I haven't taken my car out of storage yet but Howard / Bad Dog sent me his old B Pillars for evaluation. They are a complex part. Sheet metal sub structure with black rubber molded in place. I have floated this part around to a couple of prototype shops that are capable but I keep on getting the same response...... This would be very costly to replicate. I recently gave one of the samples to a friend that is in the business of having low volume prototype tooling made in Asia. He will be back in a couple of weeks, but his initial thoughts were consistent. Honestly I can't see how producing these units for the small quantity needed could be viable from a cost standpoint. I will provide an update when I hear back from my traveling friend. On another note..... Spring is a good time to replace your roof latches and rebuild your center vent foam while installing the Wedge....... And as always, please send me your thoughts on other hard to find parts that could me made in a more robust way. Thanks Ron
Hi. On the b post question are we talking about the section at the rear of the door glass when the door is closed ?
I looked at trying to find an off the shelf profile without success. The rubber itself is insert molded so it would be incredibly difficult to remove. It's a complex part. I haven't been able to find an appropriate way to either fix using cores or remanufacture from scratch.
Hi Ron, I think almost everyone has this problem of chewed up rubber. If the cost were more reasonable than genuine parts, I think you would have a big selling item .. By the way; the center vent wedge works perfect. Thanks, Russ Lorenzen RussLasVegas
B pillar rivet pulled out where top connects but that'll be easy. Window rubber ripped and b pillar "rubber" tear is harder. I'd be happy with new ones.
That it is not practical to re manufacture these pieces due to the low volume expected / resulting high end cost. I wish I could report otherwise. I looked domestically and had a friend in the prototyping industry take one of the samples to China. It's not a worthwhile venture. The numbers don't work. Sorry.
As many of you know, I have been toying with the idea of remanufacturing B-Pillers as it's only a matter of time till I need them. I had a trashed pair that somone sent me for evaluation but I sent them to BadDog when I couldn't figure out a reasonable approach. Bottom line is I just met a supplier that can likly make them. Does anyone have even one side that they can send me? Condition does not matter and it will be promptly sent back in its original condition. Thanks - Ron Frohock
what happened to BadDog? Mine are perfect but for how long... im glad you're out there working on this! Loving my vent bracket!!!
I have the passenger side. I is missing some of the rubber at the bottom. I replaced it with a new one I found in Switzerland. PM me your address and I will send it out to you on Monday. DavidJ
So damn busy you wouldn't believe it. 3 new clients on top of the ones I already have. I need a clone (or 2) of myself. We might do an interim move first, to get out of the building we are in now, before a real move, south. Thanks for the encouragement. DavidJ
PM Sent. I will take care of them for sure and return them as received. Fingers crossed guys. Hopefully we can make this happen. - Ron Frohock
Thanks for doing this guys - let me know when you're ready to market - I'll be happy to get in line and order one! Cheers
Thanks, David and thanks, Ron. Ron, if you need new ones of each side for development work let me know. I have new ones on a shelf (under lock and key hahaha) waiting for mine to tear further.
I met with one company last week and they are currently sending the part to another vendor that specializes in overmolding rubber products. I should hear their thoughts in a week. I really want to find a way to make this happen for all of us. I'm going to need a pair soon and I know they are NLA. Fingers crossed.....
