Topic: What I'd like Norm to make

[Houstice]

Now that is Nice but too Busy

I agree.

[normsf]

Wow this is amazing. To get a project started Like the new Viper hood style Im building for the Sky is a major undertaking. As I have to fund it as I go along, unless of course someone plunks down around $10,000.00, LOL. I find that to price out a pattern and molds it takes around 15 units to break even and then after that I start to make some profit. For example a hood costs retail around $1000,00 I have to sell 15 to pay for the tooling costs, molds, fitting prototype pieces which all takes time and when you have to self fund it takes longer to do. The old saying "if you dont have the money, you better have the time if you dont have the time you better have the money" So I just keep plugging along until I get right. Thanks again Norm

[idkfa]

You rock, dude.   I understand that the hoods are fairly large and can increase tooling costs but how about a fascia.  Do the shape complexities create higher costs or is every piece larger than a fender-or-so going to cost close to the same to develop?

Thanks!
seth

[Sol Asylum]

Norm do you typically make your own patterns by hand and then pull a mold from them or do you do CAD design have a pattern CNC'd and then pull your mold off the pattern?  If the later I might be able to recommend a shop that can take your CAD file and go right to a mold, of course it would depend on the complexity of the part but it can cut costs and reduce time.

idkfa shape plays a big part in production costs.  You can have a small part that is so complex that it actually cost more then a much larger simple part.  It's all about how hard it is to make the tooling, how much time it takes to lay up the part (complex shapes can cause air bubbles which means more time laying them up or more failed parts), then how difficult it is to remove the part from the mold, if it damages the mold during removal thus short tooling life.  Another factor is how much time it takes to finish a part after you remove it from the mold.

[SHiNY]

Good catch spider.  Kappa drift team in full force... Captained this trip by Kenny!

SHOCKING!!!!