Keeping with the carbon theme in the engine bay, I wanted to design inner fenders that would do their job of keeping rocks and debris from being launched off the tires and into the open bay, but also showcase the front suspension instead of hiding it. A composite part was ideal for this, and I was able to design these lofted trophy-truck shaped inner haunches that cover the tires in their full range of motion but do not cover all the good bits. Some recessed inner panels help break up the boring surface area while also adding rigidity into those areas. At the rear of the inner fenders, Vibrant catch cans are lofted around for a clean area to mount and present the cans and their lines to the valve covers.

Due to the part size and complexity, it was easiest to 3D print the inner fender plugs in modular sections and bond them onto steel frameworks. after test fitting the core component in the engine bay as is, I even 3D printed the flanges to go around the part in preparation for the mold. Traditional mold making strategies were used to bodywork the large plugs to a mirror gloss, gel coat and hand laminate fiberglass to produce the female molds.

The large pieces were then laid up with dry carbon reinforcement in preparation for resin infusion. The large parts took well to a single large face layer of cloth to keep the weave consistent, with the exception of the complicated junction for the catch cans. The parts were resin infused with epoxy in tandem to each other, and left for 24 hours to cure before demolding.

After trimming the parts and drilling for mounting provisions, the parts were fit into the engine bay for an amazing fit and visual.