SA/FB widebody kits in carbon fiber
08-18-18, 06:36 PM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
SA/FB widebody kits in carbon fiber
Good day, fellow enthusiasts!
I’m unsure if this is the best place to post this message—in a way it’s soliciting, but I can’t put it in the classifieds section because I haven’t any pricing yet, and pricing depends on interest. Let’s see how this goes.
I’m happy to report that I have what might well be the last new-in-box Mariah Motorsports GTU widebody kit in existence. It is the non-door cap style with the rear lip spoiler (not a whale tail). It doesn’t have the lightweight rear bumper or the carbon fiber hood or the fuel door option. I fancied having these extra parts and went on a mission to find some local (Southwestern Ontario) people who worked in carbon fiber. During this process, it occurred to me that if I were to damage my kit parts after installation, it might be really difficult to find replacements. This lead me to consider having the CF workers use all these parts to make molds to produce complete kits. This in turn lead me to wonder if any wankelers out there would be interested in buying carbon fiber copies of the old Mariah kit. It feels a bit like my duty to do what I can to sustain the SA/FB racing, IMSA and Mariah legacies.
I can’t give you pricing yet, but let’s pretend that despite CF being more expensive than fiberglass, the cost would be similar or even less than the Mariah parts because I have no interest in making any money on this. I’d sell at cost plus just a little bit (depending on the number of interested buyers) to recoup some of the cost of the molds. To most of your further advantages, this is being done in Canada means your stronger yankee bucks have good buying power here.
The parts would likely be done in a ‘must be painted’ finish (much like the Mariah fiberglass parts) to keep costs down. I gather that CF parts that are smooth and shiny enough to display boy racer unpainted take quite a bit more time and money to bring up to that level of finish. You could finish these parts to that level yourself if you needed that kind of thing, however.So the purpose of this post is to put feelers out and get a sense of how many people would be VERY serious about getting a copy of the Mariah GTU kit (as described) in carbon fiber at probably less than what Mariah was selling their fiberglass parts for.Armed with that info, I can work toward getting at least an estimate of the cost to produce.
Please consider carefully. I completely understand wanting something so badly that it fools one into thinking it’s a good idea and affordable. Using the Mariah kit as a benchmark, it’s close to $3000 USD. I believe I can make these for significantly less, but if you aren’t relatively sure the Mariah pricing (as a starting point) is doable for you, please don’t skew the results of this inquiry by saying you’re interesting in buying something you’re interested in but can’t afford. Know what I’m saying, folks?
Ok, if you are willing and able to buy carbon fiber widebody parts for the same price as the Mariah fiberglass, please indicate below. Let's please attempt to keep the segues and discussions not directly related to determining kit interest quantities to a minimum. With a few solid interests, I believe we’ll be able to lower the price further. Let's keep it on topic.
Thanks for your time.
*edit* aannnd.... I have no idea why the font size changes in this post...
I’m unsure if this is the best place to post this message—in a way it’s soliciting, but I can’t put it in the classifieds section because I haven’t any pricing yet, and pricing depends on interest. Let’s see how this goes.
I’m happy to report that I have what might well be the last new-in-box Mariah Motorsports GTU widebody kit in existence. It is the non-door cap style with the rear lip spoiler (not a whale tail). It doesn’t have the lightweight rear bumper or the carbon fiber hood or the fuel door option. I fancied having these extra parts and went on a mission to find some local (Southwestern Ontario) people who worked in carbon fiber. During this process, it occurred to me that if I were to damage my kit parts after installation, it might be really difficult to find replacements. This lead me to consider having the CF workers use all these parts to make molds to produce complete kits. This in turn lead me to wonder if any wankelers out there would be interested in buying carbon fiber copies of the old Mariah kit. It feels a bit like my duty to do what I can to sustain the SA/FB racing, IMSA and Mariah legacies.
I can’t give you pricing yet, but let’s pretend that despite CF being more expensive than fiberglass, the cost would be similar or even less than the Mariah parts because I have no interest in making any money on this. I’d sell at cost plus just a little bit (depending on the number of interested buyers) to recoup some of the cost of the molds. To most of your further advantages, this is being done in Canada means your stronger yankee bucks have good buying power here.
The parts would likely be done in a ‘must be painted’ finish (much like the Mariah fiberglass parts) to keep costs down. I gather that CF parts that are smooth and shiny enough to display boy racer unpainted take quite a bit more time and money to bring up to that level of finish. You could finish these parts to that level yourself if you needed that kind of thing, however.So the purpose of this post is to put feelers out and get a sense of how many people would be VERY serious about getting a copy of the Mariah GTU kit (as described) in carbon fiber at probably less than what Mariah was selling their fiberglass parts for.Armed with that info, I can work toward getting at least an estimate of the cost to produce.
Please consider carefully. I completely understand wanting something so badly that it fools one into thinking it’s a good idea and affordable. Using the Mariah kit as a benchmark, it’s close to $3000 USD. I believe I can make these for significantly less, but if you aren’t relatively sure the Mariah pricing (as a starting point) is doable for you, please don’t skew the results of this inquiry by saying you’re interesting in buying something you’re interested in but can’t afford. Know what I’m saying, folks?
Ok, if you are willing and able to buy carbon fiber widebody parts for the same price as the Mariah fiberglass, please indicate below. Let's please attempt to keep the segues and discussions not directly related to determining kit interest quantities to a minimum. With a few solid interests, I believe we’ll be able to lower the price further. Let's keep it on topic.
Thanks for your time.
*edit* aannnd.... I have no idea why the font size changes in this post...
Last edited by wreckerx7; 08-18-18 at 06:43 PM.
The following users liked this post:
neektar (08-20-18)
08-19-18, 07:28 PM
#4
Full Member
Thread Starter
I suppose the easiest thing is to just look at them at the Mariah motorsports website. Here’s a link to a picture from that website:
GTU kit
If you look carefully at the doors, they have a little bit of a fairing on them to blend into the rear fender. I do not have the style. My kit’s rear fenders flare out from just behind the door rear edge.
Similar to the silver car in this pic:
http://www.mariahmotorsports.com/wp-...opRightImg.jpg
GTU kit
If you look carefully at the doors, they have a little bit of a fairing on them to blend into the rear fender. I do not have the style. My kit’s rear fenders flare out from just behind the door rear edge.
Similar to the silver car in this pic:
http://www.mariahmotorsports.com/wp-...opRightImg.jpg
08-20-18, 02:11 PM
#6
Full Member
Thread Starter
Or perhaps just the hood or just the rear fenders.
Ok, again using the Mariah prices as a benchmark:
rear fenders—$475 each— GTU Mark 1 Left Rear Fender - Mariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA - info@mariahmotorsports.comMariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA ? info@mariahmotorsports.com
rear lip spoiler— $588 each—
GTU / GTO-1 Rear Lip Spoiler - Mariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA - info@mariahmotorsports.comMariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA ? info@mariahmotorsports.com
hood — $823–
GTU / GTO-1 Carbon Fiber Hood - Mariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA - info@mariahmotorsports.comMariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA ? info@mariahmotorsports.com
and others: GTU / GTO-1 Wide Body Race Packages - Mariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA - info@mariahmotorsports.comMariah Motorsports, Santa Barbara, California, USA ? info@mariahmotorsports.com
So, any serious interest in EITHER full kits or individual bits, please indicate.
Thank you Craaaazzy for the nudge.
08-20-18, 02:33 PM
#7
I'd be interested in a hood. Since the discussion is all theoretical. What would be your theoretical timeline for getting something available to purchase? Months? Years?
Thanks for even considering doing something like this. The more we can do to keep these parts alive and available the better off the community will be in the future.
Thanks for even considering doing something like this. The more we can do to keep these parts alive and available the better off the community will be in the future.
Trending Topics
08-20-18, 02:58 PM
#8
Full Member
Thread Starter
I'd be interested in a hood. Since the discussion is all theoretical. What would be your theoretical timeline for getting something available to purchase? Months? Years?
Thanks for even considering doing something like this. The more we can do to keep these parts alive and available the better off the community will be in the future.
Thanks for even considering doing something like this. The more we can do to keep these parts alive and available the better off the community will be in the future.
it’s my pleasure. I just love these old cars so much.I hope to at least have molds made by spring. Ideally, I’d have a full set of these parts hanging on my car for next summer, but I imagine closer to the fall would be more realistic.
I’ll know more, soon.
Assuming making the molds isn’t ridiculously expensive, I’m going ahead with this, no matter what. I’d be quite happy if some other old ‘Rexes were treated to some IMSA goodies. We need to keep the interest and love alive.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
BLOWNandTWISTED
1st Generation Specific (1979-1985)
61
12-07-07 12:44 PM
SPOautos
Interior / Exterior / Audio
7
12-13-02 09:41 PM
