Joe,
ummmm.... honestly Joe... if it was about a "bigger market".... I'd skip the
other Triumphs completely... and go for
the gold.... Let's keep things in perspective.
I chose Triumphs as my proving ground because that is where my heart is.
Obviously I chose the car I drive to start
with. I want to do some of the other key triumphs because it is my hobby and
I feel a kindred ship with the TR
folks, but eventually, I will have to move to other makes, such as American
cars and MGBs, etc. (Meanwhile, I did
hope to make a going concern out of "J. M. Wagner Sales, Ltd." and produce some
other products specifically for
Triumphs.)
I put Spitfire behind the 6-cylinder for several reasons....
1. Cork works on littler 4 banger valve covers better than it does on that
long 6 cylinder one.... so I felt the
6-cylinder guys were a little more desperate for an alternative... I don't
mean that sales will be greater, I just
mean that the actual need is greater. I base this on e-mails I have received
for the last 4 years.
2. The 6-cylinder gasket had special requirements... I had to break new ground.
I wanted to get a gasket out there
with this new technology. Once proven, it might pave the way for a TR 7
gasket, etc... Meanwhile, I can put out a
Spitfire version shortly after the 6-cylinder.
3. Jan Dawson.
4. E-mails from desperate 6-owners.
I get the feeling you feel snubbed since I put the 6-cylinder first. I
apologize for that, but there's method to my
madness. And since I do plan to get a Spitfire version out this year, there
really isn't that much of a delay factor
between the two. It won't be another 4 years before I get to another gasket!
--Justin Wagner
Joe Curry wrote:
> Justin,
> You're missing the bigger market. There are many more 4 cylinder Triumphs
>out there to sell to than 6 cylinders!
>
> Joe
>
> jmwagner wrote:
> >
> > Ladies and Gentlemen:
> >
> > I just thought I'd make a progress report....
> >
> > All the design work has been done and the tooling is now in the hands of
> > a couple shops. Unfortunately, they're a little swamped right now, so
> > they can't get to work on it right away. (CNC machines, etc.)
> >
> > I'm hopeful that within 3 weeks, I will have my prototype mold and can
> > subsequently begin to test a gasket... if it performs as expected, I
> > will be able to figure out costs/pricing and begin selling the
> > gasket.... (At that point, I will only have one mold and production
> > may be slow, but I will first direct sales only to the team.net
> > newsgroups, before advertising elsewhere, etc... to assure that all of
> > you that have been waiting patiently, won't have to wait much longer.)
> >
> > While still made of a high temp, high performance silicone, it is a
> > dramatically different design than the TR 2-4A gasket, because I faced a
> > different type of mating surface, an extreme length, and proximity
> > conflicts (hardware close to the valve cover, etc.). There is more to
> > say about the new design, but I'd rather wait until its proven itself on
> > the street. For those of you that truly understand the word
> > "TRICK".... this gasket will be all that and more.
> >
> > I have confidence that it will meet all my expectations (and yours!),
> > but until I have tested the prototype (after a considerable
> > investment!), I will not know if I have a winner. While not
> > particularly religious, I wouldn't mind a few prayers for the gasket's
> > success... and some crossed fingers.. and so on!
> >
> > I'll keep you informed... Thank you for 4 years of patience!
> > (Assuming success with the 6-cylinder gasket, Spitfire will follow this
> > year.)
> >
> > --Justin Wagner
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