Hey Kas, I'm late but would like to have a set of manifolds. John
R. Kastner wrote:
> Boy is this a true story. In the early 60's I polled dozens of people about
> their interest in a dual Weber set up with really good maniolds and fititng
> linkagea etc. Everyone was truly interested and said "YEAH< YEAH". So I did
> the flow testing made the tooling had the manifold cast invested in the
> linkage set up, and bought a full page ad in "Competition Press" the racing
> newspaper oif the time ( now autoweek). I inventoried two CASES of 45mm
> webers, man I was ready to give service. After three months I had sold ONE
> set. I hear you Justin....
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: jmwagner <jmwagner@greenheart.com>
> To: <fot@autox.team.net>
> Cc: Bob Lang <LANG@isis.mit.edu>; Jack Wheeler <jwheeler@seidata.com>; Paul
> Richardson <Paul-Richardson@cyberware.co.uk>
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 10:57 AM
> Subject: Hubs and the such...
>
> >
> > FOT....
> >
> > When it comes to price for after market parts for our Triumphs, keep in
> mind that
> > the producers of these products would have been far better off to have put
> the same
> > investment in parts for any series of cars that are in greater numbers.
> >
> > If Racetorians made that hub for a Chevy, a Miata, etc, they'd be selling
> them
> > 10-fold... and could thereby probably be able to sell them for that "$1k",
> and his
> > company would probably profit 10-fold! In making a part for such a small
> market,
> > it is a labor of love... It MUST be. It HAS to be. There is no other
> sound
> > business reason.
> >
> > I know the price discussion was all in fun... but in reality, "Hey, I'm
> cheap. I
> > race Triumphs." is actually a factor in considering whether to go forward
> with a
> > product or not.
> >
> > I remember a few years ago, when I announced to my local club that I had a
> new
> > product. There was so much energy. So much excitement. It was very
> motivating.
> > Later I brought the product to a meeting. It was the highlight of the
> meeting.
> > And everyone was impressed. The question and answer period when on and
> on! And
> > examples went around the room. I had noticed there were several TR's in
> the
> > parking lot and, undoubtedly, a dozen more at their homes. I brought a
> dozen with
> > me ready to sell, yet I seem to recall only the club president was buying
> that
> > night. In fact, in my local club, more people are running freebies that
> I have
> > provided for club events and vintage racers, then were ever purchased. It
> took 1
> > 1/2 years to get out of the red. (Re-tooling in 1999 put me back in the
> red!)
> >
> > The excitement behind a new product seems to quickly fade away when it
> comes time
> > to write a check. I was always amazed, at the meetings, when members that
> hadn't
> > even bought my product, would talk at length about what other products I
> should
> > develop and then would repeatedly badger me at future meetings for
> results! (Kudos
> > to the exceptions, that invested in my product through a purchase or in
> spreading
> > the word to a friend or two that needed one!)
> >
> > I guess you can see the price issue sort of hits me close to the heart. I
> can
> > relate to the desire to make products for the cars that I love, clearly
> this is the
> > case for Racetorians. Fortunately, they appear to be thriving, with a
> great line
> > of products, and hopefully they will continue to survive the dwindling
> > marketplace. (TriumphTune's future?) I, for one, certainly plan to press
> onward.
> >
> > Price is always an issue... but do consider such things, as mentioned,
> like "cost
> > to replace/rebuild your car", and the such. Consider the time it took to
> develop
> > the product. Consider the cost to warranty that product. Consider how
> much longer
> > this new product might last. Consider what the cost of one failure, of
> the old
> > stock type of part, would cost. And so on... if the the price starts to
> look
> > good from that perspective... (it probably will, because the guy who
> created it had
> > to consider all these factors also!) Then... if it's a great product and
> you can
> > muster the funds... go for it. When we buy products like these, sometimes
> priced
> > higher than our Chevy and Ford friends, I believe we are saying "THANK
> YOU", for
> > taking the time to invest in our mutual hobby.
> >
> > I absolutely did NOT intend to make this sound like a lecture, though I
> know it
> > does, and it's not directed toward any individual. And I can see how it
> could be
> > viewed as self-serving, but this also was not my intent. AND I'm sure
> it's just
> > common sense knowledge for most of you. The thread just struck home with
> me and I
> > wanted to share what became a revelation to me over the last few years...
> as my
> > attitude towards the small businessman have evolved
> dramatically...especially those
> > involved in our hobby.
> >
> > --Justin
> >
> > PS So as to not sound hypocritical in the future, I must say none of the
> above
> > excuses poor business practices by anyone.... another thread some day.
> >
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