by dapinky » Tue 09.12.2025, 14:38
In the interests of transparency, I will post my thoughts openly....
When I discussed this with Joao, it was my intention to acquire a pair of rear uprights (one side was available new, the other would be used - not sure of the current situation though), and get them machined to accept the Astra hubs.
I thought that I could purchase a pair of hubs and discs and fit them up so they would be 'plug-and-play' - but that brought into question the postage costs, so maybe leave the discs for the next person to source themselves as they are heavy and pointless to have to go via me (or anyone else) when they are a bolt-on item freely available (and some people may want different discs to those I had sourced anyway).
If I were to do a set as a 'one off' then machining may be an issue, more so than if i were to do a few sets over a period of time. For a single pair, it is easier to out-source the job - but if a few sets were needed, then I would buy a suitable cutter for my bench drill and set it up on the X/Y table and do it myself.
I never really got as far a costing it up, as I don't want to make a huge profit, but equally, I don't want to lose actual money (time isn't an issue in this respect). As such, I would be seeking to 'break even with whatever number of sets I were to produce, dividing the initial purchase price of parts, cutter and even the uprights amongst the first 6 or so sets. After that, it would be unfair to reduce the price for later applicants, so my thoughts were to keep the price the same (assuming parts remain the same cost), and put any excess money into the LEC kitty (which may keep Geoff happy!).
I have no actual numbers in mind, but it would need to be financially viable to do the conversion for the buyer, otherwise there would be less takers.
Realistically, whilst "we" tend to know each other on this forum, not everyone does - so there will always be an element of trust (which could be mitigated with a 'core deposit' system, as long as it doesn't get more complex than it needs to be.
Inevitably, there will come a time when the returned uprights are in a condition that cannot be processed (things happen during their life!), so other units would then need to be sourced - and who would fund that?
In an ideal world, I'd be able to source 4 or 5 pairs of uprights, machine them, assemble them with bearings, and have them ready to send out - but finding the initial supply of parts makes that unlikely.
Timescale becomes an issue if someone 'needs' a pair now, and the returns are not inbound due to issues with the last person - again, not impossible to sort out - but may cause agro somewhere along the line.
These are all just wild thoughts, and I may well have missed something out during this post.
Dave
Just the one now, but this one's mine! - and it will be finished eventually..... - but also temporary custodian of a project until it is finished enough for Angie to drive it
...oh, and a 2006 Freelander destined for the jungles of The Gambia - 4500 miles across roads, desert and tracks - what could possibly go wrong?
? 
?)
)
) I'll probably ultimately bite the bullet and go for one new n/s hub/disc and bearing 'cos (unfortunately) that's 'what we do' with these little gems 'innit'? Like most it's a fair weather car and the current weather gives me a bit of breathing space I suppose.
etc that are sometimes in such short supply (or have to come from RA) that we feel the need to store 'just in case'...
