Hi guys. Ive been CAD cutting for a while, and have mostly leaned twords Hot rod, Tbucket, and GULP... RAT TOD crowd. Im in to making money! Howver My heat lies with the traditional build crowd. What would be some ideas of products to offer specifically tword the traditional crowd. Im cabable of fabricating, or cutting complete three dimensional objects, and very complicated structures. So hit me with you ideas what would you like to see that would make builds or drops easier? Im not looking for "doors for 26-27 coupes! more like suspension, dash panels, crossmembers, ETC... If I eventually offer some ideas from this discusion, I will advertise on this board. But as of now I dont offer anything that the other guy does not, and definately not traditional. Throw out ideas all are welcome.
If you can reproduce the '32 K-member so I can hardly tell the difference you'd have me as a regular customer. Ed
A solid(where the gauges are) Dash for a 35 Ford Tudor(I have a nice stocker but I don't want to cut it up).
Not a bad idea, I would need to find a stock one to look at in person, take measurements and such. Could probably do something simular to a welders series kit. I'll have to look for one to get a pattern. The cutting and assembly process is not to grreat, however taking time to deseign it in CAD might be the hard part. But Im game on this one!
This one I can do! do you have a picture of what you are describing? I assume you are referring to a solid flat dash insert with different gauge configurations, to save the stockers?
I can lend you one. Here's what they look like. They are a very complex shape which may require pressing into shape. Ed
How about reviving the old U Fab manifolds? I think they were Bruce Crower's first product, but they have not been available for years. All you need is the flanges for the heads, precut tubing intake pipes and a box for the carbs. Include patterns for drilling the box for different numbers of carbs and different types ( 2 2's, 3 2's, 4 2's. 1 4, 2 4's). There are lots of nostalgia motors they just don't make manifolds for anymore, if they ever did. Especially inline motors. You could make header kits for the old motors too.
Been working on a acouple of deseigns for this idea. Hard not to copy a few designs out. There are only so many deseigns you come up with.
I think this is accually not as complicated as you may think. I can make one that would be very close to original, it will be the same dimensions, but look a little different. Whish someone was closer than germany to loan me one. Any one else got one for measure ments?
Looks like they no longer offer intake mani's? I accually love doing this kinda of stuff, but there are SO many engine and carb combinations that it sounds easy, but you accually need everything you make to take mesurements from...! If any of you have a special request for an inline that does not exist, Pm me and we could discuss it. I would of course do all the CAD/CAM work free to gain the pattern.
I'm buying one in the US in two weeks which I could have sent to you first. After that you send it on to Idaho. Vern Tardel already makes a reproduction but it's not accurate enough to look genuine. Ed
Thats what Im afraid may happen as well. I can Cad draw this perfect.. Shoot we can try it? Im game. Looking authentic will be the hardest part I won't lie.
A kit for wheels stands (out of steel). Design them to fit in a flat rate us shipping box to keep shipping low.
If you consider tools.....a bench vise which would double as an anvil at a price us blue collar workers could afford. A well built english wheel which is American made and can compete with the price of the one from that big box store's. (HF)
Are 32-34 Ford P/U door hinges out of the question? Doors were hard enough to find but hinges are like hens teeth. The folks that were going to repop them admitted that they're a long long time from starting that project.
I think that a "proper" '32 K-member would no doubt be a seller, but I don't think "looks a little different" is close enough. With rails and front & rear X-members priced affordably now, I don't think you can get too pricey with a K-member. Maybe that's why nobody has jumped on this yet. I also think that a Pedal set W/master, wishbone....the whole sheedaree is needed. For someone with the expertise, I think that a gear set that would make the old truck 4 speeds usable ratios would be the greatest thing ever.
I'd agree with all the above. And the difference between a flat stock approximation of a 32 K-member and a true reproduction part would be on the order of $40,000 worth of die work and a press with a few hundred tons of capacity. For a person or company not already in the stamping business, the press and its installation plus the tooling and building space to house it all would easily push a quarter million bucks before the first piece is ever produced. Not a bad investment if the market is a few hundred pieces a week, but not so much when its more like a few hundred a year.
I was thinking of fabricating a K-member, and coming up with laser- or water-cut blanks that would work for home or shop assembly, but there is a lot of forming in there (or welding if fabricating it), and it isn't even symmetrical: the depressions and some of the holes are different between left and right sides. Being on probably the wrong side of the Pond to sell enough to make it viable meant I just forked out more than a few hundred bucks(!) to buy one from a HAMBer. You're on the right side of the ocean, but as metlmunchr pointed out, to be convincing you'd need more than a few flat blanks.
Ive looked into those as well. I can make em, but they look a slight bit different from the originals, dont know if that would be a deterent? As far as the crossmember, I think that the statements are correct, and it would not be a feasable money maker.
I can see why, they got a fair amount of dimension.... I can do one very simular, but it will be a one dimentional with small bead.
http://www.djmsuspension.com/products/dream beams.html http://www.airbagit.com/product-p/ibe-fo6574.htm
I need a kit that has two more garage spaces, a big chunk of free time, a half ton of motivation, and oh yeah, a bushel basket of neatly stacked and bundled $100 bills. All for around $49.95 plus shipping and state sales tax. TIA
WOW.. ok just send me a PP, and I'll pack it in hopes and dreams and send it SH1T shiping.... thats funny!
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