind...all elements not worked out....

Thanks.

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[Wesman]

Well, now, there's a project. First, what type of plastic is the car? I do doubt whether you would be able to do anything to get a clean product trying to put the carbon fiber on the existing car. Carbon fiber works best in a vacuum bag situation, and depending on the resin may need some degree of vulcanization to cure.
Here's what I would recommend. Figure out how to make a mold of the car using fiberglass technology. It can be in numerous parts. I would wax the car, and spray PVA as a barrier (for each section of the mold) then spray gel coat and then the fiberglass with polyester resin (which can be a hand lay up) to a thickness of about a quarter inch. When the mold is complete, you can make a fiberglass car, beefing up the structural parts. You can try to use your expensive carbon fiber too if you like, but make sure to pick a resin that is compatible, probably an epoxy resin.