Some products you all would like to see

[wishihad1]

Hey everybody

Well myself and a friend are both engineers and are looking to get into a side gig together doing some jeep fab work. We have done work together in the past such as installing lifts, building axles, suspensions, body armor, etc for TJs, YJs, and XJs. After my last idea we started to kick around some ideas about, (and more-so myself, being an XJ wheeler) about building some XJ specific items. I feel that for the most part the TJ, Yj market is already over saturated, and really how many different link mounts, bumpers, or tube fenders can you build and be different?

For those who didn't see my tail light thread heres a link
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1101281

Ive been thinking about those, maybe some tube fenders, which aren't stupid priced, and fit decent (didn't hear the best reviews about H.O.R.E fenders)

and maybe at some point a prebent roll cage that doesn't need a bunch of tube added to it to be worthy of having.

also its entirely too difficult to find XJ winch bumpers that dont kill approach angle. Ive been able to find one of 2 in my day, but even those are either over priced, or dont have much as far as cosmetics go.

For starters We would like to start with items between say 50-350 bucks and go from there. mainly for the people who want functional, items, but dont need the bling or price tag associated with most other companies.

what would yall like

 

[donthelegend]

Some observations about the XJ market:

-XJ owners are cheap bastards. Many who own XJs are more than willing to get their own welder out and hack something together out of some plate and box tube.
-Bolt on products that fit with no modification need to be balanced against common modifications that most people who wheel their XJs have already made or plan to make (cut 'n fold rear quarters, trimmed fenders, etc)
-Weld it yourself parts seem to be quite popular with the XJ crowd (at least have the option).

With those in mind I would focus on products that require a piece of equipment (like a press) that everyone with a welder doesn't necessarily have, or require a jig or something similar to make look decent. These products are just outside of the average XJ owners ability (at least to make a decent end product in a reasonable amount of time) but would still be fairly cheap to manufacture with a small amount of initial investment on your part. Your tail light boxes are pretty much right on the money in that respect, but I just wanted to re-iterate.

Affordable tube fenders would be awesome, but I just don't know how you'd be able to get the cost low enough to make them affordable to most XJ owners. Steel is expensive and getting the bends to match factory sheet metal is non-trivial.

Can you work with aluminum? I've thought it would be cool if someone started making aluminum parts for XJs (a la Savvy) but I don't know if there are people willing to pay a premium for lightweight armor/parts in the XJ crowd.

Affordable tube doors/half doors/kits of some sort. Tube doors are cool but no one makes an affordable set. Not sure if you could pay yourself a decent wage while hitting a cheaper price point than what's currently available though. Also, have you seen the half doors on the Team KOH rig? If you were able to put together a template on where to cut an existing door to fit a top plate/cap that you made and the customer just has to cut their doors and then weld on the new cap that you provide, there might be a market for that.

Any way, just some rambling thoughts of mine. Worth exactly what you paid for it, but I hope it helps. Good luck!

 

[WB9YZU]

How do I put this nicely...

I don't want to put down your efforts at making a business. Seems like the internet is a good place to start, and getting customers and ideas from a Forum is a good idea. I truly wish you all the success in the world.

But, we have Vendors who support the Club with donations of parts and/or money for our Events. Your other thread came close to infringing on those relationships.

Something to be aware of before you charge though a TNT factory

 

[sunburned]

How do I put this nicely...

I don't want to put down your efforts at making a business. Seems like the internet is a good place to start, and getting customers and ideas from a Forum is a good idea. I truly wish you all the success in the world.

But, we have Vendors who support the Club with donations of parts and/or money for our Events. Your other thread came close to infringing on those relationships.

Something to be aware of before you charge though a TNT factory

Chill out, dude. Not sure if you have an 'in' with one of those vendors, but why try to stifle this guy's creativity. The XJ world has a bunch of vendors, but a lot that just cater to buy and bolt it on type parts. If this dude wants to make fab parts and sell them at good prices, I say the more the merrier! We don't have near the support of the TJ/JK community in the big name companies, so any new vendor is a plus in my eyes.

Obviously the guy would have to get vendor status on here before actually selling anything. I wouldn't expect him to pay the site before he even finds out if people want to buy stuff from him.

 

[wishihad1]

How do I put this nicely Your the guy that spends his day at work under the bosses desk looking for a promotion. Keep on working at it and maybe one day you'll be promoted for forum moderator!!


I never came close to infringing on any vendor rights. I made a very clear statement that if I gathered enough interest I would buy a star before pompon any product I made. The tail lights were an absolute one off and I wanted to see if people would want to buy them.


And as for your business model well I'm guessing your the type of person who sits on the sidelines their entire life because somebody else might do it better. We're both 24 years old and have well established engineering jobs. It isn't like we need this to make ends meet. It would be fun to work with my friend on a common hobby and make a little side money. I have no interest or desire to compete with a company like TNT.


If I ever cross any line I will expect a moderator to notify me. Thank you for your time and zero usable contribution to this thread


Good day sir

 

[XJLI]

you did cross a line, bc youre trying to promote your stuff without being a vendor. no ones trying to shit in your cheerios but thats just the rules around here.

that being said, i'll x2 the "XJ owners are cheap bastards" thing. people who own and mod XJs nowadays are either 16/17 year old kids with barely enough money to put gas in the things, or people who have been in the XJ game for a while... and most of those guys build their own stuff.

 

[JPs01XJ]

I would like to see your ideas on storage and cargo management. It seems like a lot of DIY ideas use wood because it's cheap and easy to work with using most home tools, but it's also heavy and can absorb moisture.

For the Rear
Something constructed of thin gauge steel (CS or SS) would be great since it is easily bent and could lower production effort. Aluminum would be good if you can find a way to do quick assembly without using an obnoxious amount of fasteners. These metal options keep weight down (v. wood), allow each owner to fasten it their vehicle as needed, and leave you a flat top on which to set other items or let you dog ride when seat is up because kids are in the back seat.

Now this brings about the questions to have a hinged lid-style top, or a roll-out tray drawers. Either way you have a flat top set/secure items, and keeping the overall height around 6" would allow you to install a roll-out tray to hold storage boxes, coolers, or fridges. The inside will need provisions to install movable dividers to accommodate different size tools, recovery gear, fluids, etc.

For the Back Seat Floorboard
I hate losing access to the backseat floorboard whenever the seat is folded down. I can always stash stuff down there, but it is not easy to gain access to later or to keep it sorted. Something that could fit in this area would allow for sorted storage and give you another flat spot to set things. Since I know have a child, this could be left in the vehicle all the time since little legs do not reach that far.

In my mind, the ideal material for this is rotomolded polyethylene. It would let you make a complex shape and keep weight waaaay down. and let you carry water. Heck, you could even make this a cooler to keep weight between the wheels and within easy access to all occupants! A more grand idea for an expedition rig would removing both parts of the rear seat and fabricating something that would fit in the floorboard space and make the entire rear cargo area flat.

So yeah, I’ve given this a little thought before. But I do not have the tools I need or the space to do anything! Hopefully this changes one day.

I like to hear feedback on these ideas or see what anyone has fabricated that is similar, i.e., no wood!

 

[RedHeep]

How do I put this nicely Your the guy that spends his day at work under the bosses desk looking for a promotion. Keep on working at it and maybe one day you'll be promoted for forum moderator!!


I never came close to infringing on any vendor rights. I made a very clear statement that if I gathered enough interest I would buy a star before pompon any product I made. The tail lights were an absolute one off and I wanted to see if people would want to buy them.


And as for your business model well I'm guessing your the type of person who sits on the sidelines their entire life because somebody else might do it better. We're both 24 years old and have well established engineering jobs. It isn't like we need this to make ends meet. It would be fun to work with my friend on a common hobby and make a little side money. I have no interest or desire to compete with a company like TNT.


If I ever cross any line I will expect a moderator to notify me. Thank you for your time and zero usable contribution to this thread


Good day sir

The gentlemen who replied to your post is a member of the Board of Directors of , specifically a club officer that has been elected to the position of Recorder.

In case you didn't know, the Board of Directors is directly responsible for both the well being of and the support of the sponsorship program here at the club. This is a club and not a web forum. Members here do pay dues and are not just supporters of an internet based message board.

I would highly encourage you to heed his advice and tone down your attitude before you find yourself on the wrong end of this organization. While moderators are responsible for the day to day policing of this forum, BOD members such as the one that replied to you are responsible for everything that this club operates with. A gentle piece of advice from one of them to knock off your advertising without a sponsorship contract is something you should pay attention to.

 

[wishihad1]

Oh wellJust having a hard time seeing how I'm trying to use this forum as promoting any of my items...especially given the fact that I have no items to sell. It was a thread trying to gauge interest in products to see of it would be worthwhile getting together say 5 to 10 ideas that members were interested in and becoming a vendor and selling them.


I would agree 100 percent if I tried to sell something on here without paying a vendor due and I would be in the wrong. But how I've done anything to make a profit by piggybacking on this forum is non existent.

And advertising?? I have no business name no website and 2 or 3 ideas of what to make. I'm not going to buy a vendor star to see of there are any members interested in giving me ideas

 

[Mnkyboy]

Maybe you could start by becoming a member here, then you will see there is a product development section for this type of disscussion.

 

[kastein]

yikes... warm welcome I see...

:doh:

This is why people think we are dicks.

 

[Mnkyboy]

yikes... warm welcome I see...

:doh:

This is why people think we are dicks.

Looks like he became a forum user in 2006 so I wouldn't say its a welcome.

 

[jrowell]

As I do not see your asking for ideas on what the XJ market wants as promoting your non-existent business, I will throw out a couple ideas (probably things you already thought of):

Tube doors
rear inside drawer/rack
axle truss

I would also suggest becoming a member. If you actually start making and selling become a vendor. Everyone will be happy then.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

Good grief people, this is ridiculous. A guy comes and asks (in a nutshell) "Hey, I'd like to build good stuff that people want, and offer it to you for a reasonable price" and the naxja response is "YOU'RE VIOLATING 'CLUB' RULES AAAARRRRGGGG RABBLE RABBLE...". Which is an interesting response to someone for simply gauging interest in products that you all would like to purchase and seemingly attempting to further the XJ aftermarket and off-roading community in general :confused1

you did cross a line, bc youre trying to promote your stuff without being a vendor.

Like he said... what "stuff"?

The gentlemen who replied to your post is a member of the Board of Directors of ::, specifically a club officer that has been elected to the position of Recorder.

In case you didn't know, the Board of Directors is directly responsible for both the well being of and the support of the sponsorship program here at the club. This is a club and not a web forum. Members here do pay dues and are not just supporters of an internet based message board.

I would highly encourage you to heed his advice and tone down your attitude before you find yourself on the wrong end of this organization. While moderators are responsible for the day to day policing of this forum, BOD members such as the one that replied to you are responsible for everything that this club operates with. A gentle piece of advice from one of them to knock off your advertising without a sponsorship contract is something you should pay attention to.

Member of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS??? CLUB OFFICER??? ... RECORDER!?!? Holy crap, I take back everything I said - I didn't realize I was questioning a "gentleman" of such rank and stature!

And he's right... it's hard to advertise without a business name... any products... or an actual business period! :roflmao: You guys crack me up...

Ok, so back on topic and actually contributing... I agree with offering some storage ideas. I like the idea of form fitting storage areas, instead of just strapping down boxes - I don't like wasting space... especially in an XJ lol.

 

[wishihad1]

Much appreciation to the people who have offered ideas to this thread.

The storage idea is something Ive been wanting to build for my XJ now for years, and for some reason its a project that is always forgotten about until I go camping...and then I get in the mood to build one, but forget about it till the next trip.

might be a good reason to start brain storming.

 

[RedHeep]

Good grief people, this is ridiculous. A guy comes and asks (in a nutshell) "Hey, I'd like to build good stuff that people want, and offer it to you for a reasonable price" and the naxja response is "YOU'RE VIOLATING 'CLUB' RULES AAAARRRRGGGG RABBLE RABBLE...". Which is an interesting response to someone for simply gauging interest in products that you all would like to purchase and seemingly attempting to further the XJ aftermarket and off-roading community in general :confused1



Like he said... what "stuff"?



Member of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS??? CLUB OFFICER??? ... RECORDER!?!? Holy crap, I take back everything I said - I didn't realize I was questioning a "gentleman" of such rank and stature!

And he's right... it's hard to advertise without a business name... any products... or an actual business period! :roflmao: You guys crack me up...

Ok, so back on topic and actually contributing... I agree with offering some storage ideas. I like the idea of form fitting storage areas, instead of just strapping down boxes - I don't like wasting space... especially in an XJ lol.

When you contribute to the club, have an opinion. Otherwise take your BS somewhere else.

 

[vetteboy]

It would be fun to work with my friend on a common hobby and make a little side money.

But how I've done anything to make a profit by piggybacking on this forum is non existent.

Just because you haven't yet, doesn't mean it won't happen.

I assume you're not looking to lose money on these products.

Might go a long way to throw $20 in the pot to help support the club that's funded by the enthusiasts you also intend to be funded by.

 

[wishihad1]

Vette...I respect your opinion, and the tech you have brought to this and many other forums in my years of watching your builds.

However, I'm not looking at losing money on a product, and myself and my partner would have a looonnngg ways to go before ever being serious about this.

short story, he lives in about 1000 miles away right now, and we wouldn't even consider doing anything until he moves back to VA next december. from there, we would be taking ideas and building one offs for our own jeeps, and friends. If we saw ideas, which were easy enough to make in a decent quantity, in 20-30 hours on weekends then we could go from there.

at best we would be looking at having a small (4-5 item) line by next summer. If we have something worth while, I will gladly buy stars here and pirate4x4, and create a website. If not, I will continue to sell to people around my hometown that just know me by word of mouth

 

[donthelegend]

Friendly advice (while I'm relatively new here, I spend a lot of time here and on other similar forums):

You're walking a fine line. It can be done without upsetting people and has been done in the past. You need to have thicker skin (blowing up at the first mild rebuke was not good, especially considering it was a member of the BOD who knows the rules and helps enforce them). You need to either bring good tech in your threads (like child9 did with the AW-4 before becoming a vendor who offers valve-body mods) or keep the business aspect out of YOUR posts as much as possible until your a vendor. If other people bring up you selling them you say "not interested right now as I'm not a vendor" and move on.

You're really kind of already in the hole because of the way you approached this and what you said but consider it from the members/vendors perspective. Those vendors pay good money to promote their products that they have time and effort into. They support the club in exchange for exclusive advertising rights on the website. And now you're going to come in for free and directly compete with some of their products (you specifically called out at least one vendor in this thread and I think you mentioned another in your tail light thread). The fact that you have no product is not really the point, as you're clearly trying to develop one. This thread has no tech in it (as of right now, I'm not saying it can't or won't later) and is pretty openly a business proposition.

TL;DR - You can't honestly think that no one was going to tell you to become a vendor based on this thread.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

When you contribute to the club, have an opinion. Otherwise take your BS somewhere else.

Hmmmmm... I wonder what may be dissuading me from "contributing" to the "club"... :roflmao:

Don't get me wrong, I've seriously considered pony'n up. To the point of actually deciding to do it and just not ever getting around to the computer to do it. But then I see a thread like this one and all the sudden I can think of at least a hundred better things to spend $40 bucks on.