some input please...

[fast eddie]

i had an idea, tell me what y'all think. i have an old cantilever frame or two that aren't rare, collectible, worth anything....their rats!! i was thinking that maybe i could make a few bucks off of 'em if i sand and prime them and put 'em forsale like that. ya think maybe someone new to kustomizing would pay for something that already had the grunt work done but could still paint it themselves? that way if i didnt pay much for a bike i could make back what i spent, someone could get a good deal, and the parts kept would be zero dollar. waddya think?
fast eddie

 

[Chainsaw]

Eddie, I would think that someone would really appreciate finding something like this. Alot of people are looking for any type of cantilevers that they can rat out. Some just don't have the time, place or ambition to do any type of painting. They can usually piece together a bike but not paint it up. I don't know how much more money you can get by primering them, but somebody's gotta be interested. Just gotta find him/her! Most of the people I've run into either wanna do everything themselves or consider "grunt work" as putting air in the tires!

What if you sold the frames "as is" and offered the option of primering them or even painting them for a higher price.

Here's another perspective,
We go every year to the Ann Arbor bike show/swapmeet and for most people, it doesn't matter what it looks like if it's what they're looking for. The price of the old stuff varies alot by how well the original paint is, but a freshly painted or primered bike usually get the, "why did you paint it, it got any cracks, bondo, or has it been welded. Seems most people view any repainting as a sort of a "cover up", even if it's a fully built up bike.
Don't know if this helps , but good luck,
Chainy

 

[benz]

Eddie, chainsaw makes a good point about some people being weird about primer and or paint. I say you can't go wrong with bare metal frames, at least then you can have the option of putting primer or basic paint on at your customers request. Good idea man, I have a ton of heavy duty canty frames laying around.

 

[fast eddie]

hmmmmm, i didnt think of ppl thinking that the primer was hiding anything, maybe ill just do one and see what happens, worse case scenario i paint myself and ride it!
fast eddie

 

[Chainsaw]

I woulda never thought about it either, but a few years back this happened to a friend who bought a minibike frame. Looked good in primer and he got it for a descent price, but when he actually got to working on it, he found out it was full of bondo on the bottom tubes! Great bondo job but not very safe for riding on. By the time he got it done right, he shoulda just made his own frame. :lol:

 

[Gold Street Customs]

My input would be take em down to paintable condition...sell em, just for comparison I have always been real leary of buying primered cars.

 

[Boardtrack fan]

I will no longer buy a frame in primer. I have been burned a couple of times. I have found bondo, heavy rust, and even lead under primer. Just my two cents.

 

[Rustinkerer]

just for comparison I have always been real leary of buying primered cars.

Like many a classified ad reads- "Just needs paint".... Yeah right! ~Adam

 

[benz]

plus, few things look as cool as bare metal.

 

[roadmaster]

the idea itself is hella cool, if everyone above wasnt right. some people out there think that a primered frame has something to hide and not that the person before them was trying to do them a favor and do all the hard work. id say just sand it down to bare metal and sell it preped like that, but someone would be liable to buy it, park it in the rain for the next month, let its unprotected frame start rusting and turn around to blame you.

 

[fast eddie]

good stuff guys i appreciate it. im glad i asked now!
fast eddie

 

[sensor]

I will no longer buy a frame in primer. I have been burned a couple of times. I have found bondo, heavy rust, and even lead under primer. Just my two cents.

odd.....i found some body solder under primer on a frame that i bought from some one that was given it.....(i dont mind though im still happy with it even though it hates me and trys to bite me any chance it gets) shes getting some primer soon though :mrgreen:
even the raw steel might be taken the wrong way.....people might think its stolen if its raw or primed(if they dont know you build bikes for fun or you personally)

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Build them and flip them . I have sold probably 20 this last year and never had anybody ask if the frames had cracks. The majority of the people buying bikes wouldnt have a clue to look for cracks,they just want a bike to ride three times and then push it out in the backyard and let it rust away and then chunk it in the garbage. :wink: Do really cool paint and they will buy them. Reds and blacks seem to sell the best. Take your time and add the scallops .

 

[elvis51]

eddie what is it exactly you are tryin to get rid of man i might be interested.... even if you dont do the grunt work for pre paint, i might still be interested. let me know man...

Easy E