what your opinion on these ( the ones from ebay or the mugen one)

any one have any of these two?????

thanks

 

they are pieces of shit and by the time that you get it nice and snug it would have cost just as much as the original

 

Mugen!!

 

I would disagree, they are not pieces of shit... but they do require that you have a basic understanding of composites and how to work with them ... my top took me about 4 months to finish... but I did it in my friends garage and only worked a few days a week... then nasty weather prevented me from getting the final paint on for about 5 weeks....

Total cost was about $2600 including paint and reengineering the rear window....

 

i dunno if this will help cuz its in relation to cf and not fiberglass...
but from what ive read here, the members that got the cf replicas
(c-west, seibon, vis, etc) say that fitment is pretty good...
just things like back window+ install hardware need to bought separate

plus geniune mugen has a finer cf weave in regards to asthetics...

imo, if you go w/ a replica, do cf and paint it!

 

! purchased an aftermarket hardtop .... could have gotten solid carbon fiber but i wanted to paint part of it .... so i opted to buy fiberglass and laminate carbon fiber panels on the side and paint the rest to match my car


Handlaid the carbon fiber cloth and covered with peel ply to ensure a smooth finish




After wetsanding the carbon fiber I squeegied another thin coat of laminating epoxy onto the cloth to prep for the final sanding .... apart from the areas receiving the CF ... the rest will be painted to match the car



here is another pic from a different angle



Here are a couple pics after 2 coats of primer and a very thorough wetsanding.... Last sanding was with 600 grit and it is baby's butt smooth



Another angle

Started to apply the basecoat ... got 3 coats on and the wind kicked up ... no spray booth = we have to finish it another day .... the base coat is flat ... but you can see the shine already even before we apply a few coats of pearl and the 5 coats of clear it will receive... The carbon fiber was masked and will also receive 5 coats of clear .... took the masking off for the pic since we will need to do another light wetsanding before we start shooting again BTW the paint is dry to the touch in both pictures...



another pic



A few pics of it on the car .... damn car is dirty though .... rained all day the day before the photos were taken .... can't wash it for a few more days while the clear coat finishes curing....








Not a job for everyone, but with a little skill you can save a few bucks and learn alot. The top fits perfectly and there are no air leaks at all

 

that is an awesome match for the oem wing
very nice shortbus!

 

I think you made a great point. However your time is worth money.

You paid 2700 out of your pocket and spent, what say 40 hours of your time on it. At 10 per hour, that is another 400. If anyone else had to pay to have the same thing done, that would be more like 50 per hour. Or another 2K.

The Mugen FRP hardtop requires next to no prep, only paint. It lists for 2,800. So add shipping 200 and paint 500. It sounds like this is about the same.

So the saving of the e-Bay hardtop mt be next to nothing and the resale value of it will be lower then the Mugen.

BTW: Great job on your HT. Looks outstanding.

 

Well I must admit I love to do things myself....

I like being able to point at something and say I made that.... It is a passion for me and not really considered work.... its more like an enjoyable passtime that allows me new experiences and a chance to learn....

I'm funny like that....

 

What Strat said