1st Gen Celica CNC Milled aftermarket reproduction parts

[king-szeitszam]

I'd just like to say before I start that I have no affiliation with this person or the forum that he's using as a medium; I've only decided to post this up here as I think it'd be beneficial to our Celica community and because I know first hand how hard it is to find stuff for our golden oldies. So please, no hate!


This is mainly directed at the first gen owners on here, I found this while browsing through a few American Celica forums and thought it may be of interest.

Classic-Celica.com Forums-viewtopic-CNC milled items ideas to make for sale?


From what I gather this guy is going to start to make billet aluminium products for first gen's- GT hood vents, 71-72 style pillar vents and most excitingly billet GT Grilles and emblems to suit.
I know there are a few fiberglass products out there but I've never seen proper aftermarket parts like this before.

If you go through the pages you can see there's a few 3D drawings being done up for things like GT emblems and grilles, and I think I read that he'll be starting with the long hood flutes first as they'll probably be the best sellers. As you can see there's a whole load of things he's been asked to consider manufacturing, which I think is pretty great considering these parts can be almost impossible to find NOS or even second hand.

There's even been requests put in for new hood and door hinges :O

Sounds like he'll be asking a fair amount for these things..but I guess the problem then becomes money rather than not actually being able to find item we need at all.


Anyway, hope this is of interest to you guys.
Cheers

[jezz]

The guy is actually on here every now and again.

http://www.toymods.org.au/forums/for...le-celica.html

From what I've seen on the internet he is an honest Celica guy just trying to help out the rest of the Celica crowd.

[1jza21]

yup thats mine. I am gearing up for making all these things for the Early Celica guys. As thing progress I will expand to a larger market. For now the OP has the correct order as far as the first offerings. Machine time will dictate the prices I will try and keep them resonable for sure. But I have to make a couple of bucks in the end. First parts go on my car then its all fair game after that. Thanks for posting this I was going to get over here as things progressed I kept it local to get ideas first and I will spread out as production starts.
JapanGarage.com - Login
Is a better place to find more up to date info being my home site. I always update this one first.
Cary

[king-szeitszam]

Cary,

No worries mate, I didn't realise you were on these forums or I would have left it to you. Sorry, should have checked first!
I guess I just got a little excited about the idea of actually having something new on my car.

I'm sure that all the good ideas have already been presented to you on your original forum- but are people on here free to suggest something also? There are more than a few great ideas-men on Toymods.

Perhaps you can use this thread to update the Toymods community on any information updates, or maybe the best way to do it would be to become a forum sponsor? I'm not sure of the rules in reference to that, but I'd say that you'd have a bit more freedom with which to get your product out there if you were a sponsor.

Anyway, just my 0.2 cents- massive props to you for what you're doing, I'm sure it'll be well received by Celica owners everywhere.
The only downside of all this is my wallet is going to cop a huge whack in the nuts once your stuff starts rolling off the line.

Cheers

[1jza21]

No problem it was going to get out soon enough. Sponoring a site half way around the world at this point makes no sense but maybe later. I am a one man show over here and money like everything else is tight. I have people and access to a lot of resourses thats how all this is coming about. I just bought the 4 axis CNC mill because it was a great deal and I was at the right place at the right time. Now I need to have it start paying for itself. Plus I want a bunch of shiny new parts on my car.

Some of the first drawings

[king-szeitszam]

Fair enough mate, just throwing it out there.

I realise prices probably aren't solid yet, but are you able to provide a ballpark figure to give us some idea of what the price range for your items will be?
Maybe an approximate for a larger item such as the grille and an approximate for a small item like the GT emblems?

The drawings look fantastic- great job.

Cheers

[1jza21]

Hard to say on the prices at this point. Depends on metal prices and machine time. More than 40 year old used parts but not out of the range of affordable.

Since you guys have a different market there what would. Be the more desired items for you?

[king-szeitszam]

I guess you'll have to find a balance and get a feeling for what people are willing to pay. I agree with what you're saying on the other forums in the sense that these billet products are going to be of a higher quality than the original parts. This would especially be the case with the early style side pillar vents- which are chrome wrapped plastic from what I can tell.
However despite this you'll have to be careful not to make your product so expensive that people start considering just buying a buggered old set of vents and then having them restored.
You don't want to shoot yourself in the foot!

As far as what this community would be after.. I'd say that anything GT would sell like hot cakes. Every man and his dog are after some nice GT bonnet flutes. The same can be said if the GT grille comes through. Early style pillar vents, ST grilles, door and bonnet hinges would go down nicely as well.

Maybe even the old original style fuel caps that are now next to impossible to find. They have a spring loaded moving key cover though so maybe that won't be possible.

Mechanically speaking you could make inspection plates to suit the 2TG engine with "2TG" or "2TGEU" etched into them. Same goes for 18R's; we have a lot of them over here.
More ideas;
-2TG/18RG to Wxx series gearbox bellhousing adapters.
-2T/3T to twin sidedraft DCOE carb manifold adapters
-Chrome strips that are just about everywhere
-Window winders
-Door handles
-Tail light bezels- early and late
-Shifter knobs
-Hand brake handle
-Billet replacement for the original wood grain stickers that go on the dash or on the gear stick surround
- GT style center console- if you could make these, you'd be very popular. I'm talking about the one that runs down from the dash to the floor and then goes around the hand brake. Might be too big for your machine though- however they did come in two parts.

Anyone else feel free to throw ideas up here.

Cheers

[1jza21]

Ya I hear you it will be a fine line. The GT Grill will for sure happen. I have always been partial to the ST grill my self but after designing this GT grill with the extra depth in the honeycomb I am thinking i am going this route. The sad thing is the ST might be more because the starting material will be thicker and add more cost to it. I have seen GT grills go for 5-800.00 US and being 40 years old and not in perfect shape even. So a Billet part with some improvements like thicker honeycomb etc should be possible at double that maybe? I will know more after determining machine time. We are going to 3D print one first and verify fit and concept and then machine a plastic one and then the Billet ones after that. Lots more work to do.

door handles are one the list
tail light bezels 71-72 on the list
shifter knobs on list
hand brake handle or cover to replace the plastic part?
There is a guy in the US that made stainless or billet covers for the dashes. That would be the way to go.
GT console in Billet would be rediculously expensive.

the bell adapters would be possible just not sure if I want to go there. same with the manifolds
the stainless strips would not be possible. The door sills would be though and are on the list
window winders as in regulators or winder handles? Those are possible

[king-szeitszam]

Would you regulate cost also by how large your customer base is? Opening up an Australian market would add a large list of prospective buyers.
Also, I'd recommend perhaps checking out rollaclub.com and considering producing old-school corolla products (Ke-25 and the such). Again this is a massive market to jump into, one even bigger than the classic Celica community- but it'd be a sure way to recoup what you spent on the CNC mill in the first place.

As for the brake handle- I was thinking a replacement to the plastic part.
Thought as much for the GT console..but hey I can dream.

I was talking more window winder handles- but regulators would be good as well. Although it'd be hard to compete with the plastic bushes you can get and maybe a waste of time.

[Dan_k36]

I'd pay that for the grile, better than plastic and more shinny and more rigid

[king-szeitszam]

I'd pay that for the grile, better than plastic and more shinny and more rigid

Me too.
The GT grille was sheet metal though, a plus for strength and looks but a big minus as most of them ended up rusting to the shithouse. Definitely a big upgrade from the plastic LT and ST grilles though.

Which brings me to my next question, what sort of durability can be expected from these products? Are you planning on finishing/polishing them at all or leaving them as they come off the machine?

Another idea I had would be to make the JDM style tow hooks to suit TA22's, just a small aesthetic thing.
Also..thoughts on making flares? Too expensive?

[phwoar]

How about a "4A-GE" badge for those running them. Would add to my Spitfire.

Cheers.

[1jza21]

Durability wise should be fantastic with a little care and maintanance of the finish. Polishing and such. Or clearing it or coating it with what ever you decide. I suspect they will mbe pretty right off the mill but I might polish them as well. I dont want to go down a road to far because it might effect what the plans are of the final user. Be it anodizing, painting, polishing, raw etc.

What is a JDM style tow hook? Picture? Remember i am working with Aluminum here on the ideas. Flares would be plastic Fglass or something of the like.

Handle for the ebrake is on the list.

4age badge would be something thats doable. Maybe a 20 valve version as well.

[Dan_k36]

I'm going to be in California in August september do u think you will have a grile by then?
Woudnt mind checking your car out too, see how the up over side do there cars