Kit Car - TurnKey Suspension Business for Sale

[West Shore Fabricating Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close West Shore Fabricating]

Much of the Kit Car community is familiar with Held Motorsports (HT Motorsports), and should be familiar with West Shore Fabricating - Arraut Motorsports by now. As the manufacturer of the Kit Car, Fiero based Kit Car, and Fiero suspension systems, is announcing the closing of business by the end of December this year. Plans have already been made for the sale of the product lines, however if a buyer is not found before the end of this year, all drawings, CAD schematics, production jigs, and inventory will be scrapped.

If anyone in the kit car community is interested in this business, and does not wish for the products to disappear, contact us at 616-893-1433.


*Clarification*
There seems to be a lot of confusion as to the nature of this post. The business itself, is up for sale. It is a single entity divided into 2 sections, Fiero Line and Honda Line. The lines are up for sale together or individually. Included with each line is everything needed to continue and operate a functional business except for machinery and a building. The buyer of a line would receive along with support from us, all the legal rights to manufacture, design, and sell the product line. To do that, the buyer would receive all CAD schematics/drawings, production Jigs, technical videos, static displays, and all of our current sub-component inventory to be used in production. They will also receive our phone number as it has been with the company since it was originally held by Ryne Motorsports. Buyer may choose to have rights to our website or they can create one of their own.

[red328gtb Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close red328gtb]

I really hope somebody steps up and buys this product line. They have made some fantastic products over the years. It would be a shame for all that development to go to waste! Even though I was never in a position to buy one for myself, a big THANK YOU for providing years of quality innovative solutions to the kitcar community.

-Good luck with the sale,
Van
"VanGTP500"

[76mx Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 76mx]

Maybe there would be more interest if we understood better what we were supposed to be interested in. The Post says that the product lines have been spoken for but all of the jigs, files, and inventory was not included with them. The product line buyer has no ability to provide product with no inventory and no manufacturing capability. On the other hand, if someone did purchase the manufacturing items, they have no right to sell any items as the rights to the product lines are already spoken for. It seems that they are looking for someone to take over manufacturing for a new locked in and permanent sales staff with no track record. It makes no sense at all to me, please clarify. Also, what happens to the new owner of the product lines if all of their needed support pieces do go in the trash?

Edit: After thinking about this a little more, who buys product lines from someone that blatantly tells them all of their necessary support is about to go in the trash? I am going to feign interest in this so maybe I can meet them. I have some property for sale......

[murcie-me Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close murcie-me]

From what ive seen out of them, the trash would be the best place for their products!

[red328gtb Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close red328gtb]

I interpreted this to mean that they have decided to sell the two product lines: Fiero and Honda. Not that they have been contracted to be sold.
Maybe I am wrong, but I do stand by my opinion regarding the quality of their products. I have seen and driven a few cars over the years with suspensions built by the various iterations of Held Motorsports. I was impressed and I wasn't alone. But hey to each his own right? I guess some don't agree.

-Van

[cutlass442 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cutlass442]

Hasn't someone been posting recently about their build and the numerous incorrectly designed suspension parts they received ? Selling a mismeasured and defective product line isn't that great of a buy so it makes sense why it's being scrapped

[cutlass442 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cutlass442]

Yep , numerous reports these products simply don't fit correctly , the bump steer kit doesn't fit
http://www.madmechanics.com/forum/te...steer-kit.html

And even after giving arraut multiple attempts to get it right they still couldn't for this build
http://www.madmechanics.com/forum/bu...-lp640-17.html

So they are selling garbage and that's why it's gonna go in the trash where it belongs

[Bloozberry Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close Bloozberry]

Yep, numerous reports these products simply don't fit correctly... so they are selling garbage and that's why it's gonna go in the trash where it belongs

To be fair, the problems started with the sale to Arraut. They had poor quality control. Tapered holes for ball joints being drilled upside down come to mind. When these products were being made by HT, Held, and Ryanne, these problems didn't exist. I know first hand. Anyone buying the product line might do OK if they could turn around the image by improving quality issues... but that's just one aspect.

The other side to this coin is that if these suspension parts were designed to improve performance, then the proof has been lacking. My educated guess is that the designs were based solely on achieving a particular stance or track width without any analysis of the impact on handling. If there were any actual performance benefits, then you'd think they wouldn't be kept secret. Impacts on camber, toe, roll centers, anti-squat and anti-dive (to name a few) would be top priority selling points. The reality is far more likely that these designs actually hurt performance. The big money comes from a proper design that does more than just look cool... and that's the uphill battle that any future buyer will face.

[76mx Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 76mx]

I will accept all of the posts as true, but it all misses the point. Bloozberry, whether the products are fantastic or trash, how can "Anyone buying the product line do OK" if their inventory, jigs, and technical support (all ability to supply product) is going to the trash unless a third party steps up, and what possible incentive is there for that third party to step up?

Edit: I will accept all but one point. Red328, how does "Plans have already been made for the sale of the product lines" translate into "Not that they have been contracted to be sold"?

[Jbrown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jbrown]

I think he is saying he has made his plans to sale the business , not that there is a plan for a specific individual/ business set to buy anything...

[Bloozberry Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close Bloozberry]

Bloozberry, whether the products are fantastic or trash, how can "Anyone buying the product line do OK" if their inventory, jigs, and technical support (all ability to supply product) is going to the trash unless a third party steps up, and what possible incentive is there for that third party to step up?

The original post is poorly worded leaving various interpretations of its meaning possible. I assume nothing has been sold yet... not the intellectual property, not the product lines, and not the tooling. I assume it all goes together, but that is pure speculation on my behalf. You're right to question what is being offered.

[West Shore Fabricating Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close West Shore Fabricating]

Strangely enough we are aware of this customer, as well as all customers that have run into issues with installation. Each case is different, as is everybodys situation. Some have found that their vehicle was in an accident that they were not aware of because the frame is bent, causing parts not to fit correctly. Others Customers have decided to provide us with measurements since they are doing custom assemblies, and the measurement points do not match up. This particular customer that you have referenced, tried to put his parts on upside down. Do understand, that while we do our best to make this process as simple as possible, we can not account for every little instance.

[76mx Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 76mx]

West Shore, good to have you checking in. Now that your customer issues are clarified, can you comment on the sale issues?

[red328gtb Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close red328gtb]

76mx I was thinking along the same lines as JBrown because nothing else made sense to me. I didn't think it was that much of a stretch to assume that it would all have to be sold together. I mean you guys made it much more complicated in your interpretation of things. Maybe I am wrong. If so, I stand corrected.

-Van

P.S. You guys site one example of a problem order and assume that the whole production line is crap? I am a believer that more people take to the web to write about bad experiences than the many more that have good/great experiences. I bet you use yelp reviews to decide what restaurants to eat at. Or better yet, IMDB reviews to gauge what movies to watch.

[Bloozberry Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close Bloozberry]

P.S. You guys site one example of a problem order and assume that the whole production line is crap? I am a believer that more people take to the web to write about bad experiences than the many more that have good/great experiences. I bet you use yelp reviews to decide what restaurants to eat at. Or better yet, IMDB reviews to gauge what movies to watch.

I was being polite when I referred to only one customer with problems... and it wasn't because he was trying to install the drop spindles he bought upside-down, as West Shore Fabricators ridiculously suggests. Do your own research... here at MM, at Pennocks, and at Real Fiero Tech. If you're too lazy to look into the quality problems from this manufacturer, or into the reputations of the people making these remarks, then spin the roulette wheel and buy some of their products before it's too late. I did, then promptly redesigned the entire front and rear suspensions of my car. I'm anxious to hear what your experience is with this company and their products.