Just funnin' with you Justin! You are right, the cork gasket works pretty well
on the Spit.
But you don't want to make the gaskets too good. Otherwise nobody will ever
buy morte than one for each engine!! :)
Joe
jmwagner wrote:
>
> 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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