Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Assuming I can place the Purchase order on 11/12/2018 , I am being told the supplier can complete the order in 15 days. They will have the Holidays to deal with so, I'm guessing they will ship to me in early January. There's probably 4 days for shipping, so I'm thinking I can start shipping to you in mid January.

Regards,
Steve

Hey folks, Do any of you personal know "Jacksonfdny" I have orders from everyone who responded earlier except him. I have PM'd and E-mailed him but no response. He requested 2 hoses earlier but I've heard nothing since. Don't want to leave him with nothing if he really needs some.

If you know him, please pass this info along.

Regards,
Steve

Update:

I have received good news from the 3rd party that is trial fitting. The sample was installed on a 66 shell and the fitment was fine and the tube lined up with the clip just dandy. He will be testing on a 67.5 this weekend and confidence is high that that will be fine as well.

As of this evening I have received PM or E-mail orders from everyone that responded earlier. I also received a few surprise ad-hoc orders. As it stands right now I have orders for 64 hoses! That brings the estimated part cost down to $33.64. Shipping for domestic customers still looks like USPS regional flat rate boxes. Most of you west coast guys are in Zone 8 and shipping from PA for an A size box is about $12. I'm thinking I can squeeze 2 or 3 in a size A box. More than that will be a B size. So in general, it looks like we will be under the $50 delivered target.


I plan on cutting off customer orders Sunday night, Then I'll place the purchase order with the supplier first thing Monday morning. So, If you know someone else that needs one, They'll have til Sunday to contact me via PM.


It looks like I can do batch invoicing through Paypal from my cutomer order spreadsheet I have been building all along. The Paypal batch invoicing is really a clunky, crappy, buggy app but it looks like I can make it work. You will receive an e-mail on your paypal e-mail address with the PP invoice. It should have a "pay now" button and I'll take it from there. I will not invoice anyone until I get these hoses in my fat little hands and do some quality inspection on them.


As stated earlier, I'll handle shipping for international stuff on an individual basis with PMs


Regards,
Steve

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

I second that-we all thank you for taking this project on.

S

SABLT194 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:14 pm
[snip]

As it stands right now I have orders for 64 hoses! That brings the estimated part cost down to $33.64. Shipping for domestic customers still looks like USPS regional flat rate boxes. Most of you west coast guys are in Zone 8 and shipping from PA for an A size box is about $12. I'm thinking I can squeeze 2 or 3 in a size A box. More than that will be a B size. So in general, it looks like we will be under the $50 delivered target.

Any advantage in sending 4 or more in a larger box? I'm thinking of those cases where several buyers live reasonably close.

Pete,

There is some advantage but it's not really a big number. I figured 4 or more would go into a B size regional box. A "B" size box is 21.03 to zone 8 is $21.52 so were kinda talking pennies here. Plus, frankly I'm already working hard to keep things straight so I don't screw anyone up. So I would much prefer to have one order that lines up with one ship to address.


Regards,
Steve

No problem. Just thought I'd ask.

Thanks for running with this. What're planning on next?

Let's chalk this one up to a labor of love. Next one, I'll make the big bucks

Update - The orders are all in now. I will need to issue a Purchase Order for 70 hoses. I'll have 26 different orders to fill for you all. Quite a bit more work than I expected, but I guess that's all good. Anyway that volume brings the part price is down to $33.19 per hose with tooling and inbound freight costs baked in. So all of the domestic customers will be in the 40'couple dollar range delivered to your door. Not too shabby IMO!


I am waiting on results from the trial fitment on a 67.5 before I issue the revised purchase order to the supplier and give them 1st part approvals. I am hoping to get those results tonight sometime. Then, I'll fire off the PO revision and get this thing cooking. The supplier said production would take 15 days, but I would expect more with Thanksgiving mixed in there. We'll see.


I will not send out Paypal invoices to you until I receive and inspect and approve the entire order from the supplier.


Thanks for being patient.

Regards,
Steve

Nice and thanks for the update.

S

Guys - The test fit results are in and the fit is generally OK but does have some issues I want to make you aware of. From the photos below you can see that the where the hose goes down thru the clip it looks a bit "unnatural". IE the clip is a bit twisted with respect to the center line of the hose. At this point , although not perfect, I am hesitant to spend the time and money to re-do the tooling. Also, one little change in the hose geometry suddenly becomes a risk that the fit gets compromised elsewhere. So, with that also remember that the hose is pretty well buried in the firewall and you really can't see much in there.


The other issue is that I designed this hose with a matte black finish to try to simulate the original. Most silicone hoses you see are a shiny finish. I'm thinking the manufacturer slathers the OD of the hose with compound before vulcanizing to get the shiny finish. I believe the shiny finish compound probably tends to bind the fabric windings a bit better and probably produces a more durable product over the long term. Now, I'm not too concerned about the matte finish product unraveling, but it does appear to be more susceptible to damage during repeated installs and may be more difficult to clean. I am going to check with the manufacturer to see if my theory is correct. If so I'm thinking we should go with the more durable product and give a little on the "OEM" appearance. Frankly the matte finish doesn't look too much like the original rubber hose anyway.


Please give me your thoughts ASAP and I will take all that into consideration before I decide how to proceed.

Once I make the final decision on redesigning geometry and shiny vs matte finish I will give everyone a chance to Opt out and cancel your order if your uncomfortable.


So - It's not perfect but it will definately get water from point A to point B and it installs pretty easily through the grommet and onto the spiggot.

Regards,
Steve

Shiny be good! Don't care for the matte.

Or as they say on Firefly, bright and shiny captain.

Will the final product be a smooth hose or will it have that wrapped appearance as shown in the picture?

shiny and durable is OK with me.