Unbreakable Temp/Vent/Choke Lever Bezels at Last!!!!

Check out a couple of hobby shops, there's a company that sells ultra thin polished Al foil, like the foil that used to come on chewing gum wrapers if you're my generation. I'm traveling, so can't dig thru my odds-n-ends bar to see if I still have some. The model car hobbiests use it to make plastic bumpers & other trim look like chrome. It's rubbed on, then the edges trimmed with a very sharp eXacto knife tip. Not a perfect chrome, but the best touch-up that I know of.

 

I just picked up the 1st production labels,
I can now supply a correct label set for the injected cars.
Label sets for Carb'd cars & older cars like the 246 will be available in 2-3 weeks. See this thread for ordering info & pictures:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199364

I'm really excited, the colors on the production labels came out even better than I'd anticipated. They are excellent matches to OEM labels!

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BTW, the ultra thin foil I was thinking about is called: Bare-Metal Foil

Here's their web site:
http://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil.html

Search is your friend!! I couldn't find any left-over bare metal foil here at home, so searched for my old post from 2002 & sure enough, the brand name was mentioned!!!

 

I just checked with the person I've been buying the bezels back from & he's totally sold out. I understood that he was holding 3 sets for me, but they're sold also.

Just when the labels are stirring up a lot of interest!

He is interested in buying more from me, so I'm contacting machinists for bids. I won't know how many he wants until I get quotes back. Obviously I'll have some made for me to sell.

I'm in the process of contacting the people I've send pricing info to retract those quotes.

Apologeticly,
Verell

 

I'm still getting quotes. I expect we're looking at 2-3 months before they'll be available. Will update this thread as soon as something's definite.

I'm keeping a list of pre-orders, to get on it click on my name by this post & select [Send eMAIL to Verell].

If you want 'n' bezels, Use the subject: "Pre-Order: n Unbreakable Lever Bezels.

As always, orders are filled in arrival order.

 

I've selected a vendor & ordered the next mfg. run.

Like the last run, the bezels will be machined from 6061 Aluminum, then show chrome plated. (Show chrome is a premium triple plating process - Cu|Ni|Cr with polishing to a mirror finish before each step.)

I've been promised a first inspection sample in 2 weeks, should have pix of it by 8-AUG.
Delivery is promised to be 6 weeks after my approving the sample, roughly end of September.

 

GOOD NEWS:
I've been able to hold the line on pricing for this run even with the EPA & OSHA doing their darnedest to drive the low volume chrome plating companies out of business. It helped that the mfg company really wanted the business. The other 2 vendors I was talking to, quoted me prices that were $20+/bezel higher!

When the run is delivered in late September, the bezel prices will be:

$129.00/Bezel
$516/4 Bezels

To keep it simple, the price includes shipping within the continental USA. For an international shipping cost quote: Send me eMAIL with the address & a phone #(required by the international shipping quote software).

BAD NEWS FOR ME:
My vendor insists I pay for the full order before he starts cutting metal, so I have to come up with several thousand dollars up front! I've been scratching my head as to how to come up with the necessary financing. My 1st born has already moved out & gotten married, so hocking him isn't an option. Besides, while he's a great guy, I think it would qualify as slavery & that's a fealony in the US!
;^)

After some head scratching followed by banging it against the wall, I woke up in the wee hours this AM with a great idea that will help everyone. I got the idea from a Barnes & Noble eMAIL advertisement I received yesterday:

BETTER NEWS FOR YOU IF YOU BUY NOW:
Prepaid Pre-Orders for bezels will get a BIG price break!!!

This will give you a great price, & will help me come up with the $ I need to pre-pay for the mfg. run.

HERE'S THE DEAL:
If you order & pre-pay for your lever bezels on or before Midnight EDT on Friday, 8 August, you will get a MUCH LOWER PRE-ORDER PRICE than listed above.

To Pre-order Click on my name by this post & select [Send email to Verell]. Use the subject:

"SUBJ: Pre-Order: n Unbreakable Lever Bezels"

Where 'n' is the number of bezels you wish to buy. Also indicate whether or not you can pay with PayPal.

If you use PayPal, I'll respond with a PayPal invoce for the pre-order price. You can either accept the invoice & pay for your order with a couple of clicks, or else reply with eMAIL saying that you've decided to not pre-order. If you decide not to pre-order I'll cancel the invoice.

If you don't use PayPal, then I'll send you eMAIL with the pre-order price & the address to send a check or money order to. . You can reply telling me that 'the check is in the mail' & the address to ship your bezels to, or that you have decided to not pre-order.

Why the 8-AUG cut-off? I have to send in full payment for the mfg run the following week or the delivery date will start slipping until payment is made.

For business reasons I can't go into, I can't post the pre-order price, & must ask those of you who respond to the pre-order offer to not post the price online once you receive it. I don't mind you informing your friends, their pre-orders will be welcome too, but you must make it clear to them that it is not to be posted online.

After Midnight on Friday, 8-AUG, the prices listed at the start of this post will apply until the mfg. run is sold out.

 

These are the bezels & the screws to mount the cable brackets to them(see pics below). They are machined from aircraft grade 6061 aluminum, then polished & show chrome plated. Show chrome is a premium triple plating process - Cu|Ni|Cr layers with polishing to a mirror finish before each step.

The 3rd photo shows a new, never used OEM bezel side by side with one of these bezels.


You re-use the levers, lever pivot hardware, & knobs. You can either re-use your current labels, or else buy the new unscratchable ones, See this thread for label pictures & ordering info:

Unobtainium Supplies: Unscratchable Lever Labels
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199364

I'm working on a mold for the knobs, but it keeps getting bumped. I hope to finish it this fall.
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Seamus,
You've got eMAIL with the pre-order lever bezel price.

 

Wow, so far there's great response on the pre-order special buy.

For those sitting on the fence, remember the special price ends next Friday, 8 August at Midnight.

 

I just received the first sample from the new manufacturor!!!!!, pictures are attached.

The part looks quite good. The chrome plating quality is excellent, definitely a mirror finish!
The finish on the raised areas around the label is quite good! I have identified a couple of scratch marks & pinholes that I will not accept in the final parts tho.

Where there is quite a bit more room for improvement is the machining finish on the tab & back, altho these will never be seen once installed. It's obvious that tooling setup was rushed a bit in order to meet the sample delivery schedule.

I've got a couple more days before I have to send in payment, so I'm extending the pre-order special price offer deadline to Midnight, Thursday 14th.
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Yes, the deadline is still midnite tonight.

Yes, if you buy a set of Unscratchable Lever Labels with a set of 4 bezels, you only need to pay for the labels ($87.70), the bezel free shipping offer will apply to the labels & they'll ship with the bezels.

 

Hello Solly,
I'm still taking orders for the Lever Bezels & have plenty of lever label plates in stock.

The pre-order sale has ended, so full price applies. See entry #133 for price & ordering via eMAIL instructions, just substitute the word ORDER where it says PRE-ORDER.

See this thread for label pricing info:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199364

They're pretty easy to install.
1. Pull the knobs off of the levers, then

2. lift the console (screws under ashtray, lift it towards the driver's side which gives a bit more cable slack.)
3. remove the old bezel (2 mounting screws, + setscrew for the wire),
4. remove the lever from the old bezel (1 screw).

TIP: Now would be a great time to lubricate the cable. A 'cable luber' & spray can of cable lube (any motorcycle shop or eBAY) will lubricate the cable's entire length.

5. Install the lever on the new bezel
6. install the new bezel in the console
7. connect the cable to the lever

Repeat 2 thru 7 for the other 3 levers.

8. reinstall the console
9. Apply the new labels
10. press the knob back onto the lever.

 

I just received word that I should receive a part made with the final production tooling & process late next week. Mfg will start as soon as I approve it. Only snag is I'm out of town Friday 12th, returning late Wednesday. So may not get approval sent until Thursday.

I've requested the time from when I give production approval until I receive the bezels, I will try to ship all the orders within 1 - 2 days after I receive the bezels. You will receive eMAIL from the USPS when your order is shipped. Should arrive 2-3 days after you receive the eMAIL.

Regards,
Verell

 

I was expecting a final 'production sample' made from final tooling & CNC tapes on Friday 12 Sep. However, when I returned from a week's vacatoin Friday, I received word this week that the mfg's QC department discovered that the square holes for the lever pivots were 0.5mm undersize & rightfully rejected the part.

The QC report stated that all the issues I raised with the initial prototype had been corrected and that this was the only defect. The tooling is being corrected & I'm told I will receive the production sample the middle of next week.

I've requested an revised delivery date based on my quickly turning-around production sample approval. Will post it as soon as it arrives.

 

I received the production sample late this afternoon. Stayed up to inspect it against the drawing & test fit the mating parts incl. labels into it. Wow am I excited!!! This part looks significantly better than the initial prototype which wasn't exactly shabby!

It also came with samples of the final mounting hardware attached.

Everything looked good except that the square holes for the lever pivot are still very tight. I'm increasing their size by another 0.01 mm & tightening the mfg. tolerences. An easy change for the CNC mill. I think the problem may be that they didn't allow for plating build-up on the hole's inner surfaces.

I've attached a couple of pix. I'll tell you, it's darned hard to get a good picture of a mirror finish! The camera wants to focus on something that's being reflected by the mirror. Doing it under a halogen light didn't help either. It's a wonder either I or the camera didn't go blind from having 250 Watts reflected into our lenses at times! What appear to be 'scratches' in the 2nd picture are actually reflections of something shiny in the garage!

I still don't have a delivery date, but was told they had taken the risk of doing all the rough machining last week. My SWAG is the production parts will arrive in 3 weeks. A container comes in air freight every Monday, & I should receive the parts late Wednesday. Most likely I'll ship Friday or Saturday.
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Just got eMAIL, the bezels will ship mid to late next week.

A container comes in air freight every Monday, so I should receive the parts late on Wednesday 22nd. My best estimate is that I'll be shipping orders late in the week, around Friday 24th, or Saturday, 25th.

As soon as I know more I'll post another update.

 

Just got a mfg. update:
The mfg run is wrapping up. I should have the bezels mid to late next week.