Over at hybrid the q popped up agian in quest of CF or GF hoods for the s130

As im in the process of cutting up one of Johns Betamotorsports cowl hoods for project .. he suggest he could make a mold !!!!


http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread...d=1#post665959


Naturally im in as this is finally some aftermarket support for our beloved beast.
Good part being that his prizes arent even that steep compared to a new OEM hood.

Anyway what im looking for is people who want in..

For those unfamiliar with Beta motorsport!
this will meansdealing with a reputable shop and a knowledable guy!
I have seen his shop and work.. and it looks very good


Feeling the water here.. this would mean having to put in a downpayment!

 

Hmmmmmm,

This road has been travelled before to no avail and to the great dissapointment of many of the regulars here. Everybody wants to see it happen, but at this point, I don't see a lot of people willing to fork over cash up front again. It didn't work out so well last time.

Rod.

 

This is for you a local shop! I hav egreat trust in John Coffey .. if we do this it will be mold that sits there so always a lead for a hood!!

I havent had solid numbers of how much you have to pay in advance .. but i will pay upfront with this guy .. you can all visit his shop too and see his work..
He has more to loose than missmaniging this.. He is a Hybrid moderate and a reputable.. on top of that i have dealt with him first hand and give him A+ there are not much enthausiast running a speciality shop out there.. i dont even have the feeling he is in there for the $$$ but because he likes it !


her is what he said on hybrid After talking with Frank - he moves fast - I estimate a 280ZX carbon fiber hood (a real CF hood) primered would be about $675. A 280ZX fiberglass hood primered would be about $330. A 280ZX fiberglass hood with a layer of CF on top and a clear coat would be about $480. These estimated prices are for an OEM style hood without the turbo NACA duct or vent.

So actualy for those who REALLY want iit and are willing to do a downpayment so he is sure he will sell enough to clear or secure the mold let me or him know


So rod you on .. it would suit the 18's !!!
check his site www.betamotorsports.com

 

Sometimes trustworthy people with good intentions through unforseen circumstances fail to finish a task...

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...t=carbon+fiber

Rod.

 

well check his site !!

Are you in? if not who is .. with this attitude we will never have one made ..

This is THE place on the web for us s130 guys !!

 

No offense to J, hes a great guy and he had things he had to take care of but.... This is very different, this is a reputable shop that would be doing this. I would like to see it happen like a lot of people but like many other people I dont have the money right now. ANd I just put a new hood on my car anyways, so its too late for me.

But it seems like it would work out great. And I wouldnt be afraid to fork over the money if I was interested, he seems like someone who can be trusted.

 

Thanks man he does deliver ... and the parts a great ..

 

if the mold is made it should be mabe out of a 82 or 83 hs130 hood ...it wouldnt be worth it unless the mold was made from that stlye hood ....
i say ship them that stlye hood let him make a mold out of it ...
if there was a mold made and all i would have to do is call and send money .
then wait for my hood to show i would be down ....i dont want to have to worrie that the mold would be made or wouldnt ...i think most people feel the same way ...
i dont have a turbo hood to have molded but if i did i would be the frist to pay the shipping to get it out there ...think of the money that could be made .
i talked to a FG body panel maker ..he said he could make FG stlye hood for pretty cheap but would need the hood to mold ..if i had $5000 g's .
i could turn it into $500.000.000 selling hs130 FG hoods on ebay

 

I'd be in for a fiberglass hood, but I really need to have the vents/scoop in it though.

 

yeah its just not right with out the vents/scoop.... that and the buldge are what make the z hood unique.

 

I would love to have one, and I was in no way trying to bag on J... He's a good guy and I did say he was trustworthy and had good intentions... Just to make that clear.

The problem is, too many people ask for money up and front and then either don't deliver or are slow in getting things done, or deliver a poor quality product that doesn't meet expectations.

I'll say this, I'll be the first in line to buy one, when I see a finished product and the ability to duplicate a high quality product. Until then, I'll just wait and see...


Rod.

 

Well Rod .. check his shop it should be fairly near to you .. he delivers Quality stuff !!! take a look!! it is a cool shop aswel and you might see the part you need

we need you in aswel to get this working if all are like you on this we will not have any parts .. and it wont be heaps of $ just a presentation of your being serious about it

 

Will you be in though sofar i have 4 hoods .. ( still have to see how many people wil go along when money has to be spend)

 

I hate to be Devils advocate but in America, that's not how business works.

You don't offer to make a product and ask for money up front before you make it.

You make a quality product and then offer it for sale.

I'm sure the guy is reputable and all that hoo ha, but that just isn't how it works. I've been burnt way too many times by well meaning individuals with the promise to deliver goods that somehow went astray.

If he's as good as you say he is, and has the means to build this product, then he shouldn't need to secure orders with payment up front. He should have people beating down his door and burning up his phone line after he demonstrates the ability to produce a good CF or FG S130 hood that thousands of owners would love to own or upgrade to.

What if the rest of the business world operated that way?

Do you think a car company could get away with taking deposits on a hypothetical car??? Especially if it was a car company few people had heard of??? Seriously, if the guy can really build what he says he can, then there is no reason why he wouldn't recover his expenses once he produces what he say's he can. Not just a one-off original, but demonstrate the means to consistantly produce a quality product. If he can't afford to do that, then either he's not a very good business person or he needs to look for some venture capitalists with money to burn that want to invest in his future.

Show me the product, and I'll be the first to buy it.

Rod.

 

One Word "ditto"

 

Show me the product, and I'll be the first to buy it.

Like i said visit his shop see his products talk to hime.. he is genuine and if we want this this attitude will not bring any hoods

On top this is exactly how jeffps dp built went down ... LIsten if we want this we have to stick together and order a primal order .. before we do that he will give us a time frame .. no excuses, and im sure he will make it!

The problem is that with these things it is always .. YEAH I WANNA have and when it is time to pay up

 

you gotta realise that people here arent investors...but just consumers. If your friend wants to go in buisiness we gotta see a finished product...and im sorry being in Canada I cant visit his shop...

 

Make the hoods and people will buy them. Make 10 hoods and 5 of them will probably sell right away. The rest WILL sell...all be it at a much slower rate. There will always be someone who comes a long and wants something. People make a living selling the stupidist things. Selling carbon fiber hoods for the best selling of all the Z cars shouldn't be long term problem Besides a reputable, reliable, punctual company should have no problem whipping out a few examples to ease the mind of the buyer. Having been on the inside of the industry I KNOW the material cost of producing such products is not expensive. Fiberglass hoods will sell no problem, even if only as replacements for rapidly dissapearing steel units. The same mold can be used for both fiberglass and carbon hoods. Mold setup and construction is the most expensive part of the venture and building a mold is NOT beyond the budget of even a small shop. ESPECIALLY one already set up to perform such a task. If they're already making composit parts then they undoubtdly already have all the necessary equipment and supplies on hand that are necessary for such an undertaking.

Thats just my 2 cents on the matter.

PS: And no offense was taken from earlier posts. I made promises and fell flat on my face and ran into "circumstanses". I know I left a lot of people disapointed. But in the end there was really nothing I could do about it. Nothing except maybe get back on my horse and keep riding (man I've been in the country too long )

 

Hmmm. Well......ok, I know I would not mind a quality glass hood....I do however like the style of my factory '82 hood. I have a few question though.

1. How much is the estimated cost to make the mold?

2. What is the mounting plan for the hood(s)? Bolt on? Pin on?

3. What about that bulge and vents??? I know I like them too.

4. What about a bank loan for the mold? there is obviously interest in this type of product and there should be room for profit even after a loan.

I would be interested but there really is no way I would put money up front myself. I would have to see the product also...it is easy to take someones word as to the skills or integrity of another but what one person may say is outstanding work someone else may think is only marginal. As much as I would like to see and buy a nice hood I think this venture rest on the potential "maker of the mold" so to speak. But hey, if you build it, they will come. No offense to anyone.

 

Well do d search for John Coffey at Beta motorsport .. for you SOCAL guys hell visist his shop .. these hooods would be pin on i presume ... well Call him !!! he can tell you exactly what you want to know.. if we are all just sitting backing waiting to get it served on silver platter nothing will happen..
we all want one.. so now it is tim eto step up right .. also we are not talking HUGE piles of investments! just a downpayment so you show you are real !

please he will answer all your q's

 

Is that carbon fiber with polyester resin or epoxy resin?

Why not go kevlar/epoxy like the Thoroughbred powerboats versus Velocity powerboats which are exactly the same but used kevlar/epoxy instead of glass/polyester.

Would they be vacuum bagging and autoclaving these or just cold molding them?

 

there would really be no reason to go with kevlar on a automotive hood. The boats only use them for integrity reasons as kevlar is not going to explode on impact or when stressed the way carbon or glass would. Glass is just as stiff as kevlar is and not nearly as expensive. Weight would be about the same.

and anyone who uses polyester with carbon is a fool. Vinylester at the least. But thats just my opinion. We'll have to see what they're actually doing.

 

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you just DON'T get it do you?

I don't care what other products he has made in the past. Last I heard, it was nearly impossible to even ATTAIN Carbon Fiber in the widths neccassarry to even BEGIN to build an S130 hood. That aside though, like I said... If he's such a great and well known MASTER, he SHOULD NOT NEED payment up front and the harder YOU push for it, the more WE ALL suspect something is up.

Again, we don't do business like that here...

For the last time, if he really CAN do it, then he will have NO PROBLEM securing orders for the FINISHED AND PROVEN PRODUCT.

Rod.

 

let's keep the thread civil please, this could end up a nice hood but noone is going to pay for a product up front without see'ing it first.

That would not be the smartest thing in the world.

 

All we are asking for is one prototype and a high quality reproduction. Despite anyone's record or status in any industry the standard here is that you provide a sample and use your proven product to sell itself and bring in more investments. Thats the way its done across the board. I would love a hood but myself along with the majority of people here wont invest money sight unseen. I am sure your guy does beautiful work but unless we see a 280ZX hood the chances of anyone fronting any money what so ever is slim to none.