Carbon Fibre Fitting & Seat Filling

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Today I got underway with the carbon fibre vinyl. I wanted it around the bottom of the rear side of the cockpit. After unrolling it, I cut a piece wide enough for the section. Making sure there was enough to overlap the edges by about 1-1.5cm.  I began by peeling off 2 or 3 inches of the vinyl and pressing it onto the surface. I used a smooth cloth to press over the vinyl, taking out any air and possible bubbles. I continued to remove the plastic backing until the whole sheet was pressed tightly to the surface.

I cut a 45 degree angle in the corners, so the edges could fold underneath the cockpit, this would mean no join line at all. The corners also folded nearly together because of the angled cut. At the front edge, I cut just before the start of the rounded edge. I just used a ruler for a straight edge.

I did the same for the opposite side, and then started on the back. The back would only overlap on the bottom, not the sides. It would site over the top of the two side pieces, keeping them in place tightly.

I decided to Duck Tape underneath. This will keep the vinyl firmly in place and provide a small amount of grip on the floor also. Duck tape just doesn’t move so theres 0% chance of the vinyl peeling off now the tape is covering the edges.

Then I moved onto the seat once again. I had previously cut it down, gotten rid of the excess, but now I wanted to fill any cracks and gaps. I used expanding foam for this.  I squirted this into all the major cracks and also used it to build up the sides a bit – I wanted the seat to look more even than it did.  This foam will expand massively, and I will need to cut and/or sand it off once its dried – usually takes about 45 minutes.

I’ve put everything away now as it was too dark to work, but tomorrow I will set about cutting the excess foam off and leaving myself with a more solid, rigid and symmetrical seat.