Group Buys.
 

Hi Guys,

This is something that would have been ideal for the Roadster club to organise but as this seems to be on hold for a while I am more than happy to organise some.

We have already done this with Novembers shock deal, so it seems a natural progression to do it with other items. So here is what I propose, If there are any items that could be bulk ordered (suggestions please) I am more than happy to organise a deal, when and only when we have the desired amount of participants then I'll order the parts. There wouldn't be a time limit, although next year there will a vat increase so prices quoted now would be affected accordingly.

One that springs to mind is wheels. And as an example, if we had 10 people interested a set of 4 x Pro Race 1.2's would be £292.45. (Halfords charge £395)

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Kind regards

John

Group buying has and always will be a very powerful tool both for the end user and seller alike. Only thing i can see a problem only in reguards to asthetic things is all roadsters will slowly start to look the same loosing the individual differences we build into them. I know theres only so many combos you can have but will deals like this it will only encourage all roadsters to be alike. By no means poo pooing your idea merely voicing my opinion.

I've had a few thoughts about possible group buys and bringing back a few of the previous ones too.
package deal for front ball joints, track rod ends, steering rack ext.
Wheel bearing package
Suspension nuts and bolts or just the long rears?
Rear lights landrover type with surround maybe these? ebay: 230535806785
Headlights? 5" small dominator or dax rush/2cv type
Copper brake line + braided hose and fittings
Gauges
seat belts
steering racks
ali floor panels

i agree with monsterob, one of the things that slightly puts me off the grp body work is the fact that 90% of roasters will have it and even though my car will be different it will look the same as every other roadster just different colour / wheels. ( im waiting untill andy does the bonnet with the bigger air scoop so until i order my body work from him so my car looks a little different for a while)

I think that group buys that are to do with the cosmetics of the car should be avoided.

All for it
 

I think it's a great idea, at the end of the day there are sooo many parts that every roadster needs, that if there is a chance of getting these bits cheaper and 3GE and Talon are willing to put the time and effort in to make it happen without making alot back then surely thats good for all builders. My main issues are budget, so if I can save a few quid I am happy.
I would say put the ideas up there on anything and get the numbers together.
I would agree however that perhaps wheels are one thing that shows individuality (did I spell that right?) and 10 roasters coming out with exactly the same brand spanking alloys may be strange. For many people £300 is a big lay out when there are 100's of second hand sets out there(paid £40 for mine). But at the end of the day if you get the interest, those people will be very happy.:)
As an idea pehaps you could organise a group buy on 2.0 pinto sierras, for say £200 each, I would be up for that. :D :D

I can understand about peoples reservations about cosmetic choices as this is what makes each Roadster individual but there may well be 10 customers out there who like the Pro Race wheels and given that we could do these for just £4.50 more than Rally Designs budget wheel people may well be tempted. After all you could end up with that style of wheel on 20 or 30 cars anyway, why not get them at a good price?

At the end of the day the idea is to offer people a chance to purchase items at a good price.

Kind regards

John

I would be interested in group buys for the internal mechanical items, steering rack/trackrod ends, brake pipe kits, wheel bearing kits etc. But with regard to the external parts like wheels I have the same concerns about "all looking the same". I don't want to turn it into a kitcar I want to retain the individuality as much as possible.

I think group buys are a fantastic idea but can you wait until I've got the money for them.:D

I would love to invest in the Protech shocks on offer but I've spent the current wad on wishbones and uprights.

Something to do with the engine then, maybe? Zetec intake manifolds to suit bike carbs or bike throttle bodies? Lowered sumps for Zetec? There's a fair number of people building Zetec based cars, apparently.

Cracking deal John
 

That is a cracking price for Pro Race 1.2's :)

Pesonally, if I parked next to another Roadster & it had the same style wheel rims, I wouldn't be cut up about it in fact, I would be over the moon if I found out that I managed to get them £100 cheaper :D

So much more to the Haynes Roadster than just the body work & wheel rims !!??
Quality of finish & attention to detail is what will make or break the car .... Gus's car is a fine example of what can be achieved :cool:

I would like to think that when I am finaly on the road with my build, folk will say " Ohhh look, there's a Haynes Roadster " rather than say " Oh look, another Locost " !!?? ;)

I'd be interested in a group buy on full set of bushes and crush tubes .... any takers?

I'd go for thing supplied through 3rd party companies rather than stuff manufactured by our own 3ge, talon, saturn (bet there margins are pretty tight as is and they have plenty of offers from time to time)

Zetec exhuast manifold, standard in let manifold for bike carbs.
Escort quick rack.
Front suspension joint pack.
Wiring Loom
Radiator
Fuel tank and sender
Braided brake line set

I'd leave the personalisation items such as lights, wheels, seats.

The shocks were bang on, expensive, good discount and everyone needs them.
I'd go for a group buy on a nice alloy fuel tank deffo!

Actually I would echo that too, most of the items on that list are things I am after and I reckon the fuel tank/exhaust manifold/inlet manifold/ brake lines would be what I am after next :)

Personally I have just ordered wishbones, suspension brackets and chassis plates. Which is no small outlay, 35 quid from 3ge with vat free offer!

The order has not even arrived and I am already thinking i need more parts to make it all work.

I would suggest grouping:

1)Steering rack/ steering column extensions/ steering olumn mounting bracket/ alloy steering rack mounts


2)Wishbones/uprights/poly bushes/bolt kit/ ball joints/drag links and adjusters
(with the option of coilovers and even front hubs)


Leigh

Fuel tank complete package possible group buy?
 

I've been making some enquiries in to what deals can be done with some traders on ebay and companies like Burton power and Rally design ect.
I can do a full fuel tank package comprising of a mild steel 1.2mm tank made either to the book size which has a 24ltr(ish) cap. or a bigger tank that will hold 36ltr for a longer range. I have got a reasonable deal on new OE sierra fuel senders , some panel mounted flush fit (aero) key locking black plastic fuel caps with a 45' down turn funnel with vents and lengths of 2" rubber hose with jubilee clips for the silly price of £150.
This would be a ready to paint and fit package with the sender already fitted to a TIG welded leak tested baffled tank with sump.
I'll start with the cheaper option of Mild steel then possibly do ali later.
Any one interested?

I would be interested in,

Ali fuel tank
Triton Seats

as thees are next on my list to buy.

Terry

I am potentially very interested in this offer. Couple of questions though

1. When you say a sump, would this also be known as a swirl pot?
2. The price is the same for both sizes of fuel tank?
3. The Fuel sender, can this be wired to most to an gauge/digital dash that I wanted to?

Cheers,

Jonathan

Wishbones £200-250
Uprights £75-100
Bolts £25-30
Joint kit £40-50
Polybushes £70-90
Rough total £450 give or take

I'm not sure you will get many takers on that kind of deal, most builders I'm assuming will buy bit by bit at pocket money prices and save for the big parts like coilovers,wheels,fibreglass body work etc. I split the wishbone group buy into front and rear to give people the option (offer still open till end of Nov by the way) for that reason. Most builds seem to be a case of as and when people have the time or money.

1. sump/swirl pot/slosh pot; small piece of tube about 2" in diameter welded to the bottom of the tank with a feed pipe running from it?
2.Price of the larger tank may be a bit more due to material utualisiation (canny spiel sorry) and the fact it's more work than a rectanglular box. Was hoping to put four or six bends in one sheet then add end caps, fewer welds, neater job, quicker to make (hopefully!)
3.fuel sender wiring erm... book is based on a sierra doner,most will be using sierra wiring loom or ford based engine option, seems logical to use sierra sender as standard. If you want a different sender parts will have to be sent to me and custom made to order , typical charge for machining £30.

I realise the cost of these items, however after just forking out for the wishbones, I am already thinking I need more parts. Had there been a group buy on these items I may have saved the money and got the job lot, hopefully at a reduced cost compared to buying them individually. Surely that is the point of a group buy.

Cheers
Leigh

this 36l tank , im intersted where it fits exactly as im looking to have some form of boot space at the end of my build :)

It fits where the tank should go but comes over the top of the suspension cage, it's not massive in size you should still be able to get a picnic in there or maybe a pair of crash helmets. I'll post some pics as and when I can work out how to.

Correct me if I'm mistaken please but it seems to me some people have misunderstood the idea of a group buy. Surely a group buy is where a GROUP of peole all buy the same item(s) at the same time to enable a cheaper deal rather than one person buying a "group" of items?

D.

Thats a cracking price for 1.2's!
Would anyone be interested in a group buy on Megasquirts?

that could be a good group buy or mega jolt perhaps?

yes

only tricky thing is its is hard to buy kit form ms in the uk mainly due to support worrys from supplyers
built kits in the uk are expensive and you also have to take into account one kit does not suit all engine+setup. kits/builds are tweeked to suit!

microsquirt would be a possible option for some people or ms2 with extra coil driver for running a 4cyl wasted spark without edis pre built or kit maybe?

would be great if it was the choice of meny roadster builders as base maps could be used to save time and money on setups
and what could be better than even building the ecu as well as chassis etc :rolleyes:

Group Buying
 

Hi to all

As a new member (very new) I've been searching through the threads of all
the members to see what is out there, the immediate image I have is a
group of people who cant wait to help each other in this crazy world of kit
building, so i am looking forward to diving in!!!!
I have finished my chassis and made my wishbones and welded everything up, the group buy thread is 2 years old but is it still running?
The price of coilovers is scary, if someone could give me an idea of group shocks and any other parts available it will get me moving

Thanks a lot

Eddie:

welcome to the forum Eddie.....sadly 3ge are no more and no group buys are running at the mo spud69 has a very good offer on for 6 or 10 piece body kit to forum members ...as for shocks I am afraid where ever you go they will be dear
I still make tanks from time to time, ebay is good for parts when the right deal can be done......good luck dude and get a build thread started.

look around in here and you will find info on useing a cheaper full length std size coilover shock (no 1" extension) opens your options of makes, supply and cost

Hello Eddie,

Good to see you, we seem to be getting a good steady flow of new builders at the moment :)

You're right though dampers aren't cheap but obviously are a crucial part of the roadster handling. People have different views on which dampers to go for but i've always found Protech to be well made, reliable and good ride quality. Try and give Kevin a ring at Protech, he is a very reasonable bloke and will do what he can to help you. His springs are more expensive and if you don't mind yellow springs then Rally Designs do a good range of 1.9" springs.

All the Best.........Andy