Zabac

iTrader: (39)

Well, i finally finished my COPs harness and started to make my hold down bracket last night. If there are a few people that need them but don't feel like making their own or simply do not have the means nor time, here is your chance, I think I'll make a few of them as I actually enjoy making stuff.

This bracket only fits 94-97 valve covers, i can not make anything else at this point, but may be able to in the near future if i get to measure a 1.6 valve cover from someone local to me. i also have an idea of how to make one for a 01+NB cover, not sure if it's same as the 99's, but if it works, I'll let you all know.

So, let's have a show of hands of how many people are interested, i suspect $30 plus shipping is about fair since I had someone offer me $50 to make them one, so I hope you all feel that $30 is reasonable.

Buyers will have a choice of what type of nuts they want, i have several different styles to choose from, i will snap some pics tonight of my prototype and differnt styles available.

NOTE: this is not some shiny chrome or powder coated bling bling piece, it is flat stock AL and you can paint it if you want to, I am not messing with that , even though i think polished would look baller .

The price for non MTnet members is $100, and for every stupid question I get from you it goes up by $5

Lets hear it!!! Who is Interested

patsmx5

iTrader: (16)

Make it 10 plus shipping. 30 is ridiculous IMO. Got pics? Isn't it just a piece of 1/8 flat stock with a few holes?

EDIT: I'd make them for 10 plus shipping all day long. /raining on your parade]

J/K, I'd gonna be making other stuff, but seriously don't rip everyone off.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

the 01 valve cover is nowhere near like the earlier ones.

Ben

iTrader: (33)

Not sure how/where you'd be able to get material to afford to sell them at $10.

Zabac

iTrader: (39)

The 01+, it is a bit more complex, acutally, a lot more complex...as you NB owners already know.

As far as money wise, are you nuts (Pat), $10? It cost me more than that on materials, and no it's not jsut flat stock with holes, I am including everything you need to mount your COPs.
Plus it takes my time, if it's not worth it to you don't pay for it.

Zabac

iTrader: (39)

QFFT, lol
Thanks ben

(also, thanks devin)

deliverator

iTrader: (14)

$5 is all my mom allows me to spend

patsmx5

iTrader: (16)

get

Ok, here at Lowes I can buy a 1/8" x 1" x 4' piece of aluminum flat stock for like 6 dollars I think. Steel is less. You could make two or 3 plates with a 4' piece. Of course, a local steel place could get you a much better price. Ok, so you would include a few nuts and bolts, or nuts and studs. This is a DIY oriented site. Agreed not everyone has drill or dremel though. GL though.

I'm pretty sure I can 1/8" x 1" AL flats stock for $1 a foot at 2 different local metal shops. You build a fixture for your chop saw or w/e so that you simply push the stock to the stop and cut. Now you can make them all equal length quick and easy. Then drop them in a jig you made out of hot rolled steel, clamp the AL bar to the jig, set the clamped piece on you drill press and drill your 4 holes or however many it is.

Seems like you could make more money selling a shitload of these at a fair price to me. I know, that goes against what most think.

For example, 100 dollars for a fuel rail?! Come one, that's crazy. You know that's a 6 dollar piece of bar stock right? Everything is too expensive. I've taken some machine shop classes and manufacturing classes. You could make a lot of these brackets for a lot less than 10 dollars.

miatamania

iTrader: (9)

but not everyone can fab or has time too...

y8s

iTrader: (8)

you know what, i take it back. my 01 plate is the cheapest pos ever. it just has to be offset and raised on spacers. the materials are definitely no $10. I used a .06 thick 36x1 piece of stainless from mcmaster ($12) and some home dee po aluminum tubing for whatever cheap price that was.





Matt

Ben

iTrader: (33)

Y8s I really like your hold down. So much simpler than what I was doing.

Zabac

iTrader: (39)

Yes Pat, you are right, I could probably make 50 of these ******* and come to under $10 a piece for them. You may have taken engineering classes but you obviously have not taken any business classes, well neither have I, but I do know what my time is worth. Yes sure, I will have some fun and drink a few beers while i make these, but I also spent some time at the Home Depot, at Post Office, making a prototype so I know WTF I'm doing, actual time spent making these, went out and bought the tools I need to make them and applied my knowledge and experience that the consumer now does not have to engage their brain about now. So yeah, this may be too high for you since you can make your own for maybe $20 including the cost of tools and materials and maybe even more if you **** up and break the bracket or drill it in the wrong place etc. But a lot of people will feel like $30 is a good deal since all they do is get online, send me money, wait a little while and have a redy to go piece show up at their door. No one else is doing this right now and if someone wants to do it for cheaper, i'd be happy to give them my money and not worry about it myself. Maybe $30 is too steep, maybe I should have said $30 shipped, but i don't care at this point as this is a feeler and everyone on here knows I'm not greedy and I am reasonable and willing to talk, but do not insult my time's worth by asking me to make these for $10 a pop, I'd have to make 40-50 of them to break even at that price.

FHS

iTrader: (2)

I probably would have shelled out the $30 for a premade piece provided it's at least the same quality i could do myself which would include sanding and polishing, or some type of finish. I wouldn't pay $30 for something that looks like a dog took a dump on my valve cover, no matter how functional.

FWIW, I probably spent close to $20, give or take, on tools and materials for my bracket. Since I live in a downtown apartment without the proper workspace for fabbing up any kind of automotive part, the hardest part was doing it without disturbing my neighbors or endangering health and property.

After I sand and polish it up though, it's going to look pretty damn good. Total time invested, probably close to two hours. If I had to make another one, it would probably take less than 30 minutes, sanded and polished.

That said, it was a serious PITA considering my circumstance. For what I have in my hands right now, $30 shipped would have been good deal. Anything of lesser quality, I just as soon do it myself.

Zabac

iTrader: (39)

I want to emphasize again taht this is only a feeler, i am open to suggestions and input, but I sure as hell can not produce these for $10 to individuals, it would make no sense to me. Also, my bracket doesn't look like ****, it is AL with a choice of different bolts, you want capped, wingnuts, regular and they all come with finish washers and premade threaded rods to secure the ciols to the bracket, pretty much just like Bens bracket, only for the 1.8.
I am not in the business of making these for a living, just offering to build them in my spare time for those who may not be able to do so on their own or those who simply do not want to. If everyone feels that $30 is too much then I'll ask for less, it's as simple as that. I just didn't want to say $20 and then not be able to pull it off. I have not done any calculations as to how much money I will spend to be able to make these without them looking like dog ****. It is a feeler!!!
I think I may be able to pull it of for $20 and make it worthwhile, but until i know that there is some demand for this, I will not waste my time.

jasonrobo02

iTrader: (13)

Zabac, it's probably a better idea to just make a quick run of 10 or something and post them for sale. It seems like when people do that, they get a positive response and people buy the item quickly. When you post feelers and stuff it seems the critics come out and try to knock everything you do. If you want $30 for it, then charge $30 for it. Don't let these guys talk you down. I'm sure that between here and m.net you'd be able to sell 10 @ $30 each.

Flippy02

will the bracket look like bens? or will it point the connectors back towards the firewall?

M-Tuned

iTrader: (6)

Can anyone confirm that the 99 valve cover is sinilar. I think it is!

$30 is a good deal when you consider the materials and TIME!!! Pat must be unemployed with all the time in the world.

Then again.. I would pay $100 for a properly made billet fuel rail and not some ugly DIY pos.

Zabac

iTrader: (39)

I'll put a few together and post pics and ask who wants them, thanks Jason, I was just realizing the same lol.

Since there are a few different coil that are known to be used, it is difficult to say exactly where the connectors will point. I'd me more than happy to work with anyone to try to get your connectors to point the way you want them to point.
Only People that will not have a choice are the 01+ guys since they are very limited to where they can point the connctor due to a more complex valve cover.
I am using coils that look just like Bens and my connectors are pointing more towards the back, but not all the way, I'll snap a pic or two tonight If i finish it to give you an idea.

I assume the Spark plug holes will be the same distance. I'll try to find a pic of one since I don't know there is more stuff there than in the 94-97 covers.

I'll try to have something done by tonight so everyone gets the Idea of what I'm doing.

Zabac

iTrader: (39)

Here is my finished harness though, figured I'd share

Flippy02

i'd be happy to give you my money, my coils are very similar to bens