Group Buy Prepreg Carbon Targa Engine Brace

[liftnot]

Hi Gents,
We need 20 people to sign up to make this product possible. You can see the coupe bar in the link below to have an idea what the targa bar will look like.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...-2)-New-project-WIP/page3?highlight=pole+flag

The orange NA targa NSX below belongs to Robert in Tulsa and he has a Comptech CNC alum bar made for a SC. The 3D printed targa bar fits well so we are moving forward on the tooling/production price for qty. of 20. This will be made from prepreg carbon shaped like a carbon bicycle frame but in rectangular with flat finish and 6 Ti bolts. FYI, the targa OEM engine cover(17+lbs). the OEM engine brace is 15lbs.+ . The carbon brace + the Ti bolts should weight ~ 2lb. The weight saving is a lot and is coming from way up high above the engine thus will lower the CG a little bit to aide handling.

Robert has agreed to test the coupe bar on his targa NSX and will give some feedback soon.

1) Eric Von Prescott
2) MaxGeek = JL
3)
4) Juan Garcia
5) Galvin Logan
6) Tyler Rogers
7) Andy M.
8) 95gsrturbo
9) TrustJDM
10) Rick/EuroB (3)
11) Nick E.
12) Cement
13) OE2

 

[Reifen]

Interested. What is pricing? Thank you

Sent from my SM-F711W using Tapatalk

 

[liftnot]

GB $1200 shipped to US lower 48
Price update!

Tooling and Production will take 6-8 weeks to complete once a non-refundable $500 deposit is received so we and you are committed not just interested. We do not anticipate problems we had while making the coupe brace during Covid, but in the end, we still delivered with no complain.

 

[Blue Batmobile]

Hi Gents,
We need 20 people to sign up to make this product possible. You can see the coupe bar in the link below to have an idea what the targa bar will look like.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...-2)-New-project-WIP/page3?highlight=pole+flag

The orange NA targa NSX below belongs to Robert in Tulsa and he has a Comptech CNC alum bar made for a SC. The 3D printed targa bar fits well so we are moving forward on the tooling/production price for qty. of 20. This will be made from prepreg carbon shaped like a carbon bicycle frame but in rectangular with flat finish and 6 Ti bolts. FYI, the targa OEM engine cover(17+lbs). the OEM engine brace is 15lbs.+ . The carbon brace + the Ti bolts should weight ~ 2lb. The weight saving is a lot and is coming from way up high above the engine thus will lower the CG a little bit to aide handling.

Robert has agreed to test the coupe bar on his targa NSX and will give some feedback soon.

We had 13 people signed up on a previous thread on this product but it has been deleted so plz sign up again below.
1)

I'm in .

 

[Cement]

I’m in.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Compatible with stock engine cover/targa roof holder?

Not sure if my terminology is correct, but it looks like it has a mount for the engine cover strut? Will it have a "clip" to hold the strut when it is down?

Weight before and after?

 

[liftnot]

Compatible with stock engine cover/targa roof holder?

Not sure if my terminology is correct, but it looks like it has a mount for the engine cover strut? Will it have a "clip" to hold the strut when it is down?

Weight before and after?

We had request to have the mounting tabs for the oem engine cover(17lbs?) strut shown on the 3D printed bar....BUT, this adds too much complexity for the tooling so we are not making the tabs in carbon BUT it can be a DYI for those who insist to run the oem heavy engine cover. Just bend an alum sheet, cut the hole to size, paint the tab flat black, move the oem o-ring seal over and bond tab to brace. Many people run without the engine cover like us and this is for the "race" minded folks who also like to lose all that weight on top to improve handling. The weight lost is much much more than the coupe. If you are "super detail minded", you can put a layer of fiberglass between the carbon and the metal part you are bonding to isolate them for a proper bond and prevent corrosion....but that is defeating the purpose of making this bar which is light weight.

We have yet to make the carbon targa brace. The oem targa brace is 15lbs vs 1 lb of the coupe brace. and the engine cover is even heavier, you can have an idea how much the brace will weight based on the coupe bar. Our best guess is not over 1.5lbs.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...trut-Bar-2)-New-project-WIP?highlight=liftnot

Robert from Tulsa has a NA targa with Comptech alum CNC brace. He tested our carbon coupe bar and did not notice any flex or addition noise from the chassis. If we don't have enough people sign up, the coupe bar can be used for the targa model but the targa brace will surly look more attractive than the straight coupe bar.

 

[liftnot]

Qty - xx - $1500 shipped to US lower 48

Tooling and Production will take 6-8 weeks to complete once a non-refundable $500 deposit is received so we and you are committed not just interested. We do not anticipate problems we had while making the coupe brace during Covid, but in the end, we still delivered with no complain.

 

[liftnot]

Price Update: $1200 shipped to US lower 48. This is the final intro GB price, price will go up later so don't miss out.

Qs from FB-

-not to be picky, what is the clearance from the vacuum lines and the engine manifold cover?
Great point. the vacuum lines has plenty (~ 1/2") of clearance from our carbon coupe brace and will be the same as the targa brace, the manifold cover is a bit less. If you are not comfortable still, Option 1) cut a thin sheet of Delrin as the mounting spacer...or 2) remove the cosmetic engine manifold cover and use it as a table top talking point and show off our carbon engine brace that is actually functioning....but that's just us.

All our engine mounts are poly-ed so they hardly move, unless you run slicks and generate enough slip angle, that might be a concern...or not. If your oem engine mounts move too much when you "power brake", you should stiffen the engine mounts first.

but the reason for making this brace are many:
1) for folks who don't run the heavy OEM targa engine cover(17+lbs) and the OEM brace is (15+lbs.) not hard to figure out how much top end weight you will lose. The extra cost for tooling to accommodate the oem support rod is moot as the preferred mesh style cover has its own support rod and is much lighter than the porky oem cover. Much more attractive at a car-&-coffee....or...just hold up the cover for a few seconds so grommets can admire your engine bay.

2) the coupe brace turned out very well so a few targa owners that we know personally over the years made this request, we are a small family so we will do our best to oblige.

3) all the weight(~30lbs) lost is way up high which helps to lower the CG and improve the power-to-wt. ratio(at least on paper) a bit to improve handling => simple physics works.

4) Other braces made from alum/Ti/4130 are great but are heavier and we prefer carbon as the material of choice in this century to stay true to our motto: lighter, better, stronger.

5) but high Cost! Yap. the tooling for carbon parts are higher than tooling for metal or wet layup carbon parts. Prepreg carbon cost more and has a shelf life but can take stress better than wet layup carbon which is better for bling. 30 yrs ago carbon was uber expensive but now just expensive. In another 25-30 yrs when carbon is ubiquitous, it will cost a lot less IMO but we won't be alive to make it.

-very nice, given this is less about looks would be interesting to see strength and load analysis and how that's accounted for laying down CF

• see our coupe brace here, http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/215144-1
  some think it is form AND function and we think so too but look is subjective. The load path is in the horizontal direction X-X mostly.
• We have many UD layers and a few 45 layers to make up for the strength and the wall thickness we analyzed.
• The coupe OEM brace(1lb.) has a 4" long crimp underneath to clear the vacuum lines which are far away. To have a long crimp in a small OD mild steel tubing AND passed Mother Honda rigid design review, confirms the load path is in the X-X direction. the Load path in a Targa model is similar but some in the 45 angle direction due to pillar A-B is not totally connected and the properties of prepreg carbon is much higher than steel or alum. so we don't need a "gusset" plate in the middle like the 17lb OEM targa brace. Our targa brace has 4 curved corners like a bike frame so takes a lot more care and labor to lay down the proper orientation.
  

 

[liftnot]

After more internal discussion, we are offering a new GB price @ $1200 shipped to lower US 48. A few targa owners really want this brace so we are doing what we can to make it happed but we need your help to help us. We will be transparent of this process in this thread and we will make one first for test fit because the 3D svg file was "corrupt" when we made the 2nd 3D brace and we are 1cm too short from the firewall.

Plz submit $500 deposit to show your commitment and IF for what-ever-reason, should we not have enough people committed, we will refund your deposit(we did that for the VR steering rack project with interests after a year+ delay). That has to be the first from a vendor! Please use Friends and Family if you use Paypal. Call, PM or text to 619-365-4870 if you have questions.

 

[liftnot]

Robert(H22alsd) posted his feedback on our carbon coupe brace on his 96 Targa. Thread #75 . http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...epreg-Rear-Strut-Bar-2)-New-project-WIP/page3

In case we don't get enough to sign up for the carbon targa bar or you think the price is too high, this can be an option for all years.

 

[OE2]

Let’s put some deposits down to get this going. I’m ready, what about all these other names on the list?

 

[liftnot]

As of today, we have yet receive any deposit to move this project forward :frown: FYI, excluding design and analysis, this brace is not made with wet layers of carbon like most cosmetic parts. It is made to take load similar to a carbon bike frame with load path in mind.

the tooling and the labor cost is ~4x more than the coupe bar and we are not able to fund this project on our own as we sunk $1200 to make the 2 3D proto for test fit. So we need your help to help us. Otherwise, your other option is to purchase the coupe bar as it works well with no noticeable noise or flex of the chassis(per Robert feedback on his 96) and much more affordable if you are not used to the high prepreg carbon pricing.

the oem targa cover is~17lbs and the oem targa bar is ~15 lbs and the est. targa carbon bar is not more than 2lbs. The weight saving of ~30lbs is way up on top to help lower the CG and improve handling and performance is guaranteed at any speed all the time losing that much weight. We are happy to make more coupe bars and it will take 2-3weeks to ship. IMO, that is a much easier path for us as the targa brace is quite complex to make in such a low Qty.

We will wait til the end of the month to make a final decision. BTW, if we don't have enough people willing to commit, we will refund your deposit of $500 or ship you a coupe bar for $50 more. Paypal has changed their policy on fees. Contact us if you have questions.

 

[liftnot]

We are putting this project back on the shelf and we will revisit should there is a stronger interests in the future as all the design work/fitment are completed.

In the mean time, we can make a small batch of the coupe bar as it will work fine with the targa model and the lead time is ~4 wks. $550 shipped to US lower 48.

If you have suggestion of parts we should make out of prepreg carbon that are more functional(able to take load) than bling, please PM us and we can discuss.

 

[liftnot]

Sorry Mod. Could not find the Cottage Vendor link to pay. Plz advise.

Due to your request, we had enough material to make 7 more engine braces without increasing the price which fits the targa or the coupe. Get it before its gone.

$550 shipped to US 48. Ti bolts included. Wt. 0.5 lbs. OEM coupe brace is 1lb. and OEM targa brace is 15lbs. This is a 100% prepreg carbon, not a wet layup which means it is a real upgrade from metal brace.

 

[OE2]

Sorry Mod. Could not find the Cottage Vendor link to pay. Plz advise.

Due to your request, we had enough material to make 7 more engine braces without increasing the price which fits the targa or the coupe. Get it before its gone.

$550 shipped to US 48. Ti bolts included. Wt. 0.5 lbs. OEM coupe brace is 1lb. and OEM targa brace is 15lbs. This is a 100% prepreg carbon, not a wet layup which means it is a real upgrade from metal brace.

Just to be clear, for me to be able to use this i'd need to remove my oem targa brace and this would just be between the rear shock towers?

 

[liftnot]

Correct. You should put some anti-seize on the Ti bolts to prevent corrosion just to be x-safe.
Robert in Tulsa has a targa and tested this brace without noticing any noise/flex of the chassis on the street. Your targa bar is ~15 lbs. and the engine cover is at least another ~15lbs. Losing 30+lbs of top end weight is a big deal as your CG will improve. This is totally reversible.

 

[liftnot]

FYI. we are in San Diego now and ready to ship or drop off. Leaving for vacation and will be back on the 12th of Sept.