Carbon fiber gullwing door frames

[Option16]

Hey this is my first post for BH5 QB kit #41 but I wanted to share how I made carbon fiber one-piece front doors. I used 3/4 square CF tubing and 3D printed corner inserts using ASA-CF filament. I epoxied the corner inserts into place and wrapped each corner with an extra carbon layer. For the curved lower pieces I cut kerfs into the inside of that piece, bent it around a form to glue the kerfs shut. Then I wrapped and vacuum bagged those pieces. For the hinges I used SS barrels epoxied in place and wrapped for reinforcement. I did have to adjust the hinges on the frame to provide more standoff to clear the square tubing and reinforcement CF. I cut the outer welds, bent the barrels down slightly and the re-welded. I used a 3/16 solid brass rod through both hinges to keep them aligned while adjusting.

[TedGarcia]

Was just starting to plan my doors for a BH4 QB. And the gullwing seems like a better option than the two piece. Are you planning to insert plex for the entire door? Or will there be a solid piece in the lower section?

[Option16]

Only the front lower corner will have a solid carbon fiber piece of about 3" tall and 6" long to mount the door handles. The rest will be one piece of polycarbonate.

[TJ_Slice]

Looks very nice so far. Are you planning on using the upper hinges or something else? Are you going to leave the forward hinge or cut it off?

[Option16]

Yes, I used the stock upper hinges and cut off the forward hinges.

[Westward_Flyer]

Such an elegant solution, thank you for sharing!

p.s. do you have a build log? I’d love to
follow along until I start my model 5 in 3 years.

[Option16]

Sorry WF I don't have a build log online. But I'll post in the forums any time I do something non-standard in my build.

[Westward_Flyer]

No worries, good luck with the rest of your build!