Mondo

I've told him this a few times now... :thumbup1:

The front of Bird's gaff isn't as big as that...! :lol:

Oh joy......!!

It was harrowing enough doing a manual conversion on a driveway!! I don't envy you here whatsoever, Lee.........

So the planned alterations to the exhaust haven't happened yet, mainly down to how Infinity have designed the rear boxes. Because they're angled (to the side and up), the existing tailpipes aren't simply welded on straight - they're actually partially tucked into the boxes themselves and then welded up. And there's a lot of weld been used to seal any gaps. So swapping them isn't as straightforward as I first hoped. :( I basically have to decide whether to have the tails swapped or just have new backboxes made up. Ultimately, it all comes down to money.... In other news though, I'm now about halfway through my new retrim. :biggrin: I'm having to do it bit by bit as I'm stupidly busy at the moment, but it's looking good so far. As I've said previously, it isn't going to be a huge departure from the one I did previously; the same colours and materials. It'll just be a little more ornate and eye-catching... and less rushed!! :thumbup1:

Once you sign up as a Trader on here... ;)

Looks like random thread spamming to me.... :detective:

I'm considering a spoiler change next year and, at the moment, I'm torn between the Twinz II and the Kaminari one. I don't really want to add skirts into the package as I think my spats are as much accessorising as the car needs at ground level. The Twinz II is very nice and keeps the style of the original spoiler, whilst updating it as well. The Kaminari is essentially a bigger version of the original one. The pics that Andrew's posted make me think that the Kaminari one can work on a stock-bodied car, so that's certainly food for thought...

So does the Kaminari work on an essentially stock-bodied SWB...?

Blatantly not a Kaminari one then, is it?

I'm assuming that the correct reg number would be W30 OXX, with the spacing changed so it read 300. So no, I'm afraid. A friend of mine hunted for ages for a W reg Celica (Gen 6) so he could put his private plate on it.

Anyone got a Navan boot spoiler lying around that they feel like selling....? [/longshot]

I'm in the wrong job here.....!! That's lovely, Richard - enjoy it!

As Dean's said, you'd be trying to identify your car as being a W reg there, so not possible sadly :(

She's a beauty, Tom! :thumbup1: Have your front fogs had the same sort of treatment as mine, by any chance....?

Is it not a Navan spoiler? Looks like one to me....

Having crunched some numbers last night with Mrs Mondo, it doesn't really look like this will stack up... Thanks for everyones' input and thoughts - very much appreciated :thumbup1:

So much want for this Zed!!

The only reason I'd consider selling the Zed is to have some available pennies to kit the unit out, Richie. I'm not talking in the same way as your guy did (sorry to hear about your seats, by the way :( ) and getting all the gear available - more a case of upgrading a couple of things and having a back-up fund available should I run into any problems. But everything about this is a huge step for me, and not one I intend to take lightly. As has been said, I need to sit down and work out some concrete figures and projections and see where that leads me. The only thing that may happen prior to that is me physically going to look round a unit to see how the size of it and the available facilities would suit me. :thumbup1:

Any kind of standalone structure here is a no-no, sadly. The garden isn't big enough to accomodate anything big enough, for a start. As I said in my opening post, I've found a small unit locally that is reasonable on the rent front (within my budget, basically) - what I need to find out is what's included within that rental price and what isn't before I consider anything above and beyond simply looking at the options. Taking on an employee or apprentice would be impossible here and now as there's barely enough room for me. Thank you one and all for taking the time to read and respond - I value each and every opinion that's been posted thus far. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot financially which is why everything is very speculative at the moment. Mrs Mondo thinks it's a great idea, though I suspect she just fancies having a spare bedroom back... ;)

In a nutshell, it can be very easy to get distracted at home. Right now, for instance; I'm sat here instead of at the sewing machine. Andrew's right about the perceived pricing and what have you. My current niche is, by and large, people who want a nice interior but can't necessarily justify spending large amounts of money as the base car hasn't cost them much in the first place. That's why I mentioned the owners of more "high end" vehicles who are possibly in the midst of a comprehensive restoration. It's not a case of increasing the price based on my perception of an owner or their vehicle though. I price my work based on materials and estimated labour, but my own self-generated labour charges are incredibly low! That's something I need to change gradually and something that ties in to others' perceptions of me as a "professional" based on a home-working scenario. There are lots of things for me to consider in this. I was just curious as to what others would do in my situation. :)

Dogs, neighbours, Jehovah's Witnesses... the usual...!

This is where the quandary gets bigger, Scott. My costs would have to increase a little to cover the extra expenses I'd have. But, with actual premises, I might be in a better position to entice customers with more "high end" vehicles. I'm not suggesting that I'd be doubling my prices for people who seem to have plenty of money - I've never worked that way - but if there are full interior restorations available at the higher end of the market, those owners are more likely to entrust that work to a "professional in premises" (I'm basing this purely on discussions I've had in the past and also on a thread on here about this very subject). Having my own workspce away from home wouldn't necessarily increase my productivity, but it would minimise the distractions. Does that mean my output would increase? Quite possibly. Building a shed or garage in the garden is sadly not an option as the property's rented. I've got a lot of thinking to do and a lot of maths to do, I think!

As most of you are undoubtedly aware, I currently work from home. This is great for me in the sense that my commute can be measured in feet and seconds, and that all my creature comforts are close at hand. :) What isn't great about working from my home is that space is at quite a premium. It also has caused problems with potential customers in the past as they've viewed the lack of premises as being somehow indicative of me not being "professional" at what I do... :( My diary is beyond full nowadays; I'm already booked up past the middle of next year and coupling that with the Group Buy I'm running on here, it basically means that 2017 is pretty much booked solid so there's no shortage of work in the immediate future. So, after much umm'ing and ahh'ing on my part, I've started to look at renting a small unit locally! I've got as far as finding one that is a suitable size and price, and making some tentative enquiries about it. This is, to say the least, quite a scary prospect. All my outgoings will increase fairly significantly if I go ahead with this (rent, insurance, utilities) and I'll also have to "outfit" the new place as all of my tools and materials would be transferred from here. The only feasible way I can think of to do all of this is to sell the Zed... I suppose that, technically, I don't urgently need to expand into a unit. Working from home has served me well for the last 6 years or so and, as I said, there's no shortage of work. But I'd like to expand and have a physical presence where customers can come to - at the moment, I only provide my address when asked as I don't really want people turning up at home at all hours of the day and night! - and a little bit more working room wouldn't be a bad thing at all. A business loan is not an option, unfortunately. So, as I said, the only viable way to have a reasonable amount to plough into the business is to let the Shortie go... an idea that I'm not in love with! :( As well as being my own personal car, she also serves as a kind of mobile advertisement for what I do. There's also the small fact that she's the exact Zed I've wanted for years and years! So I'm looking for opinions, I guess. What would others do if they were in this situation....?

Guess we'll find out in due course whether you're right about those points or not! :lol: