[Yoda E SC]

So these are the center caps that came on my new matte black wheels and the steps i took to rectify it

first thing i did was scuff them up and shoot them with some primer and matte black paint, then the fun parts

step 1: tape a piece of wax paper to a flat surface to aid in release later.

step 2: tape the carbon fiber cloth down to said wax paper to keep it from curling and shifting while laying down resin.

step 3: mix a small amount of resin and MEKP to lay into the cloth. a few drops of MEXP for this little amount is more than enough. If you mix it too hot it will warp

step 4: brush the resin into the fiber GENTLY. try to go one direction (up & down OR side to side) to avoid damaging the look of the cloth. now we wait for the resin to dry.

step 5: un tape your sheet from your flat surface. the side that was facing down into the wax paper is the side we want to use as it has no fraying from the brush strokes and wont require any sanding.

step 6: cut out 4 circles from your flat sheet you created in the steps earlier.

 

[Yoda E SC]

step 7: use automotive goop or similar adhesive to attach the carbon fiber to the center caps. i used various round flat objects in my garage like small spray paint can caps to press down on the carbon while the goop dried. basically i set the caps on the work bench, place the paint caps in the center cap recess on the carbon fiber and put a weight on top to keep it pressed down over night while it dried.

step 8: this is what you will have one the goop dries x4

step 9: place stickers you have for the caps onto the carbonfiber. i opted for the classic dark gray "h"s on mine to make the wheels look semi-stock

step 10: mix up your expoy clear coat per manufacturers instructions. this is 2:1 some is 1:1, just make sure you are using the correct ratio and MIX WELL.

step 11: after you mix the epoxy up and pour it into the centercaps you will have lots of little air bubbles. these go away with a little heat.

step 12: use a heat gun on low setting, not a hair dryer. heat gun will actually heat the surface up with minimum air while a hair dryer moves alot more air than heat and may cause dust and other particals to get into the wet material.

 

[Yoda E SC]

step 13: this is what you should be left with after heating up the expoy. These will sit for 24-48 hours to fully cure.

step 14: DONE

these are what the factory caps looked like with the simulated carbonfiber and that awful drag logo

and here is mine, mo betta

 

[Nuwin]

Looks awesome! Nice job.

 

[Yoda E SC]

thanks, it was much easier than the carbonfiber grille has been so far. I did this in the time i was waiting between coats and stuff on it. this whole project was MUCH shorter and more DIY than that one.

 

[haulingstuff]

Yo that's dope.

I've got some of those exact DRAG centercaps sitting around somewhere from my black wheels.

I understand most of it, but I don't understand where the H came from.

Oh.... duh, stickers. So the stickers are laid in the epoxy on top of the fiber???

If I can find the original caps I might try this as an alternative the inlaid acrylic ones I replaced them with.

 

[Island E]

Make me some.

 

[twrundar]

Wow...so cool!

 

[ShroomMastaP]

wow great job. i like the logo

 

[AztecRol]

Yoda, you have way too much time, and way too much CF!!!!!!

Well done, those center caps look really nice!!!

 

[Yoda E SC]

So the stickers are laid in the epoxy on top of the fiber???

Yes, the stickers were placed on the carbon fiber before the epoxy clearwent on. they are just some "H"s i had a friend cut with his plotter. I almost did orange but went with the dark gray instead

Yoda, you have way too much time, and way too much CF!!!!!!

Well done, those center caps look really nice!!!

If i had more of both i would have all kinds of stuff done

thanks everyone for the comments. I wanted to throw these up here so that anyone that wanted to do something like this wouldnt hesitate to jump in there and try it. element owners are an inovative bunch of people, i mean look at our vehicles , theres nothing we cant figure out together

 

[327cam]

Awesome job!

 

[TOAST_E]

UBER CLEAN

Your SC looks great BTW, your mod choices are tasteful and subtle and blend with the design which actually makes the mods look good. I find that easily half the mods ppl do on their Hondas clash with the factory design and end up looking much worse than stock.

 

[Yoda E SC]

thanks alot. i am all about making it clean and not flashy, but tight looking. it took me quite a while to find wheels that i though would acomplish this with the rootbeer color. and once the wheels went that direction i wanted to keep it all tied together. my younger brother is comming down in a few weeks and i am taking some time off work to show him how to do things the right way as far as installation of mobile electronics and everything aftermarket carwise. I am one of about 100 MECP master installers in the country right now and I want him to learn the right way how to do things like I did at an early age. Hopefully we will get some of the projects that i plan documented and maybe some more how to's for here from his visit.

http://www.mecp.com/tech_interviews.asp

 

[05elefent]

Coolest MF'in bro ever. Nice....

 

[Gboybst578]

those look freaking amazing. you should make some more and sell them

-garrett

 

[barryscott]

Yep, love the look:lol::lol:

 

[toasty]

That's some sweet ****! I've got my new wheels and rubber coming this Friday and can't wait to get them on.

 

[04EXE]

looks 100X better... nice job!

 

[Eww-an E]

Those turned out great. Nicely done.