Carbon Fiber Veneer on Tunnel Cover

[BUDFIVE]

Team Roadster,
I’m struggling with an interior design choice—transmission tunnel cover.
Y’all have helped me with lots of technical aspects of my build. But, where I am most challenged is style and aesthetics. After all, I was an engineer for 30 years and a man needs to know his limitations

My tunnel cover is a sandwhich of the Original FFR cover, 0.067 thickness summit racing insulation, FFMetal .050” cover as discussed in my build thread #60. I plan to use the FFr supplied shifter boot and have tinted the chrome ring to black chrome, matching my gauge bezels.

My original plan was to cover the tunnel cover top with Protech CF Veneer left over from and matching my dash, which I love. I was concerned that the CF Veneer would get too hot but I put a 4x12” test piece in the overhead Texas sun, it was warm but not hot. I was also concerned this might be too much carbon fiber in the small cockpit?
So Design choice #1 is Full CF Veneer on top with shifter boot and perhaps 2 cup holders to break up the long forward part of the cover.

My current paint choice is titanium with black stripes, black interior and roll bar. The inside of the doors will be titanium with black inserts. So I wondered if I could use the CF Veneer for a stripe surrounded by stitched leather (close match to the titanium).
I found an upholstery shop that can stitch leather to the CF veneer. First pic is the leather stitched to the CF. The next pics have the cover with a black stripe of leftover foam to visualize the concept.
IMG_5768.jpg
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The CF stripe with surrounding leather would be busy enough I wouldn’t try to add cup holders. But I’m wondering if I’m mak8ng this too complicated.
So, Design choice #2 is a CF Veneer stripe with titanium color leather on both sides.

Questions-
1) Any of you have the entire tunnel top in CF and a CF dash? Happy with it? Does it get hot?
2) Thoughts on Design choice #1 vs #2?
3) Other ideas besides above? Am I working too hard to use the CF.

[dbo_texas]

Check out this thread for some images of carbon fiber covered trans tunnel:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-AKA-Skinning)

There are a couple of guys on the Factory Five Builder Facebook group that has also done it with vinyl carbon fiber wraps. I have some reference images if you are interested. Just ping me via messaging and send me your email and I send the pics.

[egchewy79]

IHMO (for what that's worth), CF looks best when it's an accent. Like diamond stitching, a little goes a long way. just my $0.02.

[Mike.Bray]

My tunnel top is a CF vinyl covering.




Here's an idea, this CF 68 Mustang has a candy sprayed over it. You could spray the CF tunnel top with a candy to match your body color.

[Ted G]

I have a CF dash and love it. I did a carbon fiber "wrap" on the custom lower dash. That trans cover gets hot with the heat under the car, plus its facing the sun all the time. I have mine wrapped in leather and it still gets hot, but I think a carbon wrap or real carbon might get even hotter.


Dash10.jpg CS Racing knob.jpg

[F500guy]

I am at this very stage, I thought about a square piece of CF around the shifter ring and leather the rest. I was going to take it to a shop to see what they thought. I can not sew leather...like you said one has to know their limits.

[Rebostar]

I decided to make a CF tunnel cover. I used 3mm CF from Bezos. The corners are 1" aluminum covered with the same CF. The box between the dash and the tunnel cover is my CF circuit breaker box. I have the FFR boot in now but have the Holley black leather one with black PC base and trim ring I'll put in later.

DSC03258.JPGDSC03261.JPGDSC03274.JPGDSC03066.JPGDSC03098.JPG

[BUDFIVE]

I guess a Design Option #3 is to paint the tunnel titanium to match the body then I apply a CF veneer shape and some form of edge. This CF shape could be a stripe as in #2 or a trapezoid smaller shape of the tunnel, or?? ..And thanks for brainstorming with me y’all.

[BUDFIVE]

Y’all, to close on this thread:
I went with design choice 2–a carbon fiber center stripe in the same shape as the tunnel cover, surrounded by silver leather on padding.
I got the finished cover back today—check it out.IMG_5856.jpg

[danmas]

That looks fabulous. Where did you get it done?

[BUDFIVE]

The CF is Protech Composites, leftover from my dash. The upholstery shop is Ed’s Classic Upholstery in Marble Falls, Tx. He was really good at mocking up some trials to help us visualize.

[pelzerd]

Looks great, very clean lines!

[CraigS]

I like it. Well done.