Copied from STF

First off I'd like to Thank all of those who have been a major part of this huge transformation from my old shop that I first built an engine inside of at the age of 8 to the New Raby Enterprises Inc, Home of Aircooled Technology and Home to The Type 4 Store!
Watch this video tour for the scoop!
Hi Res- No dial up!
http://www.massivetype4.com/StoreOpening.wmv
Low res- 2 Mb
http://www.massivetype4.com/StoreOpeningLR.wmv

For the last few years I have seen one major roadblock in the path to the Type 4 conversion and that has been the lack of support from suppliers and the lack or non existence of crucial components to make this conversion practical. I literally received hundreds of emails per week from guys wanting our parts to do the job themselves. I always would write them back saying "Sir, we only provide our parts for use in our custom engines, they are not for individual sale" All of that stopped at 5:41 PM EST as the link to www.type4store.com was activated for the first time!

I have tried on several different occasions to start selling a limited number of parts but until this year never had the dedication to make it work. I attempted to do this last February and it didn't happen and thats because I was not ready. My dad always tells me "If you can't do something right- Then don't do it at all" and that played over and over in my mind as my feebel attempt to open this store in 2004 past right on by. Even though I was quiet about what I wanted to do for so long, I knew exactly what I wanted and I decided that no matter what I would make it happen before February 1 2005! Now its all here, every part and every assembly, even my specialty items! No more questions, no more searches and no more junk!


This year things were much different, I worked longer hours and worked harder made some extra money and put it to good use by tearing down our oldest building and building the New Raby Enterprises on that same foundation. I purposely built this building for engine assembly and to house the Type 4 Store and its 800 Type 4 specific parts.

The new building was finished on December 5th only 51 days after the old building was demolished. Since December 5th I really haven't had a day off! Most days were 18-20 hours long and very grueling consisting of many things I have never had to face before, because I have never been a retail shop, we always did custom work. Since December 5th I have really found out who my friends are and many of them have been just as much a part of this as I have. We have had to take old inventory, count it, set up the store software(on site) and then set up the store software on the net. There is no way possible that this could have been accomplished without help from my Girlfriend Beth who set up all the on site book keeping and etc (she is an accountant) and my good friend Charles Navarro from LN Engineering who has literally put thousands of hours into helping me upload all the items to the site. Another HUGE help was from Zen Hardy and his wife Melody owners of TAOzen webservices who is also the owner of a MassIVe Type 4 we built in 2003. Zen helped us get the secure server set up, helped load the site and walked an idiot like me through all the steps needed to actually get this site going, they really busted their butts this past week! It never amazes me how loyal my customers are to help me spread the Type 4 word!

To help me get the word out I needed some assistance from exerts, so with one of my previous customers, Brian Miller of www.hifidesign.com and a current customer Ric Vansickle of www.thisisplanb.com we have created a whole new way of promoting the Type 4 engine conversion. Be looking for this ad campaign in VW magazines both here in the states as well as abroad. I even utilized a member of the www.914world.com to help produce and edit my small video to help introduce the store with me as the tour guide and narrator.

Basically everyone associated with this shop and with me has done their part to help make this dream come true for me and they have helped the Type 4 Engine tremendously. Brent and his wife rebecca who I hired to be the Type 4 Store manager have both worked overtime for weeks trying to help make this happen, all without a single complaint, employees like them are hard to find and I really appreciate their efforts!

Many of my customers have experienced delays in their engine orders because our production has been cut down almost 75% because the shop was torn apart and we were working out of boxes. I appreciate all their understanding through this huge growing pain that we have now made it through with flying colors. We are now moved in the new shop, the Type 4 Store is stocked and open and things are working smoother than ever before here.

Now I would like to share a little about the store:
Even though we were mostly ready to go live today we still had some unexpected glitches that we had to work out. I will post a little about the ones that we know are occuring now:

*****We do not have a Secure Server just yet. The licensing took longer than expected, so rather than taking chances we decided to disable credit card ordering till the SSL is 100% locked on. So if you place an order you'll have to call me with your card number to finish the transaction. Zen is working to make this happen ASAP and as soon as it is CC ordering will be re- enabled.

****** Not all our items are totally loaded into the store yet. I added over 100 items today but we have 3 times that many more to upload. Make many trips to the site because we are uploading things by the minute

****** We do not have our Policies and shipping directives posted yet. That is my priority tomorrow because I want everyone to know how we plan on handling orders

*****Because of bad weather last week (Ice) and some slow suppliers some of my inventory isn't up as high as I would have hoped. We do have one of almost every item in stock other than cylinder heads because Len has been swamped! If we have to back order an item I will call you to see how you want to handle the situation and we'll go from there. The store has only been open an hour and we already have had over 40 orders! So according to how well this goes we may or may not experience delays in shipping items.

***** Only the most important items ahve full descriptions at the present. These descriptions take tons of time and I will be adding them as well as the pictures for each product as fast as I can until they are all done. These descriptions are a real pain so just bear with me and I promise I'll explain things in true Jake style.

**** Shipping module:
This portion of the site needs to be finished. This is so the software can estimate shipping for the weight of the part you are buying accurately. Getting this up and going is my main objective for tomorrow. Until then you will be charged the actual rate that Fed Ex ground charges for shipping, and a small handling fee according to the part you purchased.

***Shipping** We are only shipping parts via ground at this time. Chances are that air shipments would never be able to leave the same day due to my remote location anyway. I may offer express shipping later when we get all the bugs worked out of our systems.

Even with all these small issues we decided to go live today anyway. All of us involved thought that the issues were small enough to be worked around for a few days and I had so many people bugging me about what we were doing that I decided that even though things were not 100% that I'd go live anyway. I told everone that we'd have something to share on Feb 1 and we do!

Now I ask a favor of any of you wishing to place a parts order with me. Please understand the amount of growth that my company has endured over the past 3 months and the amount of time and dedication this has taken. We are only human and all of us are working beyond the bounds that most normal humans could (none of us are normal here) and still be efficient. Please be understanding if your question takes a day to be answered or if it takes a few days to get your part shipped away. Also understand that if there is an error in your order that I WILL MAKE IT RIGHT! We are all humans here and we will make mistakes.

I have made extra efforts to make this store fully automated, with barcodes and full inventory tracking. We have practiced our procedures for processing orders and we have them down. Nothing can prepare us for the job at hand like experience and I promise that if you work with me in the beginning the end result will be astounding.

I thank each and every one of you for helping me make a lifelong dream come true and for keeping the spirit alive in the Type IV engine- The engine of tomorrow.

With all that being said, the store is up and running 100% and ready for your order, you'll just have to call us with your credit card #. I will be up all night tonight working, so if you place an order and you are a night owl like me gimme a ring at the number listed on the site and we'll chat! (after a day like today there is NO WAY I can go to sleep )

Welcome to the 4th Dimension.
Jake

Thanks again Seanery!!!!!!!!! You rule! Lets do that 2270 Engine video ASAP!

Let's do it in Hi Def!
I'm ready!
Sony has a new HD camera out today!

Jake!! I wish you all the best in your new store. i will be shopping there to rebuild my plane.....er.......car!!

BTW, anyone need an ultralite engine?

Sean, lets do it in the Spring..

So we can get some really sweet Hell raising shots from the 3.0 in the beetle and the Hybrid beast in the 914!

Thanks Joe!

The site looks great Jake. One comment I have is that it would be a lot easier to read the descriptions if there were itemized lists of the things included in each kit. Bullet points instead of paragraphs.

Best of luck with the new store. You always have my support 100% My 914 is a rolling advertisement for ya man!

The webste and video turned out good. I know this new venture will be a success for you. Sean and Ric did a great job too.

Jake, that was great, I wish you lots of success.

With the Store Software there are no possibilities of listing the parts any other way in the descriptions. All those part numbers are our RAT # that can be searched by SKU if you want to see every part in the kit, or I can FAX you or email a spreadsheet of all the items included. We have like 400 damn spreadsheets!

Jake, so glad to see your dream come to fruition.
It's not everyone that can have a job that they love & look forward to.

I'm pullin fer ya Buddy


This all makes me want to re-nig on sellin the car & get one of your kits...

Hmmmmm... gunna hafta sleep on it

.... b

Sleep..... Who the heck needs stinkin' sleep???LOL
Thanks Bruce!

Bruce....keep the car....the puppy said so (I feel like I'm talking to myself)

I talk to myself all the time.. No one else is here at 3Am!

BTW guys, look at the prices of those videos! They are only gonna be that cheap for a week- then back to regular price! I have a ton in stock!

Hey Jake, get some rest.

Good deal on the sales site, it's a great looking layout, unlike anything else... I hope that makes it easier on you...



TAKE AT LEAST ONE DAY OFF PER WEEK

There, I said it.




M

I'm hoping once the site stabilizes that I can finally settle down a bit and get back to being a human......
Some day I want to work a 9-6 day instead of a (am to 3 am day.... But if I didn't work 20 hour days I'd never get all this stuff accomplished!

Going to bed, its 0330 and I'm seeing triple.

What a hell of a ride...
3.5 months ago This building was a storage shed filled with 30 years of junk.

Hey Man!!!

all I can say is;



way to go....been waiting for this for a year now...it is great to see reality...
good luck!!

Crap been trying to get on all morning. Did we break it already?

works for me Joe, try www.type4store.com

Congrats Jake.

Best of wishes in all of your endeavours.

looks great Jake!! very cool!

Paul, we were only able to apply for the cert on Monday after we finally got the site up. The company that we used said it would take from 2-5 days to get it up and running.

We are on their ass - Don't worry!

Jake

The site looks cool. Congrats!!

Dave

Bravo Zulu to the type 4 warrior

where did the 2.0 H-beam conn rod group buy thread go? did I miss out? I want some

QUOTE (sean_v8_914 @ Feb 2 2005, 07:42 AM)

Bravo Zulu to the type 4 warrior where did the 2.0 H-beam conn rod group buy thread go? did I miss out? I want some

Its here somewhere, I just saw it yesterday. Check a few pages back, this site is much faster than the Bird board with the threads.

Excellent work, Jake!!!

Good thing my wife hid the credit cards after I bought the new truck! Great job Jake. I can tell from the vidi, you are not nearly as surly as you type!
I know where all my "milk money" is goning now!!!!!

Thanks!

Jake - just wanted to say thanks for taking the risk and opening this store.

I appreciated being able to pick up the phone and talk with "THE MAN" about type IV engines. Looking forward to getting my order!!

Jake,

can you view the "wish list"?

I'd like to know if I am ordering the correct stuff???

thanks

Call me, write down the numbers I telll you and then go finish the order..

this may be a bunch of work, but it may be helpful (to me at least)
can you make the part #s that are included in the engine kit, the ones that are listed at the bottom of the description, link to those parts?

thanks,
i know you have been busting you ass to get this done...just thought I'd ask.

Jake, I have questions about the various options on the kits. Maybe you can answer here so others can benefit? Probably explaining the benefits of the various upgrades on the site itself would help greatly and cut down on presales phone calls.

1) Looking at the prices of the kits the 2316 seems like the way to go since it only costs a small bit more than the 2270. Are there any advantages to the 2270 over the 2316?

2) Lifters - I know you've been working on this issue. I notice that on the site you're selling reground "parkerized" lifters. I haven't seen you mention these before. Will they go the distance or are ceramic lifters a must have upgrade?

3) What is the advantage of an ion-nitrided crank?

4) How essential is the ARP through bolt kit?

5) What engine tin does one need for the heads? If you choose the upgrade spark plug location does that mean one needs 2L engine tin?

6) What is "Pre-prepare Engine Kit Assembly"?

7) I'm curious as to why the Kit Carlsen EFI isn't a kit option.

8) The heads come with oval ports so that means they will bolt to a stock 914 exhaust, correct? I actually want to use SSI 2L heat exchangers. How much will they choke the power over the Tangerine system. Unfortunately $2500 for a full Tangerine system with heat busts my budget rigth now.

Thanks!

to add to that do all these engine use Nikies? or are 2270's cast iron cylinders and nikies are an upgrade.
BTW I need to sell my Harley to buy your motor with the options I want. Unless you will take a trade?????

site looks great jake I also like the movie congrats

It's impossible to answe all the questions on the site, especially because the layout doesn't support much text in the detailed descriptions. Thats why I listed all the parts listed in the kit. I Always want to have a phone conversation with the buyer on something this big of a purchase anyway.

1) Looking at the prices of the kits the 2316 seems like the way to go since it only costs a small bit more than the 2270. Are there any advantages to the 2270 over the 2316?
>>>Don't judge it on price(damn teeners..LOL)
The 2270 is a more proven combo with more power at the lower revs and perfect as a daily driver, it runs out of steam after 6K where the 2316 starts to pull. The 2270 is better for everyday driving and the 2316 is better for an Autocross/Track/less street driven vehicle- But its still streetable on pump gas.

2) Lifters - I know you've been working on this issue. I notice that on the site you're selling reground "parkerized" lifters. I haven't seen you mention these before. Will they go the distance or are ceramic lifters a must have upgrade?
>>>>These lifters have tested out better than anything else so far.They have went through refinement and have shown the least wear in my testing. Will they go forever?? No one knows these days with ANY engine even V-8s are having lifter issues. If I didn't feel they were the best for the money I would not offer them.

The ONLY lifter I give a warranty on is the ceramics- They are indestructible.

3) What is the advantage of an ion-nitrided crank?
>>>Its a process thats a must for Diesel engines to keep journals more resistant to wear. I started using it on my engines a few years ago when no one else knew it existed. Its a process where the crank is heat treated under severe pressure at 1200 degrees, then nitrogen is introduced. This creates a surface that is super resistant to wear. The stuff is so tough and penetrates so deep that you can normally grind the crank one whole undersize and still get the benefit of the treatment.

I religously do it to my engines. For the cost its more than worth it. I have seen engines that ran out of oil and spun rod bearings just be polished and reassembled after this process.

4) How essential is the ARP through bolt kit?
>>It's not... Just an added bit of assurance... Stock bolts are good to 200HP and even more.

5) What engine tin does one need for the heads? If you choose the upgrade spark plug location does that mean one needs 2L engine tin?
>>All kits are sold with new heads with the standard 1.7/1.8 plugs. Relocating these plug angles would put them in the 2.0 location and thats good for about an 8% power gain on pretty much any engine I have ever tested. This means you could use 2.0 tin, or use my templates and modify your 1.7/8 tin to the 2.0 plug position.

Guys that have 2.0 heads would need to send their heads in if they want to utilize them. The price of the kit would be adjusted according to the degree of repair the head needs to get it to the level this combo requires. The price would be more than with the new heads as the labor exceeds the cost of a new pair of cores.

6) What is "Pre-prepare Engine Kit Assembly"?
>>>That means I prep all the parts in a mock up assembly before shipping them and take some extra time to write some notes on parts. I also install the cam gear and a few other small things.

7) I'm curious as to why the Kit Carlsen EFI isn't a kit option.
>>Because its not available yet and I try to avoid back orders at all cost! The kit carlson system as with any FI system isn't for everyone. Someone that sets it up incorrectly or has issues with it could end up like Dave Hunt or worse and have problems with kit that really isn't the kits fault...
I may add it as an option later, or you can just point and click and add it yourself when we get the OK from Kit Carlson and he fills our orders. I also still have to test more engines with the system and find out what injectors, throttle bodies and etc each kit wants so I can supply those parts with no guesswork

Don't be expecting to see Kit Carlson within the next 6 months on the Store site. I have 5 engines waiting for it here at the shop and nalot of learning to do before I'll sell it to anyone.

8) The heads come with oval ports so that means they will bolt to a stock 914 exhaust, correct?
>>Yes, 100% bolt on

I actually want to use SSI 2L heat exchangers. How much will they choke the power over the Tangerine system.
>>On the 2270 engine- Not that much at all because it was originally designed to work with heaters. I chose that combination for my kit because it was the most universal available for every 914 application and used heat.

Unfortunately $2500 for a full Tangerine system with heat busts my budget rigth now.
>>>Sure, I understand.

Also, to answer the Nickies question:
The only engine kit sold WITH Nickies is the 2563. Its the only Nickies engine kit thats available. The other engines do NOT come with Nickies, nor do they have the option of them. They also DO NOT NEED THEM to do what I have designed them to do. The larger bore 2563 does need them and its not available without them.

Nickies are a great product but until you exceed the power limits of the 96mm cast iron bore (180 HP) Or go larger than 96mm they are not a necessity.

I have had to make a tremendous effort to remove the "custom" aspect from these kits to drop their prices. These kits offered are the ones I have offered the most with the best results from the assemblers(less calls, less questions) and thats why I spent thousands of dollars to buy parts to comprise them IN BULK TO DROP PRICES! This is why that 2316cc engine kit is almost 1800 bucks less than it used to be only 4 months ago!

If you want custom- made for you- made for your car- made for your climate- you gotta buy my complete engine and pay an extra 5K for assembly, balance/blueprint and dyno time... and wait 8-9 months..

These engine kits are for everyone else that doesn't fit into that category. It is still the same kit it used to be, just without balance and prep included and now its a standard and not a custom build.
I'm going to change the name of the kits to "Non assembled engines" because thats what they are and they are not available anywhere else.

Thanks Jake! Very helpful!