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#1
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Welting...My Latest Curiosity
Here is something I have been playing with and I wanted to see if any of you had any comments and to gauge the level of interest in possibly reproducing this component in the correct colors. In the picture the short piece of welting is an original sample provided by Steve at MMM. The longer piece is a pre-production sample of the latest material I am testing.
The material is a high quality exterior grade polymer that is color matched to the GM paint code and color for Buccaneer Red. Because every polymer reacts differently to extrusion in regards to gloss and dimensional profile. The purpose of this sample was to verify color and gloss. I am going to have to do a little tooling re-work to correct for variances in dimensional profile. I think those changes will possibly also enhance the level of gloss somewhat. Don't get me wrong the gloss is very close to the original sample. I am sure someone will want to know why I chose Red to do first. Primarily because I have a 73 Buccaneer Red TA that already has the paint peeling off of the Gray welting. and secondly, red for some reason is a difficult color to match well, or so I have been led to believe. My questions are as follows: Would this part be of interest and if so what other colors do you think would be viable? (Low production colors might be very expensive, Like a kit to do one car could be as much as $150.00). That still might be less expensive that the body and paint costs to paint the currently available grey profile and it would be the correct color and profile through and through. Would there be interest in Brewster green, Admiralty Blue, etc. The one year colors? Anyway, just really interested in what you think. James |
#2
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I think I'd be interested. Truthfully, $150 is at the extreme end of what I'd consider, so hopefully you could get some better pricing if you do pursue this. At some point I've contacted a few plastic manufactures to see if they had something that would match and I didn't have much luck. I'd be looking for Cameo White, but if you get the ball rolling with red I'm sure you'd be able to judge the popularity quickly. Good luck!
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#3
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My best guess right now would be that the $150.00 price would be for the low production colors. Cameo White, because of a greater potential market for it due to how many years and number of cars sold would be much less.
thanks for your input. James |
#4
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Definite interest here. Buc Red and Cameo White would give the most color coverage.
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#5
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Here's the real issue with the welting out there today. It is not color, it is hardness. The grey repro stuff is made of a hard durometer, plastic material instead of soft, pliable latex. That is why the repro stuff does not fit worth a damn.
So if you're going to embark on this project, make them out of extruded latex (the original material was made out of the same stuff that is used on modern refrigerators door seals) and you will have everyone running to you to buy a set. |
#6
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Hello Steve,
Thanks for jumping in. I have had the original material analyzed (Infrared Spectroscopy) for compound as well as hardness(durometer). The material that I am looking at is extremely close to the original in both aspects. The best part is it is sourced right here in the USA! Unfortunately, that is also one of the issues with cost. Thank you all for your input. James |
#7
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Quote:
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#8
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If it fit well and was the correct color, I don't think $150.00 is unreasonable for all colors.
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#9
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I would be interested in Lucy Blue!
Stan |
#10
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If you go forward with this, I'd start with buc red, cam white, lucy blue and black. I think those colors would sell well in the $100 -125 range.
I'd buy the red, because my painted grey ones will likely start chipping of as soon as I start driving and washing the car with any great frequency.
__________________
73 T/A 455, 4speed |
#11
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Quote:
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73 T/A 455, 4speed |
#12
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I provided James with the NOS piece and have been looking at his repo samples throughout this process. My opinion is this. The latest sample is excellent. It's going to cheaper for us to buy this welting than buy the gray repo stuff. Cost for color, flattener, flex agent and adhesion promoter plus work hours spent adds up to more than buying James' welting molded in color. Also the gray welting isn't the type of material that our paint products really 'bite into' so it's fragile to work with and color can come off, especially when we attach the staples at the top of the wheel spoilers.
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#13
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#14
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welting
Price sounds reasonable to me.
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#15
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I'm in on cameo white
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#16
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I'd take a set in both Lucy Blue and Polar White.
__________________
keith k 70 Trans Am RA III / T400 / Lucerne Blue / Bright Blue 70 Trans Am RA III / M20 / Lucerne Blue / Sandalwood 70 Formula RA III / M21 / Lucerne Blue / Bright Blue |
#17
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And if you've ever seen original welting on a Lucerne blue car, it's not Lucerne blue. It is close, but not metallic, but sort of a robin's egg blue.
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#18
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Thanks everyone for your responses. Lucern blue and silver will probably both be a challenge, but I think they can be done. I wanted to look at the higher volume colors first. Buc red, cameo white, starlight black, and silver. Because of minimum run quantities of this type of product, those are the ones that could probably be done without losing your shirt.
Thanks, james |
#19
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Great work - a real contribution to the hobby. Given the surge in popularity of the late second gen SE cars, you might also consider Solar Gold.
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#20
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I am in for a set for a Buccaneer red car. Keep us posted. and $125-$150 is ok to me.
__________________
Atoll Blue, Blue interior, 1970 RAIV Judge/4 spd/ 3.90/ pwr steering/ pwr brakes/ hoodtach/ gauges/ sport wheel/ console/ remote mirror/tinted glass. Starlight Black, Camel Tan interior, 1978 Trans Am . Auto/AC/door edge guards/ am/fm, Cassette stereo/ floor mats frt and rear/Hurst Hatches Cameo White, Blue interior, 1971 Trans Am/4spd/ Am/Fm/ power windows / AC. 28,000 original miles |
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