Hey guys, I wanted to put out a gauge of interest thread to see who would be interested in reproduction plastic pieces for our cars. Things that we're usually on the hunt for - 5 speed shift bezels, front seat belt buckle covers (maybe make them replaceable?), seat belt sleeves (the ones that bolt to the floor near the back seat) etc. Headlight assemblies could be a possibility as well. My dad has a friend who does injection molded plastics and we were thinking that this could be a good opportunity. But first, we want to see if the interest is there, then if it is, see if the reproduction is actually possible. So if you're interested, please post here and say what part(s) you're most interested in. Thanks!
Definitely would be interested myself. I'm pretty set on spares right now but I would support the effort and buy some things anyway.
I'm not real familiar with the process but I'm assuming an original part is needed for some kind of model. I have a few 87/88 cougar headlights/marker lights (and corner lamps, those are the worst to find) in various states of piness that you could totally use. Would they need to be sacrificial?
You're definitely gonna find the price point being the maker/breaker. I know we've been down this road at least once before. But headlights for example...best you can usually do on ebay is maybe 50-60 per headlight. And that's not even guaranteeing perfect NOS. If a Ford dealership has a pair I think it's $500...
Yeah if/when we get to the point of setting up molds, I'll post on here if we need anything and lay out all the details. Price and scarcity are the main issues, especially with how easily things crack and fade on these cars. So hopefully we can help alleviate those issues.
Seat belt buckle sleeves for sure! Maybe some kind of top dash repair pad to fix a cracked dash without changing the whole thing would be nice. Center arm rests seem fragile too.
I'm glad someone is thinking of making parts for these cars!
Have to be careful in how you do this. Reproducing parts and selling them without the consent/or a license from FoMoCo can get you sued really quick.....possibly.
Yes, that's something we'd be working out if this ends up being a feasible endeavor.
Hope ford doesn't hear about places like autozone or napa.
Headlights and tail lights are a pipe dream at best. Cost $$$ to get a dot number and be legal.
Small plastic pieces need to be cheap, or few people will buy them, same thing with larger ones. There is only about 300 active members on this forum and i doubt 10% would buy parts. Output of 30 pieces isn't worth making a mold imho.
Not trying to out you down or anything, id like to see new pieces made for these cars, but it is very unlikely you could break even.
If ya got good at cad designs, a 3d printer would be a much better way of doing things for a small limited run.
I would be very interested as well. Headlights, outer lights and tail lights seem to be the most sought after pieces in my opinion. Would love to see this happen 1 day. Im sure the guys over on NATO would be very interested as well.
Valid points. Doesn't hurt to look into it though :)
I think the licensing fees and dot fees may kill the reality of breaking even on making the parts. Sorry to be the cat turd in the proverbial oatmeal...
1988 Cougar outer marker lights....... yes please. :)
Car companies seem to be a little, well, odd about things like exterior or interior part reproductions. I doubt Ford would care but you can never be too careful.
CAD files of parts we need would be great. I have access to 3D printers (not very high end but hobbiest level stuff) and I'm not too impressed with the quality of the prints. My uncle has some industrial (i.e. $100K+) 3D printers for his business. They produce far and away better quality prints but, to my eyes, are not up to the level of an injection molded part. It is extremely difficult to get a 3D printer to reproduce something like the grain structure on the seat belt covers for example.