Any interest in race seat replicas?
Hey all,
Time for another update in the adventure of customer parts making. Here's where we currently stand. I have the first blank molded and in my hands. The base was done with a black gel coat so this is pre-paint and has not been fooled with since it was taken off the mold. The hump in the front is loosely attached so you get an idea of what it will look like assembled. That area needs to be adjusted though as the way it attaches is going to have to be changed to preserve a good fitment of the cover.  There is still flash from the mold that needs to be trimmed. This was not a "to-do" for this one since it's just the first proof. You can see the flash flare out from the lip of the bottom piece.  So, the good news is that it obviously resembles the race seat (minus the vent holes that will be cut later). It's very strong and I can stand on it with no issues. The bad news.... The mold needs to be revised. The side lip is too shallow to allow for the tack strips and the front hump needs to be altered to allow for a better fit of the cover. Also, my fiberglass guy has pulled out on this unfortunately. This is the most disappointing news as I had high hopes for him. He said he's spent too much time on it and doesn't have any more free time to work the project. I'm starting to feel fiberglass guys are like bad contractors. I've been trying to source another fiberglass guy in the meantime. It's taking unnaturally long as this is the busy time of year for my business so I have little time. It's also, unfortunately, the busy time of year for fiberglass guys. However, the upside is I have had the chance to talk to an actual fiberglass production shop that is willing to take the project on. The good thing about this is that it's not some guy doing it in their spare time and this is all they do for a living. They make automotive parts and do a good job. The only two downsides to this is that they are not local to me (ohio), and the turn around is not quick. I'm still waiting for an estimate on time and cost and will post up as soon as I hear. It's become almost a mission now to see this thing done as it seems as though a ton of hurdles are being thrown at the project. I guess custom things like this just take time which is not sitting with me well as I'm generally impatient when it comes to projects that I'm personally interested in. I appreciate everyone's patience through the whole endeavor though. I know if it wasn't for the few of you that stepped up, we wouldn't have gone this far. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about anything. I can always be reached. -Joe
Oh, I also forgot to mention, there's been great progress on the tack strips. Unfortunately, you can't buy tack strips that have the triangles facing down like the stock seat, only sideways for carpet and other things. I've had custom strips of steel cut for me in the same size as the original and have found a special tool that makes the v-notches perfectly. This will allow me to replicate the stock tack strip.
Hey All,
Just wanted to post and update since nothing has happened for a while. I guess I should have just waited until the winter to do this project as all the fiberglass guys seemed to be slammed with boat and car show work. Anyway, I was on the phone yesterday with the fiberglass guy that will be making the new pans. It looks like our turn has finally come into queue. Of course, that means he'll be working on the mold first. I'm not sure how long he plans on taking getting things the way he likes to have it but he's mentioned that he'll try to speed things along once he's happy with the mold. We'll see what happens I guess. -Joe Race SeatsAre you still producing these seats?!
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
