Hi All, been a very long time since I've posted anything here, I do lurk from time to time though. This lens project really caught my eye. Just wanted to thank kgoodyear for following through to the end. The quality looks excellent.
I am definitely interested in a set, but I would also like to know a little more about the tinted version before I jump in, I believe Raydar asked a few posts up. How tinted is tinted?
This has been one of the more difficult questions to answer. .......George i believe showed the 50 shades of gray in a previous post. I believe our choice is #38. I have NO idea if it is going to be just right, too dark or too light.
Quite honestly dropping the tinted lenses is probably the wisest choice. It’s more of a liability than you need, as the distributor. If someone decides to order a tinted set then gets pulled over, it can blow back on you. You’re already assuming a fairly large risk as it is.
Quite honestly dropping the tinted lenses is probably the wisest choice. It’s more of a liability than you need, as the distributor. If someone decides to order a tinted set then gets pulled over, it can blow back on you. You’re already assuming a fairly large risk as it is.
Thank you for your input. Everyday I learn more and more and inevitably that leads to more and more refinement in our business practices.
Smart move. Too many SKU's means too much inventory. Too much inventory means too much overhead. Stock what moves fast. A handfull of tinted fans will not pay the bills and that stock will be a slow mover compared to the OEM style.
Stay on course and keep up the great work. You're doing a fine job.
Smart move. Too many SKU's means too much inventory. Too much inventory means too much overhead. Stock what moves fast. A handfull of tinted fans will not pay the bills and that stock will be a slow mover compared to the OEM style.
Stay on course and keep up the great work. You're doing a fine job.
Yes it is a bummer but for numerous business reasons we thought there was just too much exposure especially when you can buy a tinting product that you can use to get just the tint you want.
I'm still happy that there is the option of custom decoration for the lenses. That still allows for a ton of options for people to choose and maybe even a way to obtain a tint through that method (though I'm not certain on how that process works).
I'm still happy that there is the option of custom decoration for the lenses. That still allows for a ton of options for people to choose and maybe even a way to obtain a tint through that method (though I'm not certain on how that process works).
Yes, there are certainly a lot of options but WE or the custom decorator can't tint it. You will have to do it yourself.
Is the decoration bonded to the lens, or just painted on?
I do NOT, by any means know how it is done. From handling the lenses though, it certainly does not appear to be any type of paint. It seemed like it was about an 1/8th of an inch thick, and was more like a hard plastic to the touch, with a rough surface. Again, I do not know anything for certain, these are just my observations.
[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 09-06-2018).]
Ok, so i have been doing impact testing. I'll let you know how we did this but just for fun I thought i would do the soccer mom test on one of the lenses we were usig for testing
Thanks for the impact test video. Wow! Looks great! Can't wait to get my hands on those.
That's why you see hoarders are now trying to dump those OEM NOS lens in a hurry before the price drops.
Saw it with my own eyes at the 35th and I cannot thank you enough for making this product a reality for the Fiero community.
There are people who argued that you cannot replace those OEM NOS ones. In my opinion, I'd rather have the aftermarket ones cuz it's stronger at a better price that will not leave you worried if you leave your Fiero in a parking lot while getting few items.
[This message has been edited by Fiero Vice (edited 09-08-2018).]
I'm glad you are all enjoying the video. Tell your friends. I'll be glad to get this information back to .......George and he will probably put together a nice graphic with other pictures.
Imagine the horror and shock this would have caused people on here not 6 months ago... to see some one take a hammer to a good GT tail light. People would call for your head.
Keith sent me this video this afternoon and asked me to upload it for him.
Holy Crap! I was not sure what I was seeing, while I was hearing the jack clinking. At the end of the video it becomes quite apparent what is happening! That is BEYOND Impressive!!!! And to think, when I was checking them out, I was handling them SOOOooooo gently, scared to break them! LOL!
Originally posted by JohnWPB: That is BEYOND Impressive!!!! And to think, when I was checking them out, I was handling them SOOOooooo gently, scared to break them! LOL!
Me, too. Holy cow!
Probably 100...what?
[This message has been edited by tshark (edited 09-11-2018).]
Ok folks, I finally got some time to finish editing the videos together, align the audio track from the audio recording, and do some overlays and such.
Hopefully this will answer a lot of questions, and explain a lot about the process!
Ok folks, I finally got some time to finish editing the videos together, align the audio track from the audio recording, and do some overlays and such.
Hopefully this will answer a lot of questions, and explain a lot about the process!
Thanks John for the Video . What a great job you did on it!
We mainly did four planed tests and three ad hoc tests. Though they may have been quite crude they were functional.
Bonding of the decoration to the plastic. We took one of the lenses that had a decoration on it we thought was our best solution. I took a wooden tongue depressor and vigorously rubbed it across the full surface of a letter. I believe I rubbed it across the "A" and tried to hit as many edges as I could. At no time was there any hint of separation. Conclusion: I would like to run this test again using a different instrument and see just what I have to do to make it fail.
What we defined as a failure: The lens shows any signs of cracking or outright breaking.
Drop test: Just like it sounds, we took the lens and dropped it three times each on all six sides of the lens from three and six feet. We used a step ladder and attached a tape measure to it so we could accurately repeat the test. With each drop, we recorded any damage save for scratches and rash marks from hitting the cement floor. Conclusion: After dropping the SAME lens 32 times we finally had a failure.
Controlled impact test: New lens. Projectiles dropped through tube to aim at target. From 4 and six feet we drop three weights: .25, .35 and .5. The impact surface area was estimated to be somewhat equal. Conclusion: All the drops produced no failure save for abrasions comments: I would like to to have continued with more and more weight until failure but this did not seem practical in a real life situation
Tumble test: from three and six feet. Take a lens and randomly spin it so it can land on any surface or edge. Do this three times from three feet and six feet. Results: The lens did not break. Conclusion: Lens easy absorbed all impact forces
AD HOC TESTS:
AD HOC test 1: Angry spouse test: Throw the lens across the shop on the cement floor: I tossed the lens estimated 10 feet. Results: I did not see any damage that probably wasn't there before. Conclusion: tossing the lens this distance did no damage. Spouse could throw lens in anger and it would probably not break. Comments: I do not have an angry spouse therefore I could not conclude how far and hard the lenses could have been thrown. I would assume at some point they would reach terminal velocity.
AD HOC test 2: Bash test: Take a typical hammer and break the lens Results: I hit the lens in various places where there I believed would be extra stress and save for abrasion scratches from the hammer and the expected damage to the decoration, there was no damage Conclusion: You can smack your lenses with a typical household hammer and they won't break. Comments: I was very confident in the toughness of the lens as I am not wearing safety glasses. If you do choose to smack your own lenses, there may leave behind abrasions from the hammer. Keep in mind, I sell my lenses in pairs.
AD HOC test 3: Arbor press: Break a lens using an arbor press the arbor press has a contact area of 1.25^2 =1.5625 sq inches We started by placing a scale under the lens and and applied pressure. The scale maxed out at 50 pounds with no difficulty. We next removed the scale and continued to apply additional pressure. Results: The pressing of the arbor caused the sides to splay out but never failed. Conclusion: The lens is one tough lens and you will probably see other damages to other parts of the car before you see damage to the lens
[This message has been edited by kgoodyear (edited 09-12-2018).]
Heheheh, my grandma could swing a hammer better than that!
Actually, I think these tests far exceed what a stock lens could take, so congratulations on these results for sure!
How long until a finalized product will be available? Curious minds want to know......
I knew your grandma and you are right! She could sink a railroad spike in three swings! She was a husky woman and a good kisser too!
We still have a little ways to go. I have to approve T2s before we can go on to our next step. We have got the decoration finally settled in and currently they are setting up shop. They have to shoot them and palletize them. We will probably fly the pre order quantity to The States first so we can get these decorated and on their way. I have been telling people late fall but man, I gotta tell ya, that is just a guess. But lets have a reality check here. We all know something of this size can get snagged. .......George and The Team have been greasing the wheels. The best I can do is tell you all to keep an eye on the thread and either .......George or I will post progress reports as we can.
[This message has been edited by kgoodyear (edited 09-12-2018).]
I knew your grandma and you are right! She could sink a railroad spike in three swings! She was a husky woman and a good kisser too!
We still have a little ways to go. I have to approve T2s before we can go on to our next step. We have got the decoration finally settled in and currently they are setting up shop. They have to shoot them and palletize them. We will probably fly the pre order quantity to The States first so we can get these decorated and on their way. I have been telling people late fall but man, I gotta tell ya, that is just a guess. But lets have a reality check here. We all know something of this size can get snagged. .......George and The Team have been greasing the wheels. The best I can do is tell you all to keep an eye on the thread and either .......George or I will post progress reports as we can.
Dang, you did know my grandma dintcha!
Keep up the good work, we are all waiting with baited breath (ok, beer and brat breath on my part). LOL
When the lenses are ready, will you contact those who have already placed email orders and are on waiting list or should we be on the lookout for further instructions?
