Chassis plates

[rhys007]

Hi all,

Still in early / research phase of my build & have managed to get the following prices for the different chassis plates from a company called SCISS LTD in Kent. The prices are for all the parts of the same thickness, but they will do the individual parts if required, with delivery in 7-10 days.
They are laser cut & finished to exact specs from the book.


1mm plate £30.40 + £4.56 VAT
3mm plate £460.20 + £69.03 VAT
5mm plate £118.40 + £17.76 VAT
10mm plate £76.00 + £11.40 VAT

I found out the prices because I don't have the facilities to cut the metal, but I still want to 'build' my roadster. I think they are a tad expensive, but if someone 'higher up' the forum foodchain contacted them they may give us a discount.
I'm still trying to find a pre-cut chassis from somewhere, but still no joy. Any ideas, as Armoto don't seem to have them anymore?
I hope this helps someone, as I may take the plunge if I can find the funds.
Let me know if anyone else has a dip or knows of a better deal

[Bonzo]

That's more than a tad expensive :eek: :eek:

Log onto 3GE's website ;)

3GE (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/index.php?site=63)

Or contact John at 3GE he'll sort you out a much better price than that :)

[HandyAndy]

i,m sorry but i don,t understand what those prices are referring to ?

all the chassis plates are available from 3GE, a forum member on here & as you are registered as a forum member you would get a discount, all the parts are made to book spec & lazer cut & very nice quality.
sorry i can,t do a linky but hopefully someone will be along soon with a link for you.

cheers
andy:)

i,m too slow at typing... as Bonzo,s link , thats where to get the plates

[SeriesLandy]

What is wrong with 3GE, quality lazer cut components. Not had a problem with them at all for quality.
Chassis plates 1-25 (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_product.php?product=378&site=63&department=115)
Engine Mount Kit (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_product.php?product=404&site=63&department=115)
Diff bracket kit (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_product.php?product=401&site=63&department=115)
Rear Upright kit (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_product.php?product=394&site=63&department=116)
Front / (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_product.php?product=402&site=63&department=116)Rear Wishbone Kit (http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_product.php?product=403&site=63&department=116)
You get the idea......
Also a 10% discount when ordering as a member of the forums (all prices on the website + vat though)

[davidimurray]

Sciss are vey expensive.

Try somewhere like the laser edge -

http://www.thelaseredge.co.uk/

[londonsean69]

Sciss are vey expensive.

Going by the above prices I think that is the understatement of the year.

I fully understand they have to get the job set up and so forth, but when a full (2.5x1.25m) sheet of 3mm steel is about £100 (without any discount) then that is quite a markup!!

Sean

[alga]

<rant>
I don't understand how you guys see 3GE's prices as low. The nine 5 mm plate pieces will cost in the vicinity of 50 quid, add delivery (27 pounds to the luckier parts of EU), and you're in the same ballpark!

50 pounds for two mushroom inserts? Insane! It's not like they're reprogramming their CNC machinery for every order.
</rant>

[Bonzo]

I feel I must say a few words in defence of 3GE , I know that John would be far too modest to do so ;)

I don't think anyone would say that their price structure is cheap, I do however feel that the quality of their parts & level of customer service need to be taken into account.

In further support of the price structure, give a little thought as to how much it costs to run a small buisness in the UK
In the UK we are taxed on tax and then taxed again :eek:
It will cost several k's a month for the running costs of even the smallest industrial unit & that is before you pay any staff wages.

The products that 3GE sell are of a low volume nature
There are about 60 Roadsters being built at the moment ( Forum poll ). If every person buys from 3GE over a space of the next year, it is not exactly going to make them rich.
I don't think John will be rushing out to buy a new 4x4 or house any time soon :D

The shipping costs from the UK are what they are !! 3GE have no controll over the prices that Royal Mail charge.

Yes there are cheaper parts out there, you have to ask yourself, why are they cheap, what is the quality, will I get the parts once paid for & will I get any after service if there are any problems.

Do a quick search on the forums on GTS Tuning , youll soon get the general idea. :eek:

[AshG]

i cant work out the maths on the first post. the total for everything listed is £787.85 and all the messing around with calling all the suppliers then bending everything when it arrives.

now if you order everything from 3ge other than the mushroom inserts bushes and wishbone tubes the total comes to £357 shipped to europe. take off your 10% and its down to £321.30 delivered to europe

that makes your way of doing it £466.55 more expensive.

CP-F (CP1 - CP25) £81.40

Engine Mount Kit £14.03

Diff Bracket Kit £18.82

GM1/2 £1.39

SS1 £3.18

Front Wishbone Plates £17.74

Suspension Brackets SUS-2 £14.41

Suspension Brackets SUS-3 £28.83

Rear Upright Kit £67.59

Pedal Box Kit £15.97

Type9 Pedal box back plate £20.50

Sub-total £283.86
Tax VAT £46.63
Shipping £26.99
Total: £357.48

[Bonzo]

Just to add some further personal comment to the first post of this thread.

The prices quoted are probably typical of the sort of prices to expect when walking in from the street and provide a one off order for a custom cut set of laser cut parts.

There are a few companies quite close to me, for the want of better words, their prices are shocking for non account holders :eek:

Why wouldn't they be. After all, they are not really interested in small one off jobs.
If you are desperate enough to pay the prices quoted, then they'll happily do the job, if and when they have the time. ;)

I learned my lesson the hard way. Hours & hours marking & cutting some of the plates by hand :eek:

The time that I spent doing this could have been spent earning cash, repairing the few motors that I had turned away because I was too busy !!?? ( Don't ask where my brain was at )

When I build my next chassis, i'll definately choose the 3GE pre-cut route for most of the plates. :)

[mr henderson]

It will cost several k's a month for the running costs of even the smallest industrial unit & that is before you pay any staff wages.



Cornwall must be a bit dear, round here you can get a decent (not the smallest, maybe 1,000 sq ft) unit for £11K pa, add say £4K for rates and maybe £2.5K insurance plus a pessimistic £1K for water etc and you would only be looking at £1,500 a month.

No argument witht he rest of what you said though :)

[fabbyglass]

Cornwall is a bloody expensive place to live and work in, one of the highest on council rates and water rates, as for business rates ummmm it's complete con because you get "jack" for yer hard earned...But 5 minutes down the road and I'm messing about on the water trying to stay on a waveski:o

Off topic a bit but I had a westy bonnet to repair recently as new they are £330 for the V8 version...:eek: Now it's smaller than the Roadster ones yet costs nearly 3 times more....£250 for a nosecone:eek:
Now I would be laughing if I could get that kinda money for what is basically the same thing yet get told I'm expensive......!
My wave skis retail at around the £600 mark with no where near the same amount of materials or graft to actually make them....which to me is a no brainer....kit car or wave ski?......errr wave ski :rolleyes:

[Bonzo]

You forgot the electric :D :p

Only kidding.

Yes Cornwall is very expensive for small industrial units on decent sites.

We also have the highest water & business rates in the country :eek:

You have to admit, even at 1.5 k a month before wages it'll need a good steady turnover of low volume parts to sustain the business.

The very reason I choose not to take the plunge, probaly the wrong choice but with my health going tits up, it turned out to be the right one for me personaly :)

[mr henderson]

You forgot the electric :D :p

Only kidding.

Yes Cornwall is very expensive for small industrial units on decent sites.

We also have the highest water & business rates in the country :eek:

You have to admit, even at 1.5 k a month before wages it'll need a good steady turnover of low volume parts to sustain the business.

The very reason I choose not to take the plunge, probaly the wrong choice but with my health going tits up, it turned out to be the right one for me personaly :)

Actually I didn't forget it, I was just counting the stuff that you had to pay anyway, standing costs so to speak. You wouldn't use any electric if you didn't sell anything, it's more of a running expense that you would expect to go up as your sales go up.

But there's no doubt that being in business is bloody expensive and it's something that many (most?) customers just don't realise.

Fabby's example of the Westfield bonnet is a good one, it shows that it's all about perception. Firms like Westfield attract the kind of customer who wouldn't even think of making their own stuff, if they need some thing they just buy it. I know they assemble the kits they've bought but it really isn't the same thing as tackling a Locost or Haynes build.

That's the reason I am distancing myself from the Locost thing. I thought of getting more involved but there really is very little scope for making money when the whole reason why the customers are getting into it is to save money.

[Tilly819]

well i spose il add my 2 pence

I scrounged all my 1 3 and 5 mm plate for free got a few hack saw blades and ulta thin slitting discs and a couple of hole saws fow making lighting holes in the diff mounts...... i recon my chassis plates must have cost me the grand sum of about 50quid including pedal box etc and a few extras that are not in the book, and it didnt actualy take that long to make them all.....did them before i started the chassis so the chassis was just straight assemby without to much fab

however i must agree with evryone elce 3Ge are Very good
And have very very very good customer service which is something you cannot buy.

Tilly

[RAYLEE29]

just my 2p's worth all my chassis plates are made form bits of scrap from the local scrap metal dealers
I go there don a hardhat and vest look around pick up a few bits and pay £1 a kilo for mild steel my build cost is currently only twice what your quoting for the chassis plates
it can be done on the cheap but it will take longer
the choice is yours chaps
Ray:)

[londonsean69]

I have to visit a steel fabricators for work next week, so will be asking for a look in their scrap bin!!

I have cut a lot of my own, but the 10mm stuff, and the 5" pipe are from 3GE.

Sean

[ACE HIGH]

Buy yourself a top of the line Bosch jig saw.Use only the Bosch blades, learn how to set it. I use say speed 2 out of 5.The blades are about $3 NZ dollars.I have tried the same Bosch blades on 2 other "named brands"same settings,not as good.My Bosch saw was purchased in 1996,so good is it that I immediately sold my old oxy/acetelene set and purchased a new oxy/propane set(LPG) that I have a BBQ bottle for that I own,no more acetelene to rent or buy.These saws will,with sharp blades easily cut 6mm plate,3mm easy,6 mm is the recommended limit.I have cut 4 metres of 10 mm plate at a time with mine but DONT recommend it,I rested it between cuts to stop it burning out.I own 2 of the jigsaws,no more crude gas cutting for me.No way will you ever earn money unless you are a brain surgeon or politition,to replace your time,plus of course you can do it in your spare time.As I keep saying on my post's,be a builder not an assembler and gain some real world skills,any one can assemble a car out of ready made parts but think of the satisfaction of learning and doing it yourself,plus of course it will be much easier on your home life if you are married with kids!!David:)

[ACE HIGH]

Now this will stir you along!,40 years ago myself and my mates would have all scribed out the lines for these plates,drilled holes(3mm)around them all including 10/12 mm and hacksawed and ground them all of and thought nothing of it.We had no money and it would have been the only choice,and we would have made a neat job.Some of you guys on this forum must have more money than you know what to do with or you are getting soft!!!David:p :p

[HandyAndy]

some of us still do what you say you did 40 yrs ago, :p

andy:)
ps, as you know from previous posts, my build budget is mega tight:eek: :D

[mr henderson]

Now this will stir you along!,40 years ago myself and my mates would have all scribed out the lines for these plates,drilled holes(3mm)around them all including 10/12 mm and hacksawed and ground them all of and thought nothing of it.We had no money and it would have been the only choice,and we would have made a neat job.Some of you guys on this forum must have more money than you know what to do with or you are getting soft!!!David:p :p

3mm drills, hacksaws, grinding equipment, stock? You had all that and reckoned you were short of money? Point of view thing, I reckon. We couldn't afford any of that stuff. We would have had to find scrap and beat it to shape between two rocks!

[oldtimer]

We used to dream of having 2 rocks..........

[HandyAndy]

We used to dream of having 2 rocks..........

:D this reminds me of a Monty Python sketch,

"you were lucky ! we lived in a shoe box " etc

made me smile this sunny sunday morning :D

andy

[doop]

i bought my chassis plates from 3ge good quality and well worth the money

[james3004]

Does the forum have a promotional code to enter on the 3ge website when ordering or do i have to contact him for a price?

[HandyAndy]

James....

if you look in the announcements section, on the 2nd page, approx 5 threads down the list is a thread started by 3GE stating what to do to get your forum discount.
hope that helps.

andy

[doop]

type forum10 in the promo code bit on 3ge website

[rhys007]

Thanks for the comments- seems like I've been well & truly told!!

Looked at 3ge & I will probably order their plate/brake etc kits when I get that far- everyone that has commented on them has been very positive.

Leaving that behind, I need a chassis!!!

3ge are complete, with a waiting list, as are Talon. Armoto (on eBay) seem to have disappeared & no matter how hard I try, I cannot find ANYONE who knows of or sells a flat pack chassis.

Or am I being a moron?

Again!

Please help- I've been bought, borrowed, begged & (whisper) stolen everything to go & now I'm stuck!!

[AshG]

handy andy will do you a chassis if you ask him nicely

[londonsean69]

http://www.haynes.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=2459 - handyandys thread on the subject.

Do you not have welding plant? Why not build your own, saving a few hundred quid in the process?

How long is the Talon waiting list? If you have waited a month trying to decide where to get your chassis plates from, then surely waiting a little longer for a chassis shouldn't be a problem.

'If' I were to buy a chassis that would have been the first thing I got, because whilst waiting for it I could have been cutting the chassis plates, if they were'nt included on the chassis.

I cut the vast majority of my chassis plates myself, and the only bits I bought in were the 10mm plate for the rear uprights and the 5" tube. It is very satisfying, and a great learning experience

Sean

[HandyAndy]

as Sean has said, it IS most satisfying to "create" your own chassis & if at all possible would encourage it, BUT my venture was/is there to help new builders to build their own Roadster even if they either don,t wish to weld it or have the equipment to do so.

whichever route you decide to take i wish you all the best in your Roadster build.

cheers
andy:)

[fabbyglass]

I might be completely wrong( not unknown!!!) but get the impression that a "bought" chassis will aid the IVA and sticking to the engine that came with the donor unless you can prove that your 20+ year old Sierra was fitted with a Rover V8 or 'Blade motor.:confused: