350 aluminum heads and sp intake tooling costs

Discussion in 'TA Performance' started by Nothingface5384, Dec 13, 2013.

  1. Nothingface5384

    Nothingface5384 Detail To Oil - Car Care

    I know you really can't say but basing off the recent rover heads and intake
    How many sets did you have to sell to break even with tooling costs/production? Or to start to make profit

    Just so everyone understands the bare min order wise of what it takes to not sink in debt

    If the number is within the poll results perhaps a deposit is in order?
     
  2. ken betts

    ken betts Well-Known Member

    I ran Kenne-Bell for 5-6 years, and I never discussed with anyone that kind of info. You would only be privy to that info if you were a partner in a deal. Nothing personal, but the same rules applied to my construction company. To get a reasonable answer, you could talk to people in the machine, casting and parts business. Then you could put together a ball park price. There would be a profit margin based on a time line for repayment of the original investment. After that the profit would increase to allow for further investment of other projects like intakes, blocks, cranks etc. I hope this gives you a picture of reality. It is not as simple as 100 sets to recoup the original costs because you may NEVER sell that many sets. This is risky business for anyone since only a hand full of Buick racers exist today compared to Chevy, Ford or Chrysler. We are in the process of making a good port for a 350. No one is paying me nor has anyone offered to repay me for development of a 350 or 455 head. How many out there is or would do that. Let me throw out a number for both, $ 200,000.00 Send the money now and we will start casting in Jan.2014!:pray:
     
  3. ronbz455

    ronbz455 Big Butz Racing

    I hear ya Ken. If I hit the lotto I will bring the card and help make the heads and intake. I've been hoping myself that someone would bring me money so I could see how fast I can make a 350 run in the 1/4:pray: I know there has to be somebody with cash buried in the back yard that don't know what to do with it. Why not spend it on technology.
     
  4. Nothingface5384

    Nothingface5384 Detail To Oil - Car Care

    Thanks for the response was just looking for a general idea so everyone can understand things better perhaps
     
  5. ken betts

    ken betts Well-Known Member

    We will have a better idea of costs when we have something to take to a shop. We will work with Mike. We will not duplicate what he is doing.
     
  6. gmcgruther

    gmcgruther Well-Known Member

    Go talk with Profile cylinder heads and they say it differently, 100g is reasonable now and the more people that is getting into 3d coping the cheaper its getting. The casting is not the expensive part, it's the r&d in the ports,(FLOW,VELOCITY,AND SO ON.) I have talked to Darin Morgan at Reher-Morrison about doing some work for me on some wicked looking Canted/Splayed Valved Big Bloock Buick heads that I drew up, Darin said the begining cost of the R&D IS $20,000 and go's up from there. I even talked with Mike At TA for two months in a roll about making such heads, no deal. I don't want money at all, I want recognition that all.. I have two other designs that I called Sonny Leonard personally on, he even said he would help Mike build better heads if he just called and talked. Nothing against Mike at TA but come on Mike...Make a wise choice here. The casting they are doing now adays is called cast-rite technology, meaning- When they make the cylinder heads or what ever now for that matter, there is less machining to do afterwards that includes the ports. They are made damn near prefect out of the casting. Write me if you want more information..
     
  7. HotRodRivi

    HotRodRivi Tomahawks sighted overseas

    you must be the Voodoo Bugaloo, nobody seems to respond to you. I on the other hand have no bias. You have put out many good informative extremely informative stuff in this forum. I get the feeling that everyone thinks your from the other side of the tracks. your information dosent come from their sources so they don't acknowledge it. Their is plenty to learn from all sides , and I have learned plenty from both . Cheers
     
  8. gmcgruther

    gmcgruther Well-Known Member

    no, I came off sounding like a know it all, but I don't. My Uncle only owned 5 Buick GS 455 stage 1's and a all out 1965 Buick skylark backhalved drag car that ran low 10's, but nobody wants to listen to me! I built many engines in my life that have reached beyond 700hp and a few that hit 1200hp on nitrous. I have gotten to know a lot of high end Racers and I have gotten more information form them then anyone on here! I'm a third generation Drag-street racer and oval track engine builder. The Buick is a very dear maker to me now, I did Chevy's,Ford's, and Pontiac's small and big blocks in the past, but the Buick is a different animal. But I have learned something a lot of people on here don't even know, Buick is the predecessor to all of Chevy's engineering back then, so when people talk stuff about, they don't want to run Chevy stuff on there Buick's. I laugh, because Buick made the stuff first or like the canted valve heads chevy runs, look at Buick's prototype cylinder head's! One of them is a over head cam CANTED VALVE cylinder head, look at the early years of the small block chevy, Gee's the 350 Buick look's awful familiar to Chevy's right! The reason is Chevrolet took that design and improved on it! There is a article in Hot Rod magazine (May 1970) The heading is called "Inside Buick's back Room", talk about some good information! I have called and written every cylinder head maker and designer out there and I even suggested that they can use my design for free and I want recognition,that's all. The reply I get is "there is not enough demand for such cylinder heads!" Well from what I see on here, there is a high demand. I even wrote Jesel to them make a timing belt drive system, they said it would be a one off and cost of close to 5k! Oh well, I'm a nobody in a sad world. Good luck on your project. Sincerely Gary
     

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