Ok I'm thick skinned doesn't bother me one bit.
If you don't like them send them back and I'll sell them off to the ones on the waiting list for these.
Now I made money doing these but not what everyone thinks. And this isn't singling you or any one else out just stating some facts for you and others to think about when you see something for sale made by an individual.
Thing is with anything thats fabricated and sold by people on chat rooms there's always someone thats going to see a flaw in something of something else that needs to be done, priced to much etc. I personally wanted to bead blast all of these then alodine them all. If you've never heard of alodine do a google search. But figure in another 300 in materials and an hour times 37 sets of brackets to bead blast and dip them. When the smoke cleared I spent about 6 to 7 hours per set building them not counting writing code, building jigs for the mill and prototyping the stuff and do the logo's as a thank you. Probably somewhere around 300 to 350 total hours to do 37 sets. I did them all in less than a month. Not many people would take on a project like this or do it in 3 weeks no days off working 18 to 20 hours a day straight then wait to be paid. Something I didn't figure in was shipping time. Yea have to box and ship but on a group buy was hoping to make just a few trips. Actually made 27 separate trips to Fed ex at or around an hour each. Thats almost a full work week just running back and forth hell I can be to Key West and back in 27 hours
Some things are never thought of when parts are fabricated and these are some of the things I spent doing these.
2 inch aluminum 24 ft sticks
3 inch aluminum 24 foot sticks
1x1 aluminum 24 ft sticks
Had to get my buddy and his trailer to go get the metal. Paid him gas
2 bottles of argon at 75 a bottle
about 2 lbs of tig rod
end mills yea there small but micrograin carbide ain't cheap
used various 3/8, 1/2 inch and engravers think $50 or so each in tooling
saw blade for the miter saw, yes I use a carbide wood blade on aluminum the $50 ones, eats right through it but don't last long.
sander belts for my big sander
electricity to run the welder, mill, air compressor and various corded tools as well as for the lights to be on.
Material for the jigs for the mill
Just the bill for the hardware I included was over $350....Didn't want people using greasy ass rusty bolts
shipping to everywhere
I didn't figure in was wear and tear on the tools. Tools I used aren't cheap. Tig welder to replace would be about 2500, ball screws for the mill If I could find them is around 2K each times 3. I just got lucky and bought some longer ones for the mill with the correct pitch and tooth count so when I tear it down and have a new base and table built will triple the work envelope. Those two used were $850
When people build things it costs not only time but money just remember that.
While I've been around on this board I've been involved in some really cool projects, one lap team stuff, design end of the Boostx bushings and many phone calls about the lip spoilers, cop plates and I could count how many little custom projects that I've forgot about and the owner has never posted pictures of. Hell I've probably sold 100 gauge panels and some with custom things like usb ports. I make a living doing this stuff and wish I could do just custom parts but as Mark said about the cheap skate factor most have to do something else to make a living. I do stuff for locals and sell off parts. I'd much rather be doing custom parts but I don't make as much as selling on ebay so my shop stays trashed and things are constantly rotating through here. Just is what it is.
If people want to keep seeing parts built for there old cars they just need to think about some of the things I've said. John's bushings are still selling today but it took him fricking forever to recoop the money for the different molds. He has more in DSM/VR4 subframe bushing molds than 75% of the people on this board have in their built cars and I think the two molds he had done for the front lip have never been paid for so out of all he sold he still in the hole because he had to buy the boxes to ship them in, packing material to keep them safe, the resin to make them and the wood and buckets of material to make the mold. Think thousands of dollars to shell out to get a part from idea to design to production.
I do it because I like this place and these old brick shaped cars.... not for the money but you have to make something to live and pay for the tools used. Hope some of this will make some sense.
Rant over my sammiches are ready. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif