This thread is all over the place and any marketing analysis would show that the R&D money invested would not be returned at this point.
Let’s make this simple for everyone including the manufacture who is reviewing the board.
Concerns:
1)Cost- Can a Bronco tub (aluminum) that has close to stock
dimensions as possible and still competes price-wise against fiber-bodies?
2)Some are afraid that it will be harder to repair than their current steel
body; due to work hardening or buying the proper gas and wire for their
welders.
3)Stock Parts “may” not fit. How about we address this major area of
concern because no one wants to spend an estimated 5G+ to have
to “slightly modify” parts to fit; especially body parts.
4)Market instability- currently, due to crude wars, we can’t predict what any
material will be going for a month from now.
Area of Interest:
1)Keeping the tub as close as possible to factory specs
2)Corrosion protection for those who live in salty climates
3)Just producing Doors because no one has captured that market yet.
4)Working with Dennis Carpenter utilizing original Ford stamps. I some how
doubt that you could use a steel stamp for aluminum panels; I could be
incorrect.
On different forums, a manufacture will produce a prototype, show the picture of it, give a price of the current model and say “here it is folks I have produced what you have asked for.” Here is what it will cost you.
Now for practical purposes, I could see utilizing the current specifications of a stock tub with all of the complicated bends, over-estimate the material, labor, R&D, tooling, etc and say as is, this is the price per unit.
In other words you could build exactly what people want, but if they can’t afford it, you have missed your market.
I believe that if no one has reproduced doors then run with that market. There are lots of crummy doors out there and if you could repro a set for under 1G (no hardware) I have a good feeling that the manufacture could turn a profit on these, once word hits the streets on their quality.