Projects The hopeful beginning of it all (starting a speed equipment brand and land speed racing)

Hi folks. Its been far too long since i've posted on the HAMB. Much due to my long work days, buying and restoring a house, getting married, settling down, ect. I thought i'd take a moment to share what i'm up to.
After highschool (class of 2014) i went to trade school to become a machinist. I instantly fell in love with the machine field. While in school, i was able to make parts of my own design. One of them being an intake manifold for a flathead 337 in which there were high hopes to compete with one day at Bonneville (intake pictured below). I was captivated by my new found ability to sketch a drawing, and make that drawing into a reality. After school i landed a job writing cnc programs and doing machine setups at a small three man shop specializing in aerospace components for NASA and prototype work for companies such as cutsforth, polaris, and mettler toledo. Before i knew it, i was the lead programmer.
Every day i spent doing what i loved, turning drawings into real objects writing over 1500 programs for the company. However something was missing. I missed my ability to show creativity in what i made. And that's when it occurred to me what my real passion is. I want to create. Not off of a NASA blueprint, but from the blueprints that are constantly being drawn in my mind as i sit day dreaming about vintage hot rods.
Since then, i have started saving up to buy my own cnc mill (they're not cheap) by buying bulk and selling on ebay, and just as of recently, trying to start my own brand. NYSTROM PERFORMANCE.
So, in hopes to expand, last night i started a website for my new brand of speed equipment starting with primarily items i have been selling on ebay, and a small line of apparel, hoping that some day soon, i will finally have my own cnc in my shop where i can get to work making parts to sell, and parts for my future land speed project.
I plan on keeping this thread updated with progress for you guys. I have learned so much since my days back in tech school, and am eager to use that knowledge to mix modern performance with a period correct look in my line of parts.
If you would like to help out my cause, please check out my website listed below, fallow the "Nystrom Performance" facebook page, and chime in on the thread of course. Cheers

Website: https://nystromperformance.com/
Facebook: Nystrom Performance

 

Nice work on making a part that fits an engine without much high perf parts available. Hopefully you can get some customers, and those can lead to additional parts. I also applaud your starting up a company to make and sell parts. Even if you just do it on the side, the tax benefits are nice. I sort of did the same with my latches business, started out to get the parts I needed and then developed into the business to help others out.

 

Holding a VS series looks like a good start to me. Good luck on your venture.

 

Good Luck ! A few tips from an "Old Timer" that did what you are dreaming/starting. NEVER Give Up ! Be Flexible, do commercial work as/when needed to keep cash flow going. IMO the specialty car parts, especially flatheads is a tiny market to try to make a living, build a shop/business. From listening to you it appears you have skills, talent, desire, ambition, all the necessary components to make it happen, now you have to learn to be a businessman, to repeat myself, NEVER Give Up on your dreams ! One of many good pieces of advice I received from a mentor when I started was, All the skill, talent, quality means nothing if there's no money in the checkbook at end of the month/year, that being said, money is not the end all everything, but a definite necessity to survive and make your dreams a reality. Again GOOD LUCK ! Contact me in a message if you want some free advice. Caution ! Free advice is sometimes worth price paid

 

I am pleased to see a young man that is interested in the vintage aspects
of the mechanical world. I am an old guy myself. More and more I
find less folks to converse with regarding this hobby. As far as your
goals to develop your own line go, I think that is absolutely terrific.
You say you were the lead in the shop where you were working. that
in itself is a progressive accomplishment. The fact that you are willing
to take the personal risks to move on towards your goal leads me to
feel you can be successful. The Henry Ford quote you added to your
post says it all. Carry on young man! Mick.

 

America needs more people like you. You will succeed.
Stay focused and don't give up..

 

Good luck with your endeavor. The one thing I would caution against is selling anything with a company logo on it that you do not have permission to use or have not purchased directly from said company. Companies take that very seriously. Ford especially.

 

Great job man. I hope everything goes awesome for you.

 

Thanks for all of the helpful advice as well as motivation. However i certainly dont plan on just making my own speed parts for a very small niche market my only means of income. I plan on continuing to buy in bulk and sell things like carburetors and be somewhat of an online retailer as well as sell apparel to try to reach and maintain this larger (but probably less profitable) goal. Thanks again for the support. I will keep you all updated!

 

cool on you and good luck !

 

looks like you are on the right track - title mentions Land Speed Racing - have you ever been to Bonneville, etc? or even spent time lurking around on landracing.com ?

 

Yes, ive been to Bonneville several times. Some of the best days of my life haha. It should be a must on every car guys bucket list. And yes, ive kept up on landracing.com, its a nice community.

 

I will be that ass who suggests you bone up on grammar. The quote you attribute to Henry Ford should start with a capital letter and the penultimate word is you're, a contraction of you are. My point is you're trying to start a business where details matter a lot, and first impressions mean a lot as well. Kudos for exhibiting the drive and knowledge that most young people don't have. I wish you the best of luck.

 

My local Harley dealer years ago told me that he made more from "accessories" (apparel) than he did from sales and service of the bikes. Being a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, he felt pretty fortunate that those t-shirts allowed him to make a living and still play with bikes. Best of luck to you, sir, I'll be watching.

 

Good luck. This trade school teacher will cheer for ya

 

That was sort of like my dream at 15. I’m now 70 and finally building a Bonneville Car.
I wish you all the success possible. You have done a lot in 4 years, so your drive is there.

 

[emoji106]

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Amen brother. Been my own boss for a long time and while I can tell you there are certainly sleepless nights, I wouldn’t trade it for selling my soul to work for a big company. A guy I grew up with and his father manufacture Custom CNC machines here in my town. They just supplied the Vegas rat rod guys at welderup a custom mill. Being Canadian made and being able to be way ahead on exchange you may want to take a look at what they have to offer. Company is Fastcut CNC Keep your head down and remember there’s no days off owning your own business but the beauty is what you put in is what you get out!! Good luck


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I always wanted to run at Bonneville also. And I did. Minus the CNC. Good luck with your 337 project. Like to hear more about it.

 

I’m going to offer you some advice that you can take or not, that’s to not get too caught up in trying to scratch your way through life limiting yourself to the limited market for hobby money.

If you want to be successful then establish your own business/company making products that will have a huge mainstream market and be the bulk of your income.

Then you can do the hobby stuff as a sideline while the other stuff brings in the real money and builds your bank account for the future.

A lot of successful shops operate that way.

One example is Rod Tops, the hot rod top shop in Michigan.

They’re a small part of DTS enterprises a family operation that is involved in all kinds of high end fabrication type work a big part of that is stuff for high end luxury yachts and boats.
And other things too.

Rod tops wouldn’t survive if all they did was Tops.
The other stuff is the bread and butter.

So there you go make a plan and go for it.

 

Ill start a thread on it soon as i stop collecting parts, and start actively working on it.

 

Just got in a new shipment of ford jubilee carbs in today (I know. Irrelevant to this forum). However, we just got another T-shirt design out. Thought some of you folks might like it.

 

Good luck to you on your own business! I never checked the price on Weber carbs, yours look reasonable, Four would look so right on a HEMI. Bob

 

Ima gunna falla ya....

If I had a CNC or a way to cast parts and machine them, I would be in heaven!!! I have lots of great ideas for us Mopar guys, without a way to make them a reality.... Sigh

I can't wait to see what you do.



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Kudos to you, think big and work hard at what you love. No turning back, only way is forward. You obviously have a talent and flair for precision machining, I'm just jealous.

 

Guy's shirts should have the printing on the back

 

Doing great. Perseverance and willingness to take advice will serve you well. Good luck and most of all have fun. I don't make a lot of money, but I enjoy running my own shop and working on a variety of vehicles.

 

Are you advertising in the Linechaser?
Lot of deep pockets in MSRA not to mention the restoration shops that need one off parts.

 

Agreed, I would really like to pursue casting as well, as it complements machine work so nicely. I've been watching a lot of videos posted by Brian Oltrogge on youtube. He has some very good casting videos.

 

Thanks for the tip

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