Idea brainstorm.
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You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
So I'm thinking about starting a company that's main aim is to take Automatic (high-end (older) ) cars and change them to manual. Obviously other options could be done too like suspension, or body work but the main goal would be to produce & provide a service to people who want to actually drive their machine and fell more at one with it. Just wondering what you guys think of it as an idea?
I was thinking more like older porsches and maybe ferraris as their warranty would probably be out, but I'd love to try it on a modern version like a 458 with a gate shifter or something to that extent.
That's fucking stupid but if you want to manual swap my p71 I'll volunteer.
I know that old manual sports cars usually hold value better than their auto counterparts, but is the difference really large enough to make money swapping them?
>>14982474
The problem is getting people to pay for that kind of work considering that, on average, it's a $3k job
Manual conversions are time consuming and generally require fabrication. Lots of people want them done though so if you could streamline the process you would have a lot of interest. I'd suggest starting with SC 400s though
inb4 you're a kid that doesn't know a slave cylinder from your asshole
Do you already have a large garage shop with $100K worth of fabrication tools needed to custom build manual transmissions into such vehicles?
If you do and you've had people asking for this service, then go for it.
>>14982474
Yea no bad idea
No one's going to bring there high end sports cars to get a tranny swap plus on some cars it's a little more intuitive then just changing a transmisson
And nothe many people are gonna bring there old shit box to you when they could do it them self or have a regular mechanic do it for them
>>14982498
Wheeler Dealers did it with a Datsun 240Z. They manual swapped it and made a profit because it was a manual when done. No one wants the automatics.
sup op. Entrepreneur. Run two businesses.
Just start a speedshop. There's just not enough work available for that niche of a market, let alone after you consider how many people in your area would want such a specific service.
You always hear small business stuff talked about in terms of finding a niche market.
Well. In terms of a service company that's fucking stupid. Working on cars is a service. You want as much business as you possibly can, and you want to be able to offer as many services as possible. This will keep money flowing in and broaden your customer base.
Just not enough business to be that specific. Not if you want it to be more than shadetree mechanic do one car every 3 months kinda thing.
I've seen a 355 converted to manual, even though the gearbox doesn't change (just change the F1 controller with the shift box mechanism, and the F1 clutch release bearing with a manual one), and all the mounts and connections are there for the shift linkage, master cylinder, etc. it was still a $15k job even with used parts, with a big chunk of that finding the ECU from a manual car and wiring it in. The small stuff adds up, especially finding all the right trim pieces. Obviously nobody would ever convert a 458 but doing so would be pretty much impossible, every ECU in the car relies on inputs from the transmission, you would have to create your own ECU and have it somehow communicate with others in the car, the instrument cluster, the controls, it's just not going to happen.
>>14982498
Cheap sport cars, old land barges you can probably have a little business. the owner spent nothing on them and wants it more fun. Old ferraris and the like are more valuable in original form. With American Muscle an automatic can still be preferred over a manual. Automatics are better for drag racing and cruising.
Make swap kits. I would rather (and I assume many others) do the swap. But there's many other parts I would need. Maybe booklets too.
