Shelf clearing special deal!

[Todd TCE]

How would you feel about a four wheel set up for $2350 plus shipping and core chg? I have a black caliper on the way back to me from a scratched install- wheel spacer was not included. It will be checked out (although never really used) and paired with another (not scratched) and maybe lightly touched up.

Combined as listed here I'd like to move it along with some plain face rotors and put this out the door as one complete four wheel kit.


Black pc, one with the scratch in it (free essentially)
Plain finish rotors- no slots, not holes
8 bolt front hat- one pair of the older ones left, now 12 bolt

Some $750 off the normal price. Granted I don't make much if anything but it helps clear the shelf of some odds and ends too so that's the price I pay...

Yes I'll put up a pic as quickly as I have it back.

[fastblackmerc]

How would you feel about a four wheel set up for $2350 plus shipping and core chg? I have a black caliper on the way back to me from a scratched install- wheel spacer was not included. It will be checked out (although never really used) and paired with another (not scratched) and maybe lightly touched up.

Combined as listed here I'd like to move it along with some plain face rotors and put this out the door as one complete four wheel kit.


Black pc, one with the scratch in it (free essentially)
Plain finish rotors- no slots, not holes
8 bolt front hat- one pair of the older ones left, now 12 bolt

Some $750 off the normal price. Granted I don't make much if anything but it helps clear the shelf of some odds and ends too so that's the price I pay...

Yes I'll put up a pic as quickly as I have it back.

Great deal for someone!

If I didn't already have your front kit I'd jump on this one.

[justbob]

You have a PM


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[martyo]

Let me tell you folks that is a DEAL!!!!

[Spectragod]

Let me tell you folks that is a DEAL!!!!


Not just a deal, but a smoking deal. For that price, you can buy the brakes first, and then find a Marauder to put them on......

[J-MAN]

Smokin' deal! :rasta:

[Todd TCE]

Very true. Both proven product just some minor changes from today's norm.

Shipping: based up on location
Core: refundable $300 on the old rear mount plates

And yes..as soon as I can get the caliper in my hand and be satisfied with it I'll put up the pic.

[Curless]

Damn it Todd, I convinced myself not to do this due to cost this morning......now I read this....hmmmm....

[guspech750]

Damn it Todd, I convinced myself not to do this due to cost this morning......now I read this....hmmmm....

Chop chop man.


Sent from my iPhone

4.10's + Eaton swap = Wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom

[Curless]

Chop chop man.


Sent from my iPhone

4.10's + Eaton swap = Wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom


Yeah I know...PM sent!!!!!:banana2:

[Todd TCE]

Got the damaged caliper back today. A minor scrape and some brake fluid staining on it. Sadly..I no longer have the matching rear calipers for it having used them up in the interim! Figures.

So I'll offer it up as a front kit only deal- you live with the cosmetics and save the cash.


$1250 to the door. (us)

Black kit, 8 bolt hats and rotors, plain face (no slots, no holes) complete kit.

Does that work for anyone? Still about $350 off the normal cost shipped.

[boatmangc]

Got the damaged caliper back today. A minor scrape and some brake fluid staining on it. Sadly..I no longer have the matching rear calipers for it having used them up in the interim! Figures.

So I'll offer it up as a front kit only deal- you live with the cosmetics and save the cash.


$1250 to the door. (us)

Black kit, 8 bolt hats and rotors, plain face (no slots, no holes) complete kit.

Does that work for anyone? Still about $350 off the normal cost shipped.


My wife's going to kill me.

Pm sent

[ctrlraven]

Wish I had seen this earlier and was a red kit!

[justbob]

Must not check PM's much? I sent you one the day you originally posted. Doesn't matter now that the rear kit isn't being offered anyways.


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[boatmangc]

Bob, PM him again.
Save my Marriage LOL!

[Todd TCE]

I'm sorry I no longer have calipers for doing this as a front and rear. Had I known it was going to take so long to get this part back here I'd have not handled it this way. It was actually a couple of weeks before the original posting that I sent out the replacement and a return label for the one shown above. It took until yesterday to get my hands on it. Long story....but in the end my stock of rear calipers has been depleted. It'll be another 3wks or more before I have another custom run of these done for me by Wilwood.

All that being said I felt it best to just move on and offer up the front kit deal to someone. I figured it would change the strategy of some and reduce the number of interested parties, I'm sorry; not trying to alienate anyone or ignore anyone here at all.

There's a deal in the works with boatmangc if he wants it. If we don't seal the deal shortly it's wide open to anyone who wants it as a front only and black kit.

[boatmangc]

Mine!!
Money heads your way in the morning Todd, and I'm not getting divorced over it!!

[HBTMD]

How does the Wilwood product compare with the Baer Front Brake kit?

I am thinking of upgrading in the near furture.

Howard
Fresno & Las Vegas

Orig Owner 2003 Black MM 35,000 orig miles
SCT Rheinhart Tune
SS inserts
Rheinhart & K&N High Flow Air Filter setup
Kenwood GPS & Stereo Setup

[fastblackmerc]

How does the Wilwood product compare with the Baer Front Brake kit?

I am thinking of upgrading in the near furture.

Howard
Fresno & Las Vegas

Orig Owner 2003 Black MM 35,000 orig miles
SCT Rheinhart Tune
SS inserts
Rheinhart & K&N High Flow Air Filter setup
Kenwood GPS & Stereo Setup

For my money the TCE kit is the best kit out there for Marauders.

Don't know about the Baer kit...

The TCE kit has larger rotors, 6 piston calipers, steel mounting bracket and stainless steel lines.

[HBTMD]

After doing a little more research, it looks like the Baer is a two piston system and the Wilwood is a six piston system.

Is it accurate to conclude that the six piston system would be superior?

Regards / Howard

[fastblackmerc]

After doing a little more research, it looks like the Baer is a two piston system and the Wilwood is a six piston system.

Is it accurate to conclude that the six piston system would be superior?

Regards / Howard

Yes, more clamping force on the rotor.

[Joe Walsh]

Yes, more clamping force on the rotor, and more evenly distributed clamping force.

There....fixed it for ya!
:up:

[HBTMD]

OK Todd. Now that it has been established that the six piston Wilwoods are superior to the two piston Baer Brakes, when are you going to offer some smokin' hot deals for all the resto of us MM owners?:bounce::witch:
After all, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, Halloween, Thanksgiving and other holidays are coming up. :santaw: :pumpkin:

Regards

Howard in Fresno & Las Vegas
2003 BLK orig owner, 35,000 miles Reinhart tune and cold air induction, SS inserts, Kenwood GPS and Stereo

[MOTOWN]

For my money the TCE kit is the best kit out there for Marauders.

Don't know about the Baer kit...

The TCE kit has larger rotors, 6 piston calipers, steel mounting bracket and stainless steel lines.

Both are good kits, and the Baer kit is a 14" rotor kit, you cant really compare the two because the Willwood is a fixed mount six piston kit, where as the baer is a two piston floating caliper mount kit.

If price wasnt an issue i would get a custom willwood kit on a 16" rotor with a 20" wheel!:banana:

[Todd TCE]

Hate to say it Howard but such 'deals' are few and far between- not long ago I dropped the price a bit actually, now $1529. While costs and profit margins are not public information you may be surprised to learn that there's not a lot of money made in the big brake business.

Like some companies I could jack the price way up and then every time there's a holiday or some special occasion put it on sale. I find that lame, just tells you what it's really worth anyhow and pisses off the one guy who paid full price. I prefer to price it fairly and in line with the market and try to tow the line on price. I also don't support a "dealer" network to any extent and price things consumer direct. That's why you don't see a half dozen other shops selling it- they don't make 20% trying to push it on you. They'd be lucky to get 10% and that's in qty.

The truth Howard is that I probably sell about 5-7 of these kits a year. Don't believe all those forums with vendors posting "all pm's replied" "thanks for the orders" and all that...it's total BS. I don't play that bump game which is all that is about. Part of the cost of business is (unlike many others who are "laptop retailers") is the cost of a brick and mortar business as well as some costs to sell here (forums are not free but this one is very reasonable and I appreciate that) as well as some free hoses kits or discounts for events etc. Stuff like that doesn't just fall out of thin air, it comes out of my pocket and the shop's sales.

For the DIYers out there, yes you can purchase these calipers for about $350ea. Rotors for $185ea, some hats for $175ea, pads for $70, a custom hose kit for $50 etc and perhaps do much the same by way of producing brackets. Be pretty much at $1500. Maybe a tad less even depending upon what and how you do things on your own. Or you can call up and have it all sent in complete form and know that your helping support the vendors who look after the platform.

All probably more than you wanted to know...but it's reality from this end of the keyboard. If I could sell it for less and be comfortable with that; I'd already be doing it.

[MM2004]

Todd,

Off subject... You have the SS braided lines available for shipping?

Mike.

[HBTMD]

Thanks for the additional information. So how would the 14 inch Baer Brake setup for about $1,295 retail with two pistons compare to the 13 inch 6 piston Wilwood which retails at $1,529? I would be using it on my 2003 MM. It is for street driving, not for the drag strip.

Regards / Howard

[Todd TCE]

Makes good conversation and I'll take any comments or suggestions on ramping up sales to heart believe me!

Lets look at the business model a bit more and analyze a kit sale.

$1529 kit price
3% min to the CC company <$50>
$50-100 per month in forum fees (this one on the lower end) <$600-1200yr>
A few hose kits or promo bucks given away 2x per year <$400>

$1529
-50
-100 (600/6 kits)
-66 (400/6 kits)

Real price $1313

WD on a caliper for the Marauder is a bit north of $250ea. So we have $500 in calipers alone out of that 1300. Take out all the rest of it etc etc....yeah, I probably "make" $200 on a sale. But of that $200 there's rent, insurance, general overhead....

Now the Marauder has another issue: caliper logos. You all know the logo is laser etched in the body and not the bold look of some others. And in helping you I make certain we have rear calipers custom made to match- yes that's right. Both powder coated (black and red) with the laser logo. You cannot buy this caliper anywhere else in that form. Nada. I purchase some 8-12 of them a year for this reason, in bulk as they won't run 2pcs. Leaving roughly $2000 on the shelf hoping someone buys a rear kit to match. That's capitol just sitting there waiting to turn a profit, only IF we sell a 4x kit.

The only way to sell more kits is to lower the price. The only way to lower the price is to sell more kits and save money in bulk purchase and assembly. It's just a cycle of no end. I've fallen into the trap of some forums telling me "you just need to advertise more" and "put up some banner ads" and all that. All that does is make them more money and cost me more % to promote the product buyers are not buying now- making it ever harder to realize a modest profit on the ones that do sell. Took me a year to dig out of the Corvetteforums hole I got into!

The other way to make more money is to sell other products. It's my choice not to and I take the blame for that. I'd rather do what I enjoy doing and (try to) do it well than dabble in carbon fiber sun visors and neon drink holders just to sell crap to people. Just not me! lol

[Todd TCE]

Shipped the last hose kit the other day. More in the works; give me a week or so.

*Side note: when my hose supplier is out of clear covered hose the alternate is black. It's the same hose, just an alternate color. A few of the last batch were black as it was better than waiting 3wks for clear.

[HBTMD]

Todd:

Can you post a picture of your Wilwood brake calipers, rotors and SS hoses? That would be informative, and could promote additional business from us many MM lovers.

Regards / Howard

[Todd TCE]

Howard, the "compare" is tough. On one hand I could say it's 1" better. 3X better (6 piston vs 2 piston) or 15% better as it costs that much more.

But we know that's not how reality works. Both are fine kits. And I wouldn't even say my kit is any of the above. It's simply different product and each has it's pros and cons. Of course the Baer is less...that caliper is probably 1/4 or less the cost. And Baer being a much larger company has other angles I don't have available. But they are in the same boat- just as some may look at my kit for $1500 and go "wow, that's way expensive" I'd look at theirs for $1300 and go "you gotta be kidding, I'd give my eye teeth for that margin!"

The Baer is a 2 pot slider. No different than what you have now. Granted I don't know the piston size but it's function is the same. Great for wheel clearance. Good for pad options- right from the local Pep Boys even I'd bet. All the cost is in the rotor (assuming it's 2pc) and the related bracket/cage for the caliper to mount inside. Reality; it's the same caliper you have now on a larger disc. If the piston area is the same one could argue too much front bias. Slider calipers are less responsive. They barely 'look' the part of a $1300 big brake kit.

On the TCE kit you have a staggered bore design of three pistons per side. Less piston area than stock for less clamp force. Balanced against a larger disc and a mild increase in rear bias. Less 'nose dive' braking and more four wheel stopping. Better response and tactical feel. Certainly 'looks' like a big brake kit. But.....More costly and less available pads. You'll need a wheel spacer. They could require a bit more maintenance in time (although easy). There may be some fudging of fit to the aluminum knuckle. Bleeding is more involved.

All in all, apples to oranges but the net result is that both do the job. Some maybe better than others depending upon what's more important to you. That could be fit, cost or something else. Is one going to shave 10ft off the stopping of the other? Very unlikely however the better balanced (we believe) kits will do it more efficiently.

As for pics: they're on the photobucket page (http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/ToddTCE/Marauder/) as well as some quick searching here.

[HBTMD]

Thanks for the info.

Your price on a set of 4 premium SS brake lines for my MM is substantially less than the cost of 4 conventional brake lines on ebay. :banana:

This deal looks too good to pass up, so I purchased a set from you today.


Thanks for the sweet deal. :beer:

Regards

Howard

Black MM orig owner with 35,000 miles
SS inserts
Reinhart Tune & Cold Air Intake
Kenwood GPS & Stereo

[Todd TCE]

Noted. Be next Monday however.

[guspech750]

For the money they want. The Baer kit looks like the same OEM crap that's on most cars today.

For a little more $$$ I bought the real deal. TCE Wilwood kit.

Now I just need to count my pennies for a rear kit.







Sent from my iPhone 4S

DTR + 4.10's + Eaton swap = Wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom

[blkZooM]

Will be looking to purchase these next year.

[HBTMD]

Actually I was planning on the Wilwoods.

However, I came across a speed shop in southern California. The owner loves both Wilwood and Baer. He ordered the Baer kit for a customer last year. The customer flaked out, so he had a nice Baer kit that fits only the Mercury Marauder.

Since the MM was only produced in 2003-04 in very limited numbers he rarely gets any big spenders willing to shell out that kind of money for an 8 to 9 year old car. He gets a ton of Mustang owners, but this kit will not fit the Mustang. So I lucked out. :beer:

He offered the brand new Baer kit to me for $900. I jumped at that deal and now have it at my Las Vegas home awaiting installation during Thanksgiving vacation. :pumpkin: