bumperettes why are they so expensive?

[So Cal Mark]

back when I was a young guy (about the time the dinosaurs went extinct) I met a doctor and we became friends. He told me that I'll learn that all professionals think every other profession overcharges for their services/products. Over the years I've learned he was right on the money.
I'll be anxious to hear how much time and expense you put into your blocks. I'm sure you will document the time accurately so we can all see how overpriced the parts are.

[wachuko]

back when I was a young guy (about the time the dinosaurs went extinct) I met a doctor and we became friends. He told me that I'll learn that all professionals think every other profession overcharges for their services/products. Over the years I've learned he was right on the money.
I'll be anxious to hear how much time and expense you put into your blocks. I'm sure you will document the time accurately so we can all see how overpriced the parts are.

Man! So true. One thing is doing something as a labor of love or dedication to a hobby or just because you are being a car nut, another is understanding what the cost is for doing something like this as a means to earn a living.

Reason why my projects take several years instead of weeks if I would have a pro do it... you pay one way or another, either in lack of time of enjoying the finished product (working on it), or in $$ to have it finish sooner and enjoy the fruits of it (just driving it).

[84pininfarinablack]

Mentally I cannot be convinced these should cost anywhere in the vicinity of $400 bucks.. I can get a 36 lcd tv for that money.
They can fly me across the country for that money.. Thats a great night at the strip club or a 3 day cruise..
My only theory is that the maker of these cannot sell very many and thus has to make a killing on the one sale a week they get. Thats possible.. Or maybe they have a patent on it and are greedy. They greatly resemble a sandpaper sanding block that i just bought for $5 About the same size and material. minus the hardware of course..

[wachuko]

Mentally I cannot be convinced these should cost anywhere in the vicinity of $400 bucks.. I can get a 36 lcd tv for that money.
They can fly me across the country for that money.. Thats a great night at the strip club or a 3 day cruise..
My only theory is that the maker of these cannot sell very many and thus has to make a killing on the one sale a week they get. Thats possible.. Or maybe they have a patent on it and are greedy. They greatly resemble a sandpaper sanding block that i just bought for $5 About the same size and material. minus the hardware of course..

Agreed... but they cost the same as any other brand bumperettes... Porsche had them in their 73-85 USA cars... if you try to buy one of those now it is between US$375-436 for just one side...

Anyhow, any aftermarket alternative that is less expensive is welcomed. I did not see them in Mark's website, so if Brandy Jones can make them for us, I am in for a set... I will save them until I find my car.

[FatherG]

Boy, I Just got lucky...I bought a set of the Abarth style bumpers for a $100CAN. They need to be cleaned up a bit but will work just fine on my car! Check them out at http://www.sportspider124.blogspot.com.

[mdrburchette]

Guess I'm stupid, but I couldn't find a pic of the bumperettes. I did read about your 69 stainless steel grille. That'll look sweet!

[FatherG]

Keep looking they're there!
Eugenio

[mdrburchette]

There they are...right in front of me. Have they been painted silver?

[maytag]

Mentally I cannot be convinced these should cost anywhere in the vicinity of $400 bucks.. I can get a 36 lcd tv for that money.
They can fly me across the country for that money.. Thats a great night at the strip club or a 3 day cruise..
My only theory is that the maker of these cannot sell very many and thus has to make a killing on the one sale a week they get. Thats possible.. Or maybe they have a patent on it and are greedy. They greatly resemble a sandpaper sanding block that i just bought for $5 About the same size and material. minus the hardware of course..

I'd suggest quit whining about it and go bolt-on that sandpaper block then.

Really, there are two ways of looking at this: they're too expensive, or you're too cheap.

In my business as a salesman, I get tired of people who think that if I'm trying to make a profit, then I'm trying to rip them off. If there is a less expensive "equal", then by all means, GET IT! But if there's not, then whining only goes to show us that you're part of the second category listed above.

When I used to run track-days and a racing club, I would frequently get people who would be angry with us for charging as much as $250 for a track day, or $100 per race entry fee. They would do the math times the number of participants, compare that to the cost of track rental, and then declare us "highway robbers". They wouldn't consider the other unseen costs, like insurance, paid instructors, sanctioning, etc etc. Just as you may not have considered the cost of tools, space, man-hours, maybe even a course in college to learn how to manufacture properly? All you;re looking at is the cost of the materials.

Frequently I find things that I want, but can't afford. I don;t automatically decide that it's not fair.

[So Cal Mark]

you forgot to include product liability insurance. In case your urethane clone falls off and decapitates a pedestrian, are you covered? When the car is in an accident, and the insurance inspector decides that the removal of the oem bumpers and substitution of urethane blocks caused the total loss, are you covered?
I looked into switching insurance carriers for my business coverage last fall. I had a quote from a company that was going to save me nearly 50% on my fees. When we got ready to sign the contract and I questioned the small print concerning our products, they decided to withdraw the proposal even though I've never had a claim. They told me they wouldn't insure me if I sold products over the internet that customers wouild be installing themselves.
All of these things have to be figured into the cost besides the development time, time to mfg and material expense.

[ga.spyder]

There was a fellow that posted here a couple times that took the big bumperettes off a later Triumph Spitfire he found in a junkyard.He worked and shaped them with a die grinder until the fit really well.Looked exactly like the $400 units.That is your alternative to purchasing something you feel is too expensive.Get creative!! Also,dont forget if you are going bumperless you better figure in lowered springs.Either that or cutting coils off your stock units.Otherwise,your Fiat will look like the lifted swamp buggies that run the Everglades!
Craig

[RJ80]

I've got a set of the German bumperettes that used to be sold on eBay that I'm about to install, but have considered reproducing them. Unfortunately, I have zero fiberglass experience so I doubt I'd be able to do a professional job. The bumperettes I have are constructed with a fiberglass shell filled with hard PU foam with circular tubes that replicate the shape and dimensions of the tube bumper shocks stuck in them for mounting. Obviously, they don't fit the early Spiders, but it appears the vast majority of people wanting to change to this design are looking to ditch the heavy tube bumpers anyway.

If anyone is seriously interested in making reproductions and there is an easy way of making an impression of the shape for purposes of producing a mold, I may be able to assist. I think each bumperette shape is unique, each being for different corners, so four molds would need to be produced just to create one set of bumperettes.

If you're interested and have an idea of a simple way to go about this, PM me.

[ITA124]

I did get the urethane bumperettes, even with the poor exchange. Although they where tricky to fit, I believe they would be a better option than the fiberglass.

The reason for this, is that there are inherently different curvatures of the lower panel on spiders. Since the fiberglass units are rigid, then I doubt that they would conform nicely and close the gap all way around. With the urethane product I could preload them as I tighten the bolts. ie push the bumperette hard against the panel while tightening. This ensured that they sat nice and against the panel.

Yes they do cost, but I've seen some of the cheaper alternatives and they look cheap. You can spend much time manufacturing your own, but each bumberette has a different profile and what you pay for is someone else put all the time and effort in figured out how to make them. Not simply the cost of materials.

[84pininfarinablack]

Maytag if all your customers complain that your too expensive then maybe you are? Just a thought.
I doubt bumperettes are made in the USA. I dont think liabilty insurance is being paid or considered. Its an aftermarket car part. Just like a cd player that may shock you.. or a parking brake that may stab you.. Good guess but i dont think thats it.

I have a team of web designers build websites all day long and I do them for free. No charge no catches. Other designers charge $400 bucks for the same job. Im very familiar with overpriced industrys and these niches in the market. Call it whining if you will but its actually a text discussion on an interesting issue. If doing an evaluation of parts and values bothers you then move on to a post you like. Something about that whining made you read on... and then come back again in the future and read some more.. Screen your own content buddy.

On the fair side... I think
convertible tops should be $500 bucks.. im shocked they are so cheap.
exhaust sections for $300 overpriced its metal tube for gods sake.
leather seats $700 a pair... wow really ... good deal there..
foam replacement cushion at IAP.. $100 for a peice of foam... come on please really?
I cant help but to evaluate everything in life. When technology and product cost factor is darn near $0 then it shouldnt cost $400 bucks. period. there is no assembly line for these things if there is its 1 person. If i can make it in my kitchen in my oven with a cake pan and some liquid vinyl.. and the other guy who posted can sand one out of wood with a saw and a belt sander probably several per hour... it shouldnt cost $400 wahhhh wahhh wahhh

[84pininfarinablack]

oh yeah..Im totally cheap.. i bought my 84 for $500 and it runs... I lowballed him $300 to start and let him sit on it for a few days.
Its your money if you want to pay full rip in this life thats up to you.. But money saved is money earned.