Hi Guys,
For those of you who dont already know, Rally Design are now stocking and selling GTS Locost parts, this includes front wishbones, dashboards, the
shock kit and various other bits. It is planned that Rally Design will hold all of the GTS locost parts by January 2007.
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=1375
This means that most components that are ordered through Rally Design will be with you in 24hours (or there abouts).
Cheers,
David
Now this sounds like a sensible step towards....
Good Manufacturer + Good Distributor = Happy Customers
...to me.
Maybe it will free Darren to concentrate on the design and manufacture which by all accounts is very good and allow customers quick reliable access to
the products.
Parts can only be supplied in 24 hours if they have them. If the supply to everyone else is terrible why would the service to rally design be great?
Maybe RD are buying direct from a subby under a licence agreement?
Don't get too excited guys. Having posted this last month link I tried to put
it to the test today. I want a set of shocks as posted in an earlier link.
So phoned Rally D. There Gabrial shocks acording to the guy come from Gts. They are out of stock!
He couldnt tell me anything about them and didnt know when they would be back in stock. Said if I rang back (but not to day as they where busy) he
would try and find out some more. 
Spoke to darren today, was going to ask about the rally design stuff but he sounded quite hassled...
What about the big papery thing all tied with string
quote:
Originally posted by Triton
What about the big papery thing all tied with string
if they do, could i have a word with them first, i want to make a couple of things 
(and in case the FBI / MI5 / whomever are reading this - I want to make a fuel level gauge!)
I have read with interest many of the comments and often complaints about poor deliveries and service from the kit car industry; Rally Design is
involved to overcome parts supply problems, as it has been doing for Escort rally vehicles over the last 30 years.
I have identified that the industry consists of a number of small manufacturers who are trying to source components only sufficient for their
individual needs. These manufacturers do have a tendency to exaggerate their annual sales; often by a factor of 10,170 claimed sales can often be
only 20 actuals. With the result that individually their buying power is not strong enough to ensure reliable and competitively priced sourcing, they
certainly will not hold big stocks.
Also the industry in the past has relied heavily on sourcing remanufactured parts from old donor vehicles - these sources are now drying up - who has
seen many old Escorts/Capris, Cortinas or Sierras in breakers these days?
What is required is a source of new product to OEM quality levels at competitive prices, this can only be achieved by buying in volume and this is
where Rally Design has a role.
To understand what is required you have to be involved, hence we are building our own GTS Panther, intended specification to include Duratec power,
type 9 gearbox, Sierra diff, de Dion axle. The remit to Darren was to build a car utilising as many standard Rally Design parts as possible, making
the car fit the parts, not vice versa. The build to check good fit, list parts not currently available from Rally Design and list accurately an
inventory down to the last P clip and hardware items. The finished vehicle is anticipated to cost about £9K.
Products already evolving from this link include the Wilwood Powerlite caliper with integral handbrake (international patent pending), OEM quality
quick racks 2.9 ratio (£49.50+VAT), 400mm steering shaft (£19.50+VAT) and currently we are working on an inexpensive Duratec/T9 bellhousing with cable
or hydraulic clutch. There will be much more as the need is identified. The end result is to obviate the need for donor parts when new is
competitive and available. We will occasionally reject product as in the case of a contributor criticising our lack of knowledge/stock on the
Garbriel shock kit, the Gaz kit is just so superior for only £20.00 more.
Pages 6-7 of Rally Design’s 2006 catalogue (free copy available, fax 01795 539930) present the current range.
The availability of ‘off the shelf’ product in good numbers should ease the sourcing/delivery problems of companies such as GTS Tuning and, in fact,
many of the kit car manufacturers are already sourcing from Rally Design.
In defence of Darren, I see a guy with good ideas, lots of energy and good intentions, but poor supply problems restrict his abilities to meet his
customers’ requirements. Rally Design can use its muscle to alleviate some of the supply/stocking problems to allow Darren to concentrate on design,
finishing complete vehicles and manufacturing the bespoke bodies/chassis.
For the future it is my hope to have a good number of GTS Panther and their competitors racing on a fun basis to introduce affordability back into
motorsport. Rally Design will continue to service the parts needs of these cars at competitive prices for the long term.
Positive
Positive
Positive
That's what I take from that!
Good News!
Just to make it even better:
How about a discount for Locostbuilders members on RallyDesign products?
Cheers,
James
[Edited on 1/2/06 by James]
Well said Mr Rally Design!!
Will be buying quick rack very soon at £50!
Marcus
rally design are my heros. Flawless service and delivery.
Steady on Joel, are you after some preferential customer discount or what..................... 
as the old saying goes
Derbyshire secret weapon.....and buttered too
Gone To Seed perhaps
The tie up with Rally Design is baring fruit rapidly from my point of view.
We have new products in design and manufacture at present that will provide really useful solutions to common "Locost" built problems.
We can't get too excited just yet as the volumes that Rally Design get involved with mean that production doesn't happen overnight, and with
the catalogue only coming out once a year then these products won't be added for a while.
I will however be posting and adding new products to the GTS website as soon as they become "ex-stock" available.
Great news Darren
I'm very interested by a complet set of catheram wide track wishbone but, there is no photo for this kit on the web page.
I'm interested too by wingstay for cortina uprights, but non photo too.
(sorry my english is not perfect).
Can I have a photo for this parts before buying ?
You probably can, but Darren who ownes GTS doesn't come on here very often so it's best to use the contact methods as described on his site,
mainly e-mail and phoning
Sorry I couldn't help more
Jason
quote:
Originally posted by yvan
I'm very interested by a complet set of catheram wide track wishbone but, there is no photo for this kit on the web page.
I'm interested too by wingstay for cortina uprights, but non photo too.
(sorry my english is not perfect).
Can I have a photo for this parts before buying ?