I have diamond plate painted black with a magnet and bottle opener.. I may add the storage idea or a fold down table eventually.

 

Nevermind

 

Part of my work history after spending ten years as an engineer on the Tomahawk Cruise Missile Program also included being the Director of Quality at a small metals processor in Johnstown PA.

Their main products were shipboard control and instrumentation consoles and cabinets as well as a variety of weldments and formed products, including the bumpers for the Bradley fighting machine, under vehicle welded boxes for things like the Adtranz People Movers at major airports and a large variety of smaller pieces.

When you buy metals in bulk and do all the cutting, stamping, shaping, welding and painting in-house, the production costs are really pretty low for such simple products.

There is no way that a panel that small made of steel or aluminum should be anywhere near that price from my previous experiences.

I wonder what the bulk cost of the materials are for such a product and what processes are involved. After you get beyond the facility start-up cost of capital equipment expenditures, producing quantities of a relatively simple product of that size is not all that high.

If you are using exotic materials or you are producing manned space flight equipment, costs are staggering. Like if you are sputter depositing microns of gold in tight tolerances for microcircuits that control missiles in flight.

When you are producing something that simple, the cost shouldn't be in that ballpark.

Now you understand why I said the cost of one of their systems would exceed the value of most of our DI's.

You may not be able to make one that nice in your own garage, but I do not need a 100 dollar panel on my door to attach a couple of bags to. Is that understandable now?

 

Never mind

 

C'mon guys we aren't here to bash each other. At the end of the day all of our Disco's will be unique in their own way. They never have the same problems, and we each like our own thing. Some guys like liquor cases as a center console, some guys prefer ARB bumpers while others prefer tube designs, and others, *COUGH* LIKE JAKE *COUGH*, like bad A tray-back rovers. To each their own, now quit hating on each other and just let other people's comments slide off your back. It's an internet forum, quit trolling and quit allowing others to troll you.

 

How did I get dragged into this??!! But seriously not to many people like bobbed tray back discos. But come out to PA and drive it once it's done and I am sure it will change your mind

 

yeah and don't hate on the diamondplate. aluminum and painted black.

 

Me offended by being called a RedNeck, "NOW that is FUNNY, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHO YOU ARE". (DIRECT QUOTE FROM LARRY THE CABLE GUY OFF THE JEFF FOXWORTHY REDNECK COMEDY TOUR)

Jeff and I grew up in the same part of the country at the same time frame. Our high schools played football against each other. All of us were Rednecks.

If you like their product and it meets your needs, by all means buy it. It is that simple.

I could care less what you think about my individualized console. I sure was not going to buy another stock replacement one. Those are a poor piece of engineering and production. If you do remove carpets and headliner, you will see how poorly laid out and constructed these vehicles are.

The reason the floors rust so bad is because of all the unsealed holes left from the assembly processes utilized on these overpriced pigs wearing dresses.

If a panel like that makes you feel special in your Techno-geek way, go for it. Personally I do not feel they are worth the price.

Juran defines Quality as Fitness for Use. If it fits your use, that should be all that matters to you.,

 

Right way



My way

 

I saw this bigshot. Nice job. I may want to do something similar as I decide what plastic to put back in the truck. i have the jumpseats so it's not this exactly.