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Re: TR 6, etc. Valve Cover Gasket

To: Joe Curry <spitlist@gte.net>
Subject: Re: TR 6, etc. Valve Cover Gasket
From: jmwagner <jmwagner@greenheart.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 12:28:13 -0800
Cc: Triumph Newsgroup <triumphs@autox.team.net>, Amici Triumphi <fot@autox.team.net>
References: <3A94130D.87BE4EB3@greenheart.com> <3A9414C9.9B1D9334@gte.net>
Joe,

ummmm.... honestly Joe... if it was about a "bigger market".... I'd skip the 
other Triumphs completely... and go for
the gold....  Let's keep things in perspective.

I chose Triumphs as my proving ground because that is where my heart is.  
Obviously I chose the car I drive to start
with.   I want to do some of the other key triumphs because it is my hobby and 
I feel a kindred ship with the TR
folks, but eventually, I will have to move to other makes, such as American 
cars and MGBs, etc.  (Meanwhile, I did
hope to make a going concern out of "J. M. Wagner Sales, Ltd." and produce some 
other products specifically for
Triumphs.)

I put Spitfire behind the 6-cylinder for several reasons....

1.  Cork works on littler 4 banger valve covers better than it does on that 
long 6 cylinder one....   so I felt the
6-cylinder guys were a little more desperate for an alternative...  I don't 
mean that sales will be greater, I just
mean that the actual need is greater.  I base this on e-mails I have received 
for the last 4 years.

2. The 6-cylinder gasket had special requirements... I had to break new ground. 
  I wanted to get a gasket out there
with this new technology.  Once proven, it might pave the way for a TR 7 
gasket, etc...  Meanwhile, I can put out a
Spitfire version shortly after the 6-cylinder.

3.  Jan Dawson.

4.  E-mails from desperate 6-owners.

I get the feeling you feel snubbed since I put the 6-cylinder first.  I 
apologize for that, but there's method to my
madness.  And since I do plan to get a Spitfire version out this year, there 
really isn't that much of a delay factor
between the two.  It won't be another 4 years before I get to another gasket!

--Justin Wagner





Joe Curry wrote:

> Justin,
> You're missing the bigger market.  There are many more 4 cylinder Triumphs 
>out there to sell to than 6 cylinders!
>
> Joe
>
> jmwagner wrote:
> >
> > Ladies and Gentlemen:
> >
> > I just thought I'd make a progress report....
> >
> > All the design work has been done and the tooling is now in the hands of
> > a couple shops.  Unfortunately, they're a little swamped right now, so
> > they can't get to work on it right away.  (CNC machines, etc.)
> >
> > I'm hopeful that within 3 weeks, I will have my prototype mold and can
> > subsequently begin to test a gasket...   if it performs as expected, I
> > will be able to figure out costs/pricing and begin selling the
> > gasket....   (At that point, I will only have one mold and production
> > may be slow, but I will first direct sales only to the team.net
> > newsgroups, before advertising elsewhere, etc... to assure that all of
> > you that have been waiting patiently, won't have to wait much longer.)
> >
> > While still made of a high temp, high performance silicone, it is a
> > dramatically different design than the TR 2-4A gasket, because I faced a
> > different type of mating surface, an extreme length, and proximity
> > conflicts (hardware close to the valve cover, etc.).   There is more to
> > say about the new design, but I'd rather wait until its proven itself on
> > the street.   For those of you that truly understand the word
> > "TRICK"....    this gasket will be all that and more.
> >
> > I have confidence that it will meet all my expectations  (and yours!),
> > but until I have tested the prototype (after a considerable
> > investment!), I will not know if I have a winner.   While not
> > particularly religious, I wouldn't mind a few prayers for the gasket's
> > success... and some crossed fingers.. and so on!
> >
> > I'll keep you informed...  Thank you for 4 years of patience!
> > (Assuming success with the 6-cylinder gasket, Spitfire will follow this
> > year.)
> >
> > --Justin Wagner

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