2G Carbonetics AB Hood (Pictures)

[turbosax2]

What about just getting a spark plug cover and lining the outside with some sort of seal material? It'd look less obtrusive but hopefully still seal out the water.

Any water that got into the valley would just drain out of the valve cover's drain hole anyway, so the gasket material might not even be required.

 

[GRNDSM]

The water doesn’t leave the valley quick enough. And if your spark plug wires do not seal well against the valve cover, your spark plug well will be full of water and cause misfire!

 

[slowwhite]

Import solutions.

Your hood looks like it fits great.

Did you have to do any work to make it line up with your front bumper that well?

If so what did you do?

 

[snowborder714]

Import solutions.

Your hood looks like it fits great.

The gaps actually look like crap. I'm not sure if everything is installed and gapped as they would be finally or not though.

The back of the hood on the passenger side sticks up quite a bit, then that edge of the hood bows down below the fender line, and then kind of meets at the front. The gap on the passenger side is huge while it's very narrow on the driver side (hence my comment about not being final install and gap). The line in the front center of the hood looks too narrow as it starts to turn up as it's going over the headlights too soon. The gaps above the headlights look massive.



The only thing I'm curious about is if the user is running a timing belt cover or not as he didn't have to notch the vents above that area it seems to make it fit.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Yeah i agree with brian! It looks like crap, they all do bcause they was not moulded correctly from the start! I keep saying this and even told him (sergio) several times! To make a mould you have to mould it then reverse mould to get the actual size for size as moulding straight from the part makes all copys smaller and basically shrink! And this is what its done so his knowledge of moulding is not good and this is why i have opted to never buy his products ever, because the reverse engineering in all parts must be the same and then all parts must be shrunk from his basic moulding,

This is why i decided to get my own hood made (just not like this)

Double moulding is costly and very time consuming BUT it HAS to be done to limit shrinkage and get near perfect sizing and shape.

 

[streetraceboi]

Yeah i agree with brian! It looks like crap, they all do bcause they was not moulded correctly from the start! I keep saying this and even told him (sergio) several times! To make a mould you have to mould it then reverse mould to get the actual size for size as moulding straight from the part makes all copys smaller and basically shrink! And this is what its done so his knowledge of moulding is not good and this is why i have opted to never buy his products ever, because the reverse engineering in all parts must be the same and then all parts must be shrunk from his basic moulding,

This is why i decided to get my own hood made (just not like this)

Double moulding is costly and very time consuming BUT it HAS to be done to limit shrinkage and get near perfect sizing and shape.

So what you're saying is you're going to let us in on your source to start a group buy to buy a better made hood?

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

So what you're saying is you're going to let us in on your source to start a group buy to buy a better made hood?

No, thats not what im saying , im saying i want a hood that fits so im having one made, (technically yes the mould is long lasting and can do many) but im not doing this to offer them out , its ourely a 1 off for me because i want a proper fitting hood (if all goes well)

 

[slowwhite]

Yep I take it back.. the side angle of import solutions hood looked ok other then the middle by the fenders which is the same as mine.

Then I just looked at the head on shot and his is exactly like mine.

It doesn't line up with the bumper or the headights correctly.

Sergio swears he made a revised version now with perfect fitment. And told me my hood was ready a few months ago, still waiting for reply to my last message.

 

[GRNDSM]

Sergio swears he made a revised version now with perfect fitment.

I am not sure he has much creditability left...

 

[95REGF150]

To make a mould you have to mould it then reverse mould to get the actual size for size as moulding straight from the part makes all copys smaller and basically shrink! And this is what its done so his knowledge of moulding is not good and this is why i have opted to never buy his products ever, because the reverse engineering in all parts must be the same and then all parts must be shrunk from his basic moulding

Bobby can you explain this a little better because I'm not quite getting what you wrote here. I understand your saying if you make a female mold of the top of a factory hood and then lay up a carbon hood on the inside of that then the carbon hood will be smaller than the factory hood was. Why is this the case? How much smaller is the carbon hood going to be? And what does reversing the mold entail that stops this from happening?

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Bobby can you explain this a little better because I'm not quite getting what you wrote here. I understand your saying if you make a female mold of the top of a factory hood and then lay up a carbon hood on the inside of that then the carbon hood will be smaller than the factory hood was. Why is this the case? How much smaller is the carbon hood going to be? And what does reversing the mold entail that stops this from happening?

So when you mould the original that mould is ment to be the right size correct, thats what i used to think until i spoke to the guys i build chassis for, to get the correct shape and size i was told that the mould has to then be moulded again and the 2nd mould is now the right size. Something was mentioned about if its internal vs external but i forget that part (helpful i know) .

All i was told was when i get mine done they have to make 2 moulds to get the right size and shape! (Im not having the under side bracing so its just the outer skin)

 

[slowwhite]

my hood is a good example of mold shrinkage.

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[streetraceboi]

my hood is a good example of mold shrinkage.

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My OCD makes me cringe so bad whenever I see the fitment of that hood

 

[ChessmoDSM]

He just posted on the FB groups that the 2nd gen hood is now ready for release, I would hope the hood he promised to fix is on its way to you?

 

[99OZDSM]

My OCD makes me cringe so bad whenever I see the fitment of that hood

Me too, it's the reason why I haven't pulled the trigger on this hood. Although, I want one badly.

 

[ViciousLord]

He just posted on the FB groups that the 2nd gen hood is now ready for release, I would hope the hood he promised to fix is on its way to you?

Which groups?

 

[slowwhite]

Sergio messaged me this morning after seeing my posts on facebook.

I will be recieving his V2 - dry carbon hood.

Along with a few other pieces which will get my full review.

-dash
-interior door panels
-side skirts
-front splitter
-fender flares
-custom center console.

The center console is basically his console only I had posted an idea of filling in the radio area with just a flat piece that will continue the flow from his dash.
Reason being is for more surface area to mount stuff like tpms, or a place for a tablet like john freund which I plan to copy johns tablet/race capture pro setup. So I'll have the tablet for dash like his as well as a tablet for gauges like his assuming all goes as planned.

Sergio said he needs 3 weeks to make the custom center console but has the rest ready to go.

 

[streetraceboi]

Sergio messaged me this morning after seeing my posts on facebook.

I will be recieving his V2 - dry carbon hood.

Along with a few other pieces which will get my full review.

-dash
-interior door panels
-side skirts
-front splitter
-fender flares
-custom center console.

The center console is basically his console only I had posted an idea of filling in the radio area with just a flat piece that will continue the flow from his dash.
Reason being is for more surface area to mount stuff like tpms, or a place for a tablet like john freund which I plan to copy johns tablet/race capture pro setup. So I'll have the tablet for dash like his as well as a tablet for gauges like his assuming all goes as planned.

Sergio said he needs 3 weeks to make the custom center console but has the rest ready to go.

So everyone who bought them previously with fitment issues are SOL? That's not good.

 

[slowwhite]

Can't speak for Sergio and how he handles other issues.

But for me all I asked is for him to make it right and if he honored his word then I would continue to do business with him.

I have specific plans for my car and his parts were apart of my plan.
Sergio gave me some options to compensate me for my time and what not above and beyond just replacing the hood so we came to an agreement and i ordered the parts above..

 

[GRNDSM]

But for me all I asked is for him to make it right and if he honored his word then I would continue to do business with him...

But it hasn't happened yet, right? He has made many promises to many people and never followed up... I really hope he will come through for you! A few people have been lucky!

 

[Vegas Smith]

But it hasn't happened yet, right? He has made many promises to many people and never followed up... I really hope he will come through for you! A few people have been lucky!

I didn't want to be negative but you said it first. It takes this guy 6 weeks to get a cup of coffee. Everything he does takes months and months....and months. I hope he makes it right.

 

[snowborder714]

Just keep in mind that working with carbon and fiberglass and molds isn't quick/easy work. I will be the first to say that if you're making and selling parts, fitment should be spot on and people shouldn't have to wait months and months for their order, but building parts with those materials and making molds takes time.

 

[slowwhite]

Yes Sergio's time frames always come and go.

He orginally gave me 15 weeks to make my replacement hood (should have been Dec 15th as completion date)

We talked after christmas and he hadn't even started on it yet. He said he wasn't sure which way he was going to go with the redesigned hood yet.

I would have made a big deal about it but I had just dropped my car off at dsm revivalto get the motor rebuilt and a whole list of stuff.

2 months ago Sergio finally said he had the hood ready to go. I then inquired about getting a dash, door panels, side skirts, and front diffuser. Took him another month to respond to that. Some where in there I asked about adding fender flares to the order and he missed it. And then got back to me just yesterday. And we finally nailed down the order and pricing etc.
Sergio and I also talked, like I always do with him, customer service is what Ive been doing in all the fields ive worked for 20yrs. Communication and doing what you say you are going to do is vital, I explained that to him again.
I honestly think Sergio's problem is that he's trying to do everything by himself (business wise) and his business has grown beyond his ability / hours in a day.
I've been there myself - we call it "how many hats are you wearing"
-R&d
-customer service manager
-quality control manager
-supply manager
-equipment manager
-HR manager
-finance manager
Etc, etc

List goes on and on...and I truly feel he's overwhelmed and he needs to expand and hire qualified help.

And I've brought it up during our discussions. Several times. And I continue to tell him. He has a multi million dollar business if he can just get organized and fix his weak points.
We've discussed how to accomplish that.

He's made steps in the last 6 months to accomplish these things, he has a plan and is working towards that plan.

It's taking longer then we all hoped. But in the end this is still a small business that he's building from the ground up. With all the financial struggles and what not that go along with it. Which most people don't get.
I've been lucky enough to work for mostly large corporations who have the finacial backing to make improvements when needed.
Sergio's at that turning point in the business I think that if he doesn't get his time frames and not following through on his word. (Ie: the faith /trust factor) he could loose a huge part of his market.

As it's becoming quite common response / known response when ever carbonetics comes up... what is it that people say?
..Expect huge lead times and at least double his given time frame.

Which by itself won't kill a business. But if after that long wait parts don't fit right, that definetly will.
For me the positive spin I have on this whole thing is..

Which parts don't fit right? Almost everyone says the hood. I haven't heard much else about any of the other parts he makes.
My own experience - I also have his rear diffuser. And it fits perfectly.
So if he truly in fact redid the design like he says:
-clears timing cover, now
-enlarged the vents even more
-hopefully will come with bolts for install as I had a hard time finding the correct ones.

Hopefully at the end of all this I will have most of what he offers and will be able to give reviews on it all.
I still have plans later on for his:
- hatch
-headlight delete
-front bumper

But I'm not at that point in the build with my white car yet.

 

[ChessmoDSM]

Which groups?

FB group called DSM Nation..

 

[slowwhite]

For those wondering here I'd a picture that Sergio posted of the AB V2 hood revision.

You can see it looks like the entire middle area now is raised for clearing the timing cover.

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