Ready For Production
I am going to post this here just because this is where we have had the warped vent discussion. I will also put a copy in ‘products” so once this moves down the list it doesn’t need to be resurrected.
The order is in to start production of the replacement vents.
They are being sand-cast out of A-356 aluminum, a high quality aluminum. Read that as NO WARP – EVER AGAIN.
They look very good, but do remember that that these are sand-cast, not die cast, so they will not be “perfect”. Main difference will be that sand-cast tends to have a slightly rougher surface, but the surface will look something like the side vents. There may also be some minor imperfections, but nothing significant (I won’t accept those – I will look at each one). The powder coating will hide some of that. The vents are probably an 8 or 9 on a 1 to 10 scale, so unless you are totally a perfectionist and with a magnifying glass, they will be fine. Obviously die cast would be the way to go, if you want to spend many thousands making the die.
The vents will fit as a direct replacement. Because of some individual differences between cars, it may be necessary to slightly enlarge the stud holes that go through the carbon fiber under the vents, an easy and from the top of the car “modification” that will not be noticeable.
Just doing the disclaimers because I want people to be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed.
The vents will come either powder coated or bare aluminum. The powder coating will be black, probably along the lines of the rear facia as compared to the small side vents (which don’t match anything else – but still need to look at that more closely because if they are too different than the side vents, may look bad). Personally, I am going to leave mine black.
The bare aluminum would be better if you plan on painting them. The bare would also be better if you are a perfectionist and want to clean the metal up even more (maybe with some sanding – polishing and painting).
Unfortunately more expensive than I had hoped, but by the time you get the caster, machinist, coater, VISA charges, shipping etc. in there, all the little stuff adds up. For comparison, retail on new plastic vents is about $386.00 a pair.
Price (shipped) is $498.00 per pair.
Paid forum subscribers can deduct $25.00 for supporting the forum, so if you haven’t paid up, do it now as a direct reduction in vent price. Subscriber price then is $473.00.
Deduct $10.00 from the price if you want the vents bare versus powder coated.
I want to do some pre-orders to make sure about the quantity produced for the first run. The price is based upon an order of at least 200 vents, so a small second order would be more expensive. I will get some extras in the initial order past what seems to be needed for late comers, so I am not sure at this point if it is a one shot deal or not.
If you want a set, I need a $50.00 nonrefundable deposit (sorry about that – last time I did something like this based on general word, I was left over with stuff that people did not pick up) unless I don’t deliver and your deposit will be refunded. Your money is guaranteed.
I will send each person a notice when they are “in” for either final payment or to let you know the balance is being charged at that time. They will be sent with a satisfaction guarantee or return in 5 days minus shipping charges.
Payment can be by check, VISA, or Paypal. The VISA and Paypal will reflect my regular business name.
Send me a Private Message if you want payment details or have questions, and specify (1) how many sets (2) powder coated or bare (3) shipping information (4) screen name and given name.
