Projects New Production 45 Fin Buick Style Aluminum Brake Drums

Hump day bump.

You all be careful out there on your way to consume turkey and whatnot.

 

I am thankful that my family all remain upright and respirating in a regular manner.

I am thankful for America (what's left of it).

And for the automobile in all it's various and sundry glory.

And for the HAMB and all the wonderful mental patients that keep me company here. ( )

And for whoever it was that first realized you could race things.

Stay safe out there guys, and enjoy whatever it is you're thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

A bump for more exposure on this project. I sure would like to see this happen

 

Me too ttt

 

Thanks guys.

I got busy over the holiday/weekend and didn't get a chance to get on the computer until too late at night to make a bump matter.

 

It sure would be good to get this project off the ground, Its hard enough getting good drums now so imagine what its going to be like in a few years, Ryan needs all the help he can get and im sure future hot rodders are going to be greatfull for his efforts, so if your in the market nows your chance to help this project happen.

 

It's really hard to think only 3 guys have stepped up to make this work.....no one wants new buick drums?? At this rate none of us will have them

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I could spring for another pair, but I don't think it will make up the difference. There has to be a lot of Buick drums on Hamber's hot rods...what are those guys gonna do when they don't have enough meat left? Oh, I know, they will go to the oversize brake shoe store -ley me know how that works out.

Which reminds me I should buy another set of front and rear brake shoes while I can.

Come on guys - think of a pair of these drums like money in the bank.

Charlie

 

Ryan: Have you approached SoCal speed shop or any of the larger aftermarket Ford suppliers? C&G or Mac's maybe Spadaro or MT Car Products? MT has their own brake drum but the Buick is a lot different. Check out their web page: http://www.mtcarproducts.com/
I would assist in getting the project to the finish line but that looks a long way off.

 

Im sure much of it has to do with the cost. Im NOT AT ALL saying its a high price but most guys on here are,,,,,, well,,,,, read my signature

 

I have not, because I've had trouble in other industries with the big players either not wanting to mess with a new comer (or being overtly hostile to one) or making unmeetable demands vis a vis price/markup/deliver/etc.

Call it a reflexive distrust of big retailers brought on by past experience.

I would be tickled shitless to have SoCal, Speedway, and anyone else who want to carry them to do so (if we could deal in good faith, etc), but there ain't much meat on the bones here, so I can't offer them big discounts, and pretty much nobody is willing to just buy parts to sell anymore (if they ever were).

They all want to take them on consignment or drop-ship terms (but still with a 25%-50% discount for their profit margin) because we're a small shop that they've never dealt with and the per part cost is high. Of course, that's their right (and probably prudent), but it don't help get us off the ground here.

If anyone has an "in" with SoCal (or any of the big retailers), please do point them this way, but I expect cold calls and pitches to any of the big retailers is going to produce the same (not useful) result.

And yes, I thought surely that it wouldn't be anything like this hard to find forty souls who needed/wanted new Buick drums.

I've had this happen before in another field, where people made a big stink about wanting a certain product. Needed it, wanted it, had to have it, so I built it and offered it for sale.

Out of the hundreds of people who jumped up and down to have them built, less than a dozen bought one.

I guess this is one of those things. "Everybody" wants them and thinks they should be reproduced, but nobody actually wants to buy them or has the money to do so.

And I understand that the holidays are a disposable cash sink, but that doesn't explain why I had nearly 60 guys say they'd buy a set in a poll two weeks ago, and only three have actually done so now that it's possible.

If they want some and are just broke, where are they in these threads? You'd think they'd at least want someone else to take their place so the project actually happens.

I dunno. Folks is really funny sometimes.

 

Any new takers on this fine Humpday evening?

If your in the path of whatever this big snow storm is called, stay safe and warm.

 

Anyone else want to get on board here?

If you're needing new drums, it's the only ship in town, and it won't leave the dock if you don't get involved.

 

Ryan, I'm gonna send you an email concernig my interest in some drums now that I've gotten those damn taxes paid. This is just to let you know to expect an email from cpropman at bell south dot com, and also bump this back to the top of a very fast moving forum.

On edit: Ryan, I tried to send you an email via your tech questions on hot rods link on your site and it was rejected. Some gibberish about sales tax on sales to out of state customers or some such shit. WTF????????

On 2nd edit: sent you a PM

 

I don't know what you've gotten into with the sales tax thing, as all my "contact us" links on my website are simple "mailto" HTML links that should just pop up an email window from your mail client with my email address pre-filled.

I assure you that it's not on my end. My website is dirt simple (mostly because I'm not all that enamored of complex sites, and I don't know how to program all that fancy shit anyway).

Sorry you had trouble.

I will go read your PM and get back to you ASAP.

 

Bringing this back up for the evening.

Still a couple of weeks until the deadline.

Hope springs eternal.

 

I am hoping too, I really want to see these in production. I certainly would not object to adding more time to get enough funders on board.

 

Yeah, I will revisit that option after this campaign runs out on Jan 1st.

If the other two guys are willing, that's what we'll do.

I'm gonna try to figure out a way to accept lower funding amounts too, say like a guy just wants to put in $30, he can get a hat for helping out, stuff like that. Not sure exactly what I'm gonna do on that score yet.

 

Any updates?

 

Yup. We needed 40 guys to make this work, and we got three.

As soon as the money arrives here from RocketHub, I will be returning it to the funders.

I may try again with this later on in the year, but the seriously lackluster support I had on the first go-round has made me reconsider whether this project is economically viable at all.

Out of all the thousands of guys out there who run or want to run Buick drums on their rides, I only needed forty hardy souls to step up in order make things work out.

What I got was a lot of grief from a lot of different people, and three VERY hardy souls who were willing to brave it anyhow.

I want to thank those guys profusely for believing in me and this project enough put their money down on the barrel head, and I want to apologize to them for getting their hopes up and then not being able to deliver.

It sucks, but times is tough, so I can't begrudge a man not wanting to part with serious coin for parts he may want but not need.

Bottom line, we just didn't have enough people interested enough to buy into the first batch, so this project is on hold for the time being (the next few months at least).

If/When I decide to revisit the idea, you all will be the first to know.

 

You might consider the timing, as in yours was smack dab in the holidays.
Best time for any new venture is to be ready to jump and start around income tax return time or just before October. Holidays and summer are the worst times to get people to part with their money for non necessity items. At least this has been my experience.

I think yours is a great idea and just poor timing causing the lack luster funding.

 

several years ago [maybe twenty] i looked into the possibility of reproducing the buick brake drums and got in touch with an O.E.M. supplier. had a conversation with an engineer and was told that a step in the process included pressing the 'face' of the drum [the flat part]. the way i understood it the drum needs to be in tension, so that when you apply the brakes and generate heat the drum will remain round. the supplier wanted $20,000.00 upfront with no guaranty of when the drums would be finished, i passed. my point is, i think there is more to producing a brake drum than meets the eye. plus the cost of liability insurance is another issue.
tom

 

Vicky, there's a big difference between missing by an foot (what would have happened if the holidays were holding people back) and missing by a mile (what actually happened).

 

One would think so, but after years of dealing with the calendar I've found it to be true. I can get you 500 similar opinions from many different guys who work with it instead of against it.

Stick with your idea, keep it fresh and get it ready to be funded just after the Easter bunny leaves town. Stay positive.

 

We shall see.

If we all live to see April, we may revisit things then.

 

I wouldn't feel too discouraged if I were you. Buick drums a style choice in my opinion. But that said, I want to congratulate you for taking the steps to make a crowdfunding style deal out of it. I'd sure like to see that continue.

 

Hi Ryan,
Just got this thread in a search. I will be able and willing to reserve/place an order for a pair when ever your back in the race.

Good luck,
Jay


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Ill be ready I April

 

I will be ready also...2pr.

 

I dunno guys.

The last go 'round was such a colossal failure that I ended up just giving the (only) three guys who signed on their money back.

Plus, the crowd funding site takes a BIG chunk, especially if you don't meet your funding goal.

If I do this again, I will probably just take the orders myself and skip RocketHub and their 16% vig. I think I've shown myself to be a stand up guy, as far as that goes, so the trust factor isn't as big a deal this time. Apart from that, I don't know what RocketHub brings to the party. They certainly didn't do me any marketing favors.

The first of April is going to be too soon for me anyway, as I'm working on other projects at the moment.

However, when I get this current project cleared off and into testing, then I might come back and revisit this one. But it'll be farther into the summer, May or June before that happens.

Sorry it didn't work out as planned guys, I really wanted it to happen, but the money tells the tale, and in this case (at least the first time through), it didn't have a happy ending.

Maybe the next trip through will be a little less Grim's and a little more Disney.

EDIT: I was remiss in not pointing out that the three guys who got refunds are the ones who ate RocketHub's fees (as I outlined in the deal from the start). I don't want it to sound like I'm some saintly fellow here, rather just that I didn't abscond with the cash when I could have (IE I'm not an outright dick bag, just a middling failure). If the funding goal had been met though, I'd have eaten the vig, so it is in all our best interests to bypass RocketHub if we ever revisit this idea.