Will people buy this if we made it?

[hotwheels]

I saw this on ebaymotors and thought, hmm, what would that look like in carbon fiber and would people buy it? I kind of remember seeing some mid 70s 2nd Gen Camaros with these whale tails. Has a Euro/911 look and definitely retro and I would bet it's farily functional too. I would love to get people's opinions on it!

[andrewb70]

OMG...this brings back memories. When I was in HS in the late 1980s my buddy had a 1974 Camaro. It had that huge whale tail and humongous fiberglass rear fender flares. The car was a total poosh, but being teenagers we thought is was the bomb...

Not sure if people will buy them, but I thought I would share.

Andrew

[b17brian]

Absolutely not!

[cactuss4]

don't think so. But nice small trunk lip ones in carbon maybe, I think something to break up the trunk/rear in some cars may work, but something like that probably not. If they want something like that they will get something fully functional and thus fully adjustable.

[BADNBLK]

No.... Get back to less crazy thoughts like making a Carbon Fiber IROC-Z hood for 3rd gen Camaros! Or the one I talked to you about a couple years back. The Market is coming around, I mean DSE is doing it, so we know they are cool haha!

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

As an owner of one 2nd gen Camaro, and two 2nd gen Firebirds... I have to say nope. It may have been cool at the time, but I don't feel any attraction towards them. No offense to anyone who may run them, just not my thing.

[dcozzi]

No, I would not put that on my '70.
If I was going to have something that big, it would have to be fully adjustable, strut and vane based.

[minendrews68]

I would have to agree with everyone. Maybe on some of the cars (foreign mostly) but not on our muscle cars in my opinion.

[Schwartz Performance]

No.... Get back to less crazy thoughts like making a Carbon Fiber IROC-Z hood for 3rd gen Camaros! Or the one I talked to you about a couple years back. The Market is coming around, I mean DSE is doing it, so we know they are cool haha!

Yes!!

But as for the original question, definitely no.

[NOT A TA]

I'd be really surprised if you could get 10 people to buy a carbon fiber version of that spoiler.

[LS1-IROC]

In for a Carbon 3rd gen hood!!!! Take my money!

[raustinss]

No......more 68-72 chevelle stuff.....have to be next most popular next to the camaros

[hotwheels]

No.... Get back to less crazy thoughts like making a Carbon Fiber IROC-Z hood for 3rd gen Camaros! Or the one I talked to you about a couple years back. The Market is coming around, I mean DSE is doing it, so we know they are cool haha!

I talked to Kyle at the Del Mar Goodguys about the 3rd gen parts they just came out with. I'll keep an eye out for where that market is going to see if we want to jump in. I've found that a lot of guys talk until it's time to put money down on the barrel head. Right now, as popularity rises for 2nd gen Camaros, 1st gens still outsell them at least 2-1 for us. Surprisingly, 70-72 Chevelle parts are hardly on the radar as far as sales. We sell more 68-74 Nova stuff than Chevelle.
If we do a 3rd gen Camaro hood, what would you guys like to see? IROC hood, custom air extractor, etc.? The problems with these hoods is that they are so flat, which can bring about problems in keeping their shape.

[hotwheels]

It's interesting what people like and don't like. I really didn't think most people would like the whale tail, but there are people out there who are nostalgic for stuff they remember from their youth. I'm actually surprised at what does sell in the aftermarket these days. Most people on this forum are more about functionality and modern aesthetics than they are with nostalgia. I notice a lot of nostalgia styling coming back on the pages of Hot Rod and I'm seeing more 70s culture reapear on cars at shows. What comes around goes around, I suppose. I lived in Ohio in the 70s and in L.A. in the 80s, so my perspective on whale tails might be skewed. If you had a 911 in the 80s without a whale tail, you were sucking hind tit. I didn't see too many whale tails on Camaros, but there is a lot of interest building on old performance parts like Herb Adams used to put out, ie wheel flares, spoilers, etc. back in the Trans Am days. I knew this whale tail was over the top, which is why I posted it. I wanted to see how far out the nostalgia thing is.

[BADNBLK]

I talked to Kyle at the Del Mar Goodguys about the 3rd gen parts they just came out with. I'll keep an eye out for where that market is going to see if we want to jump in. I've found that a lot of guys talk until it's time to put money down on the barrel head. Right now, as popularity rises for 2nd gen Camaros, 1st gens still outsell them at least 2-1 for us. Surprisingly, 70-72 Chevelle parts are hardly on the radar as far as sales. We sell more 68-74 Nova stuff than Chevelle.
If we do a 3rd gen Camaro hood, what would you guys like to see? IROC hood, custom air extractor, etc.? The problems with these hoods is that they are so flat, which can bring about problems in keeping their shape.

I'm sure that the third gen stuff isn't gonna set any sales records... But there is a few of us out here that have and will spend big money on the right parts. Kyle @ DSE, Jeff & Dale Schwartz @ Schwartz Performance have done enough market evaluation to see that there is a demand for their line of parts. DSE's stuff isn't cheap compared to similar products in the market, yet here they are, their quality will get buyers like me when I need to upgrade.

Back to the hood... Personally I would love to have the heat extractor. I'm not sure if you still have my email with all the pics I sent, but for me that is one I would pull the trigger on today. The IROC-Z hood would be the hood I would make as a business owner as it can be used with the factory louvers from 85-90, and used with "speed blisters" used on 91-92 Z28's. There is already ebay companies making a flat hood, and cowl hood, both of which have had tons of complaints of quality. There is NOBODY that makes even a fiberglass IROC-Z hood (which blows my mind), so even if you offered a fiberglass lay up you will surely get ROI for the time making the mold.

My 2cents :)

[LS1-IROC]

I talked to Kyle at the Del Mar Goodguys about the 3rd gen parts they just came out with. I'll keep an eye out for where that market is going to see if we want to jump in. I've found that a lot of guys talk until it's time to put money down on the barrel head. Right now, as popularity rises for 2nd gen Camaros, 1st gens still outsell them at least 2-1 for us. Surprisingly, 70-72 Chevelle parts are hardly on the radar as far as sales. We sell more 68-74 Nova stuff than Chevelle.
If we do a 3rd gen Camaro hood, what would you guys like to see? IROC hood, custom air extractor, etc.? The problems with these hoods is that they are so flat, which can bring about problems in keeping their shape.

I hear ya. Fortunately this seems to be changing as of late. Guys like myself that grew up with these cars are at a point in life where we have disposable income and are willing to spend money on good parts. The TP guys seem to be fading away or transitioning into 4th gen now.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

As far as third gen stuff goes, I would like an IROC hood... except I'm going to run a carb so the hood clearance would kill it for me. If I were to see something else though... I'd like another form of a cowl hood around 2-3"... but of a cleaner design. We don't need another cowl hood with the 69 Z29 rise tacked onto it, nor do I like the 3rd gen cowls with the extreme taper (i.e. 3" rise at the back edge, while it tapers to around 2" near the front). I'm kind of picky on my hoods, haha. I'm actually trying to find one I like, no such luck so far. I like alternative hoods, like your hood for the 2nd gen Camaros, I love it, and will put one on my 71 when the time comes.

[High Plains Mopars]

Its kinda cool in a nostalgic, '80s, cut off shorts with tube socks and a mullet sort of way, but, they weren't that popular back in the day. I vaguely recall seeing one on some big magazine build up and despite that they never really caught on. I'd imagine they would be even less popular now.

[raustinss]

I'll put money down for a 100 percent carbon fiber hood (wet) for a 70 Chevelle. My questions are how much down? And what's the lead time

[alphaenvirmgt]

CF hood, trunk, wheel flares for 80's GM G-body (Regal, Grand National)???
Conrad

[hotwheels]

I'll put money down for a 100 percent carbon fiber hood (wet) for a 70 Chevelle. My questions are how much down? And what's the lead time

50% down and lead time right now is about 4 months out.

[bret]

not a fan of the whaletail.

BUT...how about some bolt-on wheels flairs for Camaro/Nova/Chevelle/Mustang? Before you all start thinking offroad style flairs, steer your thinking toward the new C7 Z06 or new Z28 style. Everybody wants to run big tires...nobody wants to do metal work to make it happen...
Minimal mold development expense...minimal material...nominal price.

[Project92rs]

I'm sure that the third gen stuff isn't gonna set any sales records... But there is a few of us out here that have and will spend big money on the right parts. Kyle @ DSE, Jeff & Dale Schwartz @ Schwartz Performance have done enough market evaluation to see that there is a demand for their line of parts. DSE's stuff isn't cheap compared to similar products in the market, yet here they are, their quality will get buyers like me when I need to upgrade.


With as cheap as the thirdgen owners on www.thirdgen.org are, if the price of the hood is more than $100 with free shipping don't bother advertising it there. It won't sell and they'll flood your email with requests for additional discounts.

I also got a chance to lay hands on some of the DSE items at Cruisin the Smokies over the weekend. Very nice quality but pricey compared to others already in the market so I don't know how many they will sell even with the higher quality. All comes back to the average thirdgen owner being notoriously cheap when compared to owners of 1st gen Camaros or C2/C3 Corvettes. Sadly, even though I own multiple thirdgens, if it were my company, I wouldn't touch this market quite yet. Maybe in a couple more years but not quite yet.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

Only time will tell if the third gen owners pony up for the DSE parts. It's a tough pill to swallow for strut mounts and weight jacks being 2X the cost of the comparables that have been on the market for a long time. Unless we have evidence of these being a superior part, we will see. I like the DSE parts, but unfortunately I'll be pricing out alternative sources not because I'm cheap, but I've got a number of other projects on the fire and can't go all out on all of them, especially an 82 Camaro.