1997 Geo Metro Fiberglass parts

[silguy]

Hi all,

I'm an aerospace engineer trying to gauge some interest in this community in order for me to produce some quality and affordable fiberglass parts to help lower the vehicles weight for this community and of course myself. As of now, I'll start off with the hood of a 1997 Geo Metro (the car I have to experiment). I'm also interested in the trunk lid as well. However, everything will depend on interest of this community.

The parts will;

- be test fitted before production and delivery

- lightweight (approximately between 5-10lbs)

- will not be spray type process, but hand layered with calculated resin saturation(that's all the information I can give). I'll be using around 5 layers of industrial fiberglass cloth

- be around $250 or less + shipping (will depend on my stock sources)

I will discuss design features and approval on this forum. I will need at least 20 people to start the first batch.

Reminder, this isn't an overnight project.....


Thanks for reading and will keep you guys informed.

[bowtieguy]

i wish you well, but i'm not certain you'd get that many interested here. weight reduction is best for city driving.

still, if you took your endeavor to honda civics, especially VXs, this might be the right place.

good luck!

[GasSavers_BEEF]

also the price.

saving gas is for saving money (at least for me)

that is a huge investment for a car that is 12 or so years old and you would never see your money back if you sold it.

I don't discredit your workmanship or the value of your product. it is probably worth every penny you want for it and maybe more.

the problem is that we experiment with cardboard and duct-tape and if we really want to get fancy, we break out the coroplast.

hopefully this isn't the only place you have posted this.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

IIRC, a Geo Metro hood isn't much over 20 lbs (if that much) to begin with. I don't know if that much weight reduction is going to do much. Just after I bought mine a couple years ago, I replaced the hood (someone had vandalized the old one before I bought the car) and I carried the replacement all across the junkyard single-handed with no problem.

As an exercise in fabrication, it might be interesting, but $20 for a 20lb hood or $250 for a 10 lb hood...don't see much of a gain there. Besides, I carry several times that weight difference just in junk in the car, and more in excess weight on me.

That being said, you might generate some interest if you came up with some fiberglass aero items...fender skirts, kammbacks, etc. Some nice professional looking items, sturdy and easy to install might go over well...

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by JoeBob

That being said, you might generate some interest if you came up with some fiberglass aero items...fender skirts, kammbacks, etc. Some nice professional looking items, sturdy and easy to install might go over well...

That is a fantastic idea...

[theholycow]

If a stock hood is 20 pounds and a fiberglass hood is weightless, the 20 pound advantage will never pay for itself even if it costs $25.

Originally Posted by JoeBob

That being said, you might generate some interest if you came up with some fiberglass aero items...fender skirts, kammbacks, etc. Some nice professional looking items, sturdy and easy to install might go over well...

Now that's a great idea right there.