73-87chevytrucks.com
General Site Info => General Discussion => Topic started by: kylen52 on September 09, 2017, 05:11:24 PM
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If there was a auction website dedicated to just ls motors and transmissions would yall be interested in checking it out once it was up and running? Would y'all bid on things? Really wanting to start a side business with something to do with ls motors and things like that, thanks
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Issue is why would someone go to your website when they could use eBay? What's going to attract people?
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Advertising, and on eBay when you look up certain motors, it will just show up random thinghs
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so youre trying to target a very small portion of people. if i needed an alternator bracket from your site i couldnt get it unless i found a complete motor, but if all they had was short blocks then i would be beat and im not paying a few hundred for a bracket.
i guess what im saying is the target audience would be very small and even if i was selling something at auction i would want the biggest group i could get. that way they can bid against each other and raise the prices. its the classic tail of supply and demand. you would have a few motors for sale and only a small amount of people looking to buy that motor.
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If I need parts for a conversion or swap, I want it now. Waiting x days for an auction might play into those trying to get a deal on something and willing to wait but you're competing with eBay. I'd rather deal with a no gimmick fast and reliable source for my parts.
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im with vile on the waiting thing. if im looking for a motor and lets say you have only one for sale, i cant wait a week for the auction to end just to be beat out at the last second by someone. then have to search again. most people dont have spare vehicles to wait a week or even a few days for the auction when they could just go to the junkyard and be done in a few days.
the only time this might pay off is if someone was building a project and had a few months to kill. even then by time you do shipping you could probably get it cheaper at a junkyard
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I am going to agree with the other guys, it's just too narrow of a nitch.
The LS stuff has come down in price around here substantially in the past 2 years. The liability of selling used motors and transmissions is already huge, then throw in the logistics of shipping them inexpensively, it makes it more difficult.
Do you want to do this because you have a large stash of these parts or are just knowledgeable about them and the swaps?
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I am going to agree with the other guys, it's just too narrow of a nitch.
The LS stuff has come down in price around here substantially in the past 2 years. The liability of selling used motors and transmissions is already huge, then throw in the logistics of shipping them inexpensively, it makes it more difficult.
Do you want to do this because you have a large stash of these parts or are just knowledgeable about them and the swaps?
Well considering my grandpa owns a salvage yard then yea I have a pretty large stash. I'm really considering just rebuilding cores and selling them like that.
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There's already a couple well known sites that sell LS motors with the harness and computer programming done
But every site charges too much for LS motors
I can buy a complete wrecked Yukon or burb for less than what most places want for the engine without the harness and computer rework done
In Georgia a LS and harness sells for less than $1000
I got mine for $600
The shipping $$ would kill the deal I think
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i do believe location will be your key. if gramps is willing to give you the motors at a lower price then by time you add shipping or free pickup then it might be freezable (feasible).
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i do believe location will be your key. if gramps is willing to give you the motors at a lower price then by time you add shipping or free pickup then it might be freezable.
But, only in the winter! ::)
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wow i was way off lol ::)
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Pacfab is the only one I'm familiar with
http://pacificfabrication.com/products/engine-transmission/engines/engine-packages.html
If you can get some videos of the engines running in the wrecked Yukon/Tahoe/Burb/Pickup before you take em out
And supply a carfax showing the Milage , can program the computers and redo the harness so it's ready to run when it arrives to the customer and can offer reasonable shipping , it might be a viable business
Nordstrom's (a huge salvage yard )in South Dakota or somewhere used to offer LS takeout packages but for some reason they stopped doing it
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I can buy a core ls motor from him from 50 to 100 bucks depending on what year and what's all wrong with it
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I can buy a core ls motor from him from 50 to 100 bucks depending on what year and what's all wrong with it
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Who wants a boat anchor ?
Uhh. I mean a engine block that may or may not be rebuildable?
A crate engine is way cheaper than the parts and labor for a rebuild
I don't see any market for scrap metal
A turn key package with a reprogrammed computer and a reworked harness with a fuse box and three wires to hook up , and videos of it running in a stand and video of the compression test
there IS a market for that
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I can buy a core ls motor from him from 50 to 100 bucks depending on what year and what's all wrong with it
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Who wants a boat anchor ?
Uhh. I mean a engine block that may or may not be rebuildable?
A crate engine is way cheaper than the parts and labor for a rebuild
I don't see any market for scrap metal
A turn key package with a reprogrammed computer and a reworked harness with a fuse box and three wires to hook up , and videos of it running in a stand and video of the compression test
there IS a market for that
Well that's your opinion bud, a lot of people would pay good money for a rebuilt motor. Already have a lot of people asking me for them.
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I can buy a core ls motor from him from 50 to 100 bucks depending on what year and what's all wrong with it
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Who wants a boat anchor ?
Uhh. I mean a engine block that may or may not be rebuildable?
A crate engine is way cheaper than the parts and labor for a rebuild
I don't see any market for scrap metal
A turn key package with a reprogrammed computer and a reworked harness with a fuse box and three wires to hook up , and videos of it running in a stand and video of the compression test
there IS a market for that
Well that's your opinion bud, a lot of people would pay good money for a rebuilt motor. Already have a lot of people asking me for them.
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1st Watch your tone. 2nd Read the subject of your thread - You are asking for everyone's opinion which is exactly what you got here and quite frankly they are valid points and good suggestions. Seems to me like you are getting exactly what you asked for so keep it cool.
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I can buy a core ls motor from him from 50 to 100 bucks depending on what year and what's all wrong with it
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Who wants a boat anchor ?
Uhh. I mean a engine block that may or may not be rebuildable?
A crate engine is way cheaper than the parts and labor for a rebuild
I don't see any market for scrap metal
A turn key package with a reprogrammed computer and a reworked harness with a fuse box and three wires to hook up , and videos of it running in a stand and video of the compression test
there IS a market for that
Well that's your opinion bud, a lot of people would pay good money for a rebuilt motor. Already have a lot of people asking me for them.
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1st Watch your tone. 2nd Read the subject of your thread - You are asking for everyone's opinion which is exactly what you got here and quite frankly they are valid points and good suggestions. Seems to me like you are getting exactly what you asked for so keep it cool.
Well I don't see how you thought I had a "tone" but okay lol, I'm just saying I could get the cores cheap and even if I couldn't end up using them I could always sell them back to my grandpa so he could sell them to the core guy, so either way I'm not gonna loose money
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Sounds to me like you've already made up your mind. Without endorsing your idea I think you should go for it. If it's profitable, congrats. If it isn't, the congratulations stand for accepting the risk and testing the opportunity. Honestly, you're not going to know the outcome until you apply your concept. Cater to those who have claimed to want one locally and see whether they follow through with the cash. Then see whether the demand rises or falls after the initial "surge." If the business is profitable, you could acquire a vendor subscription on this forum and advertise to your heart's content - but not before. ;)
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I can buy a core ls motor from him from 50 to 100 bucks depending on what year and what's all wrong with it
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Who wants a boat anchor ?
Uhh. I mean a engine block that may or may not be rebuildable?
A crate engine is way cheaper than the parts and labor for a rebuild
I don't see any market for scrap metal
A turn key package with a reprogrammed computer and a reworked harness with a fuse box and three wires to hook up , and videos of it running in a stand and video of the compression test
there IS a market for that
Well that's your opinion bud, a lot of people would pay good money for a rebuilt motor. Already have a lot of people asking me for them.
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If you have several years of experience rebuilding LS engines I would think you could stay busy selling them locally and wouldn't need an auction site ,
The shipping costs on something that large and heavy is probably going to be a deal killer
If I was looking to have an engine rebuilt I'd want a experienced local guy with a good reputation and good warranty
What type or warranty were you thinking of offering ?
That's a lot of $$ to be trying to work out a warranty claim seven states away.
Normally not much warranty on a used engine , most junkyards offer 30 days from purchase , so after installation time , usually gives you a out a week to drive it
But on a rebuilt engine most buyers want a warranty
Based on your post mentioning that your grandfather has a salvage yard I thought you were wanting to sell used engines ,
Good running used 5.3 LS engines are about $500 around where I live
With good used ones so cheap I didn't realize there was a lot of market for rebuilt ones
I have done an LS transplant , bought a junkyard takeout for $550 with harness and computer
Sent the computer off to be programmed and reworked the harness myself
If there was a business near me that had an inventory of LS engines , that had been compression tested and videos of it running ,either still in the wrecked car or on a stand , and came ready to drop in with a reprogrammed computer and reworked harness , at a reasonable price , I definitely would have gone there
And it's a good profit
Pacfab charges $2700 for a 5.3 that's been run On a test stand and comes with a reworked harness and reprogrammed computer and a 12 month warranty
That's a $500 engine and $500 worth of computer and harness work if you pay someone reputable to do the work
So they are making a $1700 profit ,
But even as large as Atlanta is , there is no such business .
Anyone that's doing a transplant would like to have a package engine that's ready to hook up three wires and crank
I think that's where the demand would be
I don't think the auction part would be attractive
I think the people looking for an engine want a firm price so they can compare it to other places , rebuilt engine is $X, used engine is $Y and make a decision right away
If it's to get a late model vehicle back on the road , the shop or customer wants it done as soon as possible and a firm advertised price is the only way to do that