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-   -   Welting...My Latest Curiosity (https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=787665)

wizard61 03-10-2016 12:41 PM

Welting...My Latest Curiosity
 
1 Attachment(s)
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

SD73 03-10-2016 03:27 PM

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!

wizard61 03-10-2016 04:23 PM

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

Transamric 03-10-2016 05:43 PM

Definite interest here. Buc Red and Cameo White would give the most color coverage.

njsteve 03-10-2016 05:44 PM

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.

wizard61 03-10-2016 06:26 PM

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

NOT A TA 03-11-2016 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wizard61 (Post 5546038)
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

Can the new stuff you're considering having made be painted? Lets say someone bought the white could it be painted and hold? I repainted my originals and they held 25 years with no problems. This time I'm replacing the welting. Bought the gray stuff but I'm not impressed with it. Since my car's not a stock red the stock colored one wouldn't match.

necdb3 03-11-2016 07:43 AM

If it fit well and was the correct color, I don't think $150.00 is unreasonable for all colors.

Stan65 03-11-2016 11:36 AM

I would be interested in Lucy Blue!

Stan

nas t eh 03-11-2016 12:06 PM

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.

nas t eh 03-11-2016 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOT A TA (Post 5546176)
Can the new stuff you're considering having made be painted? Lets say someone bought the white could it be painted and hold? I repainted my originals and they held 25 years with no problems. This time I'm replacing the welting. Bought the gray stuff but I'm not impressed with it. Since my car's not a stock red the stock colored one wouldn't match.

While I'd want to paint to match your red, I think I might try buc red welting on your red flare and see how off it looked on the car? Might be fine?

sd455hota 03-11-2016 12:44 PM

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.

blue71ta 03-11-2016 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stan65 (Post 5546297)
I would be interested in Lucy Blue!

Stan

Me too

71HO4SPD 03-11-2016 01:35 PM

welting
 
Price sounds reasonable to me.

RamAir 03-11-2016 03:30 PM

I'm in on cameo white

keith k 03-11-2016 11:27 PM

I'd take a set in both Lucy Blue and Polar White.

giles 03-12-2016 01:36 AM

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.

wizard61 03-12-2016 09:30 AM

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

Bentwheelbob 03-12-2016 09:59 AM

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.

RAIVJUDGE 03-12-2016 10:53 AM

I am in for a set for a Buccaneer red car. Keep us posted. and $125-$150 is ok to me.


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