zip465

Just my two cents...

CATIA and SolidWorks does not make an individual an engineer. The engineer doing the work on parts that are newly designed to interface with an existing design, and that new design is now imparting increased loads and moments across the original factory joints one should seriously investigate the down stream effects. The factory deck lid with the factory wing and uprights were designed for a certain set of loads - force, vibration, etc... Adding length to the uprights has now added an new set of variables to the problem, did the designing engineer perform any stress analysis or any other analysis to support this new design. As pointed out, in this very litigious society that we live in I'd hate to see this all come back and bite someone in the a$$ for causing damage, damage to another car, or worse an accident that causes bodily harm or death.

When looking at aftermarket parts, especially on high performance cars like many of ours the house producing the parts should be able to provide an accounting of what went into the design and analysis process used to ensure that you the consumer are getting a solid part that was properly designed and analyzed. Again just because a person can use a CAD program does not necessarily make them an engineer.

The parts pass the "looks right test" but that needs to be backed up with proper design and analysis. The OP should make that clear and even provide a summary of what went into the design, analysis, and what the assumed loads are at a given speed.

Like I said, this is just my two cents, and always caveat emptor... Flame away

The Baron

You're probably right except these must be designed with the "extreme use" aspect in mind the same premise as the cars are produced !

Unlike Porsche, we cannot afford to have these break like OE hoses or CL situations because there are tooooooo many "scumbag extortionists" lurking on the courthouse steps !

If you can purchase the .75X11.5X15.125 blocks of 6061-T6 PL Aluminium, design, mill the pieces, powdercoat these pieces and sell them for $320 per pair (based on your 500% theory) then have at it bigshot !

TRAKCAR

Baron saw a need/want. Did something about it. No one else did or could, so he can ask whatever he wants for them..

They look strong. Orbit likes them. Forget the scumbag extortionist, I don't want my very expensive CF wing to go flying off the car on the back straight.

I'm saving up for them.

The Baron

Thank you for your observations and solid opinion. Everything you mentioned was taken into consideration and implemented when this project started which is why I laugh when some clown thinks that this can be properly executed for $300.

Many of your points were lightly discussed early in the thread without giving away all of our intellectual/proprietary information for some khazar to knock these off in China out of beer cans !

CRex

Looks like I'll be your guinea pig in Hong Kong. Folks not as litigious over here. We just send angry little people with baseball bats when things don't work out

Exactly. From the limited fact pattern I suspect the OP isn't in the business of designing aero parts every day in day out. He took the initiative to create something which may solve a problem (more downforce and rear visibility). Don't buy the product if you don't like the price. Or heck, buy a set and copycat the daylight out of it with recycled soda cans Shenzhen-style. Until someone materializes that talk, benefits should accrue to those who've actually DONE something

p.s. that Orbit likes or dislikes them has zero bearing on my purchase decision. If anything it's a marginal negative for me that they're affiliated!

mooty

The parts that we manufactured are $1000 less than the factory OE 3.8 BUT have the same quality

......3.8 supports (R)#997.512.682.90 (L)#997.512.681.90 $2,642 pair
......4.0 supports (R)#997.512.682.93 (L)#997.512.681.93 $1,887 pair

[/QUOTE] Especially considering the aftermarket one isn't starting from scratch, but is taking the base OEM dimensions and making it taller. [/QUOTE]

If you actually read the original post in its entirety as well as post 39, you'd see that these parts were in fact "started from scratch" as you put it, while trying to keep the OE look for several obvious reasons that are stated by later posters.

These pieces were created and designed by an Aerospace engineer with several degrees, NOT some $20 per hour CNC operator. Many hours were put into design, performance perameters, strength concerns and liability issues (since our country is being ruined by scumbag plaintiff's extortionists)

[/QUOTE] Nice product though and looks as good as OEM.[/QUOTE]

Thank you, that is what we were aiming for !

[/QUOTE] I'm tempted to have my local CNC guy whip these up and sell it for $1000 [/QUOTE]

Again, these pieces were designed by an engineer using Catia & Solid Works software, NOT whittled out by some $20 per hour CNC operator ....... so, in this litigious society we live in, you should think it through before casually taking on this kind of responsibility just to make what you think is a quick $$$.[/QUOTE]

Ah Baron... don't take it so personally. MEs always get **** on. Take it from one who has his whole career. Any time someone can actually touch your work, they become an expert. I remember once sitting in a project meeting and getting it good. We always had every department represented. The finance guy starts telling me how my design sucked and how it could be improved. That never happens to the EEs or the SWEs. You can't physically touch their stuff and it's too intimidating. But real parts... everyone becomes an expert! [/QUOTE]

u are a ME? no wonder ME takes a beating.

EEs dont make anything real, they live in virtual world with electrons. they are fake ppl. IT ppl even worse.

finance ppl you mean like me. we know nothing about nothing and with out HP12C we might as well be dead. dont ever listen to the bean counters.

deputydog95

I wonder how Getty, a wing manufacturer, does their cup uprights so cheap. Must be some hack CNC operator banging them out in a Chinese factory next to the ipod production line

http://www.gettydesign.com/997_decklids.html

CRex

Just received my uprights from Sharky, they look great! Will get them installed next week and report on the fitment then.

A quick note: for those who care about fine details, the finishing of the OEM uprights is a naked, slightly "sanded" aluminum. These Baron uprights are PAINTED to resemble a similar shade of silver. Not that I mind, but they are not 100% faithful to the OEM look. The view out the rear window alone is enough a selling point for me.

Thanks Alex @ Sharky for the quick turnaround!

TRAKCAR

I'll paint mine silver like the mirror, lips and winglets anyway.

TRAKCAR

I had to get them.
Worth every penny, should have done it right away!!

Orbit should have them in and paint them next week, just in time for trakcar build 2.1 to continue....

paver

how fast were you going? and did he not know you are the famous trakcar?

TRAKCAR

He very well might have recognize the legend Trakcar as he about apologized for giving me a ticket for 85 because It was called in and recorded he could not give me a warning :-)

That is what the ticket clinic is for

paver

apparently he did not know you usually drive flatout and 85 is a mere crawl

I have been to a ticket clinic before

TRAKCAR

Yes, but have you been 32 hours?
As in 8 identical 4 hour "safety" classes? I did that TWICE!! Talking about losing the will to live..
And Prior a bunch of 4 hour, 8 hour and 16 hour educations....I had to start paying my brother to go for me.

deputydog95

That's bull****. You can give a warning even if it's called in. You have to call every stop in for safety reasons in case it goes sideways.

I used to like to write tickets to euro trash too You should have dropped Randy's name. The cop might have been a fan of dirt track racing.