New soft top may be available

[TexasRox]

I don't usally reply to these posts but some of us here were feeling a little betrayed.I know Chuck said he was not offended but I think he should be. It sounds like to me you are impling that he added an extra $800.00 on to our top that didn't need to be added. You have no idea how much work and time goes into building this top. It was years in the making taking into consideration lots of ideas from customers and trying to keep the cost low. We have been to numerous top makers tooooo many to count to make a cost effective top. We debated long and hard here wether or not to even make the top because we knew we would get people saying it was too expensive so we just kept looking for new people until we found someone that was reasonable. If you had to farm out all the different steps for making this top and still wanted to make a nickle we would have to charge far more then we do. We do all the frame building in-house including the welding. At 3 hours of welding at professional prices you are talking a lot of money per top, not to mention that both of the boxes we use to ship the tops have to be custom made and cost $12.00 ea. As with everything BCB makes we try to keep the prices as low as we can and give the customers the best quality. We are not a huge business here and I'm sorry to realize that some of you think we line our pockets with your hard earned money.

 

[Tito]

I don't usally reply to these posts but some of us here were feeling a little betrayed.I know Chuck said he was not offended but I think he should be. It sounds like to me you are impling that he added an extra $800.00 on to our top that didn't need to be added. You have no idea how much work and time goes into building this top. It was years in the making taking into consideration lots of ideas from customers and trying to keep the cost low. We have been to numerous top makers tooooo many to count to make a cost effective top. We debated long and hard here wether or not to even make the top because we knew we would get people saying it was too expensive so we just kept looking for new people until we found someone that was reasonable. If you had to farm out all the different steps for making this top and still wanted to make a nickle we would have to charge far more then we do. We do all the frame building in-house including the welding. At 3 hours of welding at professional prices you are talking a lot of money per top, not to mention that both of the boxes we use to ship the tops have to be custom made and cost $12.00 ea. As with everything BCB makes we try to keep the prices as low as we can and give the customers the best quality. We are not a huge business here and I'm sorry to realize that some of you think we line our pockets with your hard earned money.

Before you start the accusations of vendor bashing, reread the thread please, you are wrong. Chuck questioned Amac70 about making a top and I verified that he and I had. I never accused you of gouging or being a bad vendor, I stated information about our costs IN HOUSE by 2 dudes that wanted a better top.
If you farm out labor for everything your prices go up, simple fact that I am aware of and so are you. I stated this in my post. If you contract with someone to do the canvas you pay a premium on the material as well as labor and profit on top of that, same with the frame if it was farmed out. That right there is the majority of your cost. And if you want to make a profit on said product then you have to add your margin...why else would you really make a product for the masses. You make it sound like there is no choice but to pay these costs thus the price but the truth of the matter is it is a result of non-production in house and is a choice. I am not telling Chuck nor you how to make a top, nor that it is a detriment to not make it in house but it WILL increase the price quite a bit vs paying going rate in house to make a product. Companies like Bestop and STC I am pretty sure send their templates to China or Malaysia to be produced thus much much lower costs as well as the x1000 production numbers vs yours.

 

[chuck]

I think we have hijacked this post enough, sorry roccolukasik. Lets start a new post if anyone wants to talk about my top. A parting offer. If you will make that frame for $500 each FOB I can put you to work. Anyone?

 

[bax]

I think we have hijacked this post enough, sorry roccolukasik. Lets start a new post if anyone wants to talk about my top. A parting offer. If you will make that frame for $500 each FOB I can put you to work. Anyone?

I would be interested. Not that I want to get in this discussion, I am very happy with my top. But that sounds like a sweet side job.

 

[chuck]

I sent you a PM

 

[jw0747]

This is the plain and simple truth...........All the others are over priced especially the can back and chucks tops. There simply isn't the material or labor cost there to justify those prices.

I'd venture a guess that the above post is what got some guys' teeth knashin'. Mine woulda been.

 

[bax]

I sent you a PM

I sent you one back.

 

[Broncoward]

I think the price is fair...Remember the American worker is expensive and If you want koreans to make it cheap then go for it...

You can't show me a top that is hard rack capable for less so...that ends the discussion really

 

[Amac70]

I stand by my statement. I guess im just a cheap american worker, and since tito lives in mexico now we can pay him even less.

 

[Tito]

I stand by my statement. I guess im just a cheap american worker, and since tito lives in mexico now we can pay him even less.

ROTFLMAO!!!! I have renamed it NoSoCenCal

 

[Broncoward]

lets get the UAW involve and see what the price might be!!!

 

[regshawn]

ROTFLMAO!!!! I have renamed it NoSoCenCal

Wouldn't just leaving it Mexico be shorter? Lets call Apples, Apples is how I see it.
Also that soft top you guys where working on was looking good............finish it!!

 

[br0nc0xrapt0r]

josh nosocal is like saying jumbo shrimp or honest politician, it just does not make sense, but on a more serious note, how about a set of doors to go with these tops? part awesome tub trail door with optional sail cloth and window frames. this would be great for guys like me who's P.O.'s cut off their window frames and are tired of getting wet when it rains

 

[Tito]

josh nosocal is like saying jumbo shrimp or honest politician, it just does not make sense, but on a more serious note, how about a set of doors to go with these tops? part awesome tub trail door with optional sail cloth and window frames. this would be great for guys like me who's P.O.'s cut off their window frames and are tired of getting wet when it rains

I have a set of those in my storage shed :-X ;D Vintage 66 vinyl door toppers!

They will actually be up for sale soon, I need cash.

If you look at the greaseball fab site, they did a set of tube half doors for inserts that are super slick and made a canvas lower to go with them and looks like they use the bestop 2 piece upper that slips into them to make full doors for people that run inserts.

If people want to talk about expensive, those half doors are almost $600 bucks...sure are nice though ;D http://www.greaseballmotorsports.com/broncos/doors/

 

[br0nc0xrapt0r]

my bad I meant ones that don't use door inserts.

 

[Tito]

my bad I meant ones that don't use door inserts.

like these ;D

 

[roccolukasik]

In the case of any top made if it is all done in house you can cut down on quite a bit of overhead cost.If I were to build a top do all the welding and framework and another guy working with me was to sew up all of the fabric,then we would only have to pay ourselves for the labor and a small profit on top of that.Unfortunatly most buisinesses are not run this way it is one of the reasons our economy is in the shape it is in (just my opinion)nobody wants to work.This being said I think all of the tops available are good tops,I would just like to see them in other fabrics,and hands down chuck has the best top available. I wish they could find a way to make it available at $1000.00 I would buy one this week.

 

[GRIZZLY]

This is the plain and simple truth. The rampage for 500 is a decent price. All the others are over priced especially the can back and chucks tops. There simply isn't the material or labor cost there to justify those prices.

I bought the first Canback Chuck put out years ago. I did a slow roll onto it and it held up with only a 1/4" shift in one of the bars.

I guarantee a Bestop or STC wouldn't have held up...

After seeing pics of his new top I believe it's every bit as strong as the CanBak and if I had to do it again I would go with BCB's product.

 

[GRIZZLY]

Jeesh, quoting myself%) I should have read all the pages before quoting the original post. Looks like it has been hashed out already.

I bought the first Canback Chuck put out years ago. I did a slow roll onto it and it held up with only a 1/4" shift in one of the bars.

I guarantee a Bestop or STC wouldn't have held up...

After seeing pics of his new top I believe it's every bit as strong as the CanBak and if I had to do it again I would go with BCB's product.