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Bookwus
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2003
Posts: 1786
Location: City of Roses
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 Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:20 am Post subject: |
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Hiya tub,
| tubdub wrote: |
| there is a set in the classifieds that were posted last night. also there is a guy on earlybay.com username ddfrost who remakes them from a set i sent him a couple of years ago |
FWIW, ddffrost is the same person/company as the link I posted above.
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Mike
1970 AS Bug
1970 Bus - The Ruptured Duck
Have an AutoStick? Check out www.auto-stick.com |
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SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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Steve,
To put it in context, I was desperate enough for a true Zbed that I was willing to pay the DelMar price.
You are correct, my callout of the price discrepancy is based on my opinion (which you clearly heard coming through in my tone) but the dollar figures are a fact.
In my experience, the quality delta between the most expensive unit and the next lower tier is usually the narrowest, but the quality delta between the middle tier and the 'cheapest' is huge. (Most Vdubbers feel a compulsion for cheapest. I don't.) Having only been privileged to see mere pictures of each product, perhaps I'm talking out of my tailpipe.
But the empirical question of Value (V=Quality / Availability) isn't one that can be determined by pictures or relationships. If a product is overpriced, and there is sufficient demand, a competitor will do as good or better for less $$. If a product is produced and appears to be overpriced and there isn't sufficient demand, no competitor will emerge...which means the original wasn't overpriced; it was marketed at a price point that the niche market would pay or it will die on the vine.
But enough of my economic theories. I'm not in a position to criticize your industry peers on the price of their product; I'm just a peon consumer trying to understand markups for niche products from two different providers on two different continents. You clearly have the advantage of me, being both acquainted with one of the parties, and more local to the scene. I'm forced to make my conclusions based on what I read here and in other forums. Which is how I got to poking my nose in to this in the first place.
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An old Volkswagen is only cheap to maintain if your time is worth nothing.
1972-1/2 SB |
I understand completely. What I am trying to prevent is a mindset from developing that one or the other is a rip off. People have to make that decision by looking at each one. I don't know why one is cheaper - for all we know one could be made in China and one in Southern California. If so, this thread then becomes just more proof why we have the economic mess we do. We cannot compete with people who eat vegatables in cities where the plants glow in the dark from chemicals, the air is almost unbreatheable, businessmen who make errors in decisions get their heads sliced off, the roads are dirt and the poor outnumber the middle class and will work for a cup of rice a day. I just don't want people to think Jim is a rip off when none of us have even held his product or the UK one.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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ranzuo
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2009
Posts: 84
Location: Nashvegas, Tennessee
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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So for us other newbies, does anyone have pics of this Z-bed? Maybe a comparison pic between the westy bed and the Zbed cause now I'm very confused.
Maybe there is a link with this already on here.
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1979 Brown/Orange Bay rescued and now my baby |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:21 am Post subject: |
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the Z-Bed turns regular VW bus rear seat into a bed. The Westy Z-hinge turns a wooden bed with a foam pad on it into a seat.
If you have a passenger bus you and you want to keep the passenger rear seat you need a Z-bed. If you have a empty bus and you are thinking of turning it into a camper with cabinets etc, you get a Westy bed and replace the hinges if they are bad.
Original Z-Bed
Replacement Westy Z-hinge (from BD site)
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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MonkeySee
Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2013
Posts: 209
Location: Big D
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:46 am Post subject: Re: Z bed? |
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I realize this thread is 9 years old but I'm hoping the original players are still hanging around.
I bought what was presented to me as an original Zbed setup. I cleaned it all up and replaced some hardware and have it all together. But I noticed that there's something missing from my set. In the pics above there's a wing nut at the back of the plate that I'm assuming holds the legs down in the seat position. My base doesn't have this wing nut piece and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what's up with this. Any help would be appreciated.
Also looking for an original clip arm for the back seat rest when in the seat position.
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:47 am Post subject: Re: Z bed? |
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there are a couple reproductions out there.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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MonkeySee
Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2013
Posts: 209
Location: Big D
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:56 am Post subject: Re: Z bed? |
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Do these look like reproductions? The seat frame mounting pieces, where the worm clamps go, are one piece pressed with the curve that matches the frame. ..
What do y'all think? |
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airkooledchris
Samba Member
Joined: January 25, 2005
Posts: 2710
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:53 am Post subject: Re: Z bed? |
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If they are reproductions they are extremely well done, so my guess is they are original. I doubt the reproductions would have used the 'exact' same hardware and from your pic this looks nearly identical to the NOS ones I picked up years ago.
I wish I could remember how it was on mine, but I don't recall using that wingnut post that it came with. I believe that was to assist in locking it into a bench seat if you wanted the brackets but weren't going to use it as a bed anytime soon. (maybe to prevent it from flying out into bed mode in a wreck, I don't know for sure.) |
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