Hey guys and gals,

Since I work at my dad's CNC machine shop, I went and made some battery tie down's for the 99+ year of the Protege.

Just a quick background, I run the Vancouver Protege board at MPSport.net. The Tie down's I've made currently have our logo on it, and i'm in place to make some more for the Toronto Protege Club with their logo.

Currently the only pictures I have now are at located here.

These are straight of the machine, with very little polishing, and haven't been anodized yet. I've quickly installed in my car so you get a idea of what it looks like.



Pricing for here in Canada runs at: (Canadian Funds)

$50 - Tiedown itself. NOT anodized, polished aluminum.
$55 - Tiedown anodized (clear coat). Recommended if you wanted to keep the aluminum look but with a anodized clear coat on top.
$60 - Tiedown anodized (colored, several colors avali)
$70 - Tiedown anodized (clear or colored) with your nick name engraved on it, or something else engraved. This would give tiedown a more CUSTOM look to it, and underneath the MPSport.net (or your club) logo would be your nickname if you wanted.

Some people have said the pricing is too much, but from what I've seen on the internet, is that this is VERY cheap compared to those DC ones made for Honda Civics, that generally go for $45+ USD. Plus these can be made custom for you!

Anyways just wondering what you guys think so far. I'll post more pictures once I get them anodized and such, which should be later this week. Also if there is enough interest, I'd love to be able to make some nice ones up for Protegeclub.com and send down a whole bunch for you guys...

Thanks for your input!

 

Great job! I wouldn't mind paying that much for them, your prices aren't that high. You've got a really unique product there.

 

Ya looks great!!! now ya just gotta do something about that ghetto fuse holder there

any 1st gens around you? i may want one.

 

That is one great lookin peace on metal

 

Count me in. Especially if you can customize the lettering.

 

ive got a first gen. i want one too

 

Lol, yeah I know. That was put there when I first got the car, when I didn't really know anything about cars. It was for my aftermarket fog lights. I'm in the process of changing that completely.

Have you got a picture of what your tie down looks like? I just know they haven't changed it in the '99 '00 '01 '02 cars so it will work for all those. I don't mind making some for the 1st gen as long as I can get at minimum 5 people who want them, cuz it does take some time to program, setup, etc etc. I don't know anyone here with a first gen unfort.

Thanks guys for the input. I really appreciate it!

Just to clarify tho, the main logo on the tiedown would have to be the same because that does take the longest to do. So if protegeclub.com has a logo that would be engraved in the middle. Then underneath would be where you could get your name/nickname/whatever engraved if you wanted.

I do have a paypal account, but my main concern would be shipping, duty, etc etc as I've never really done anything like this before. I'm guessing if I could send a bulk shipment of them to a few areas, that might be the best, not sure... but if you knew a few guys in your area that wanted some, then I could send you a few... anyone done this kinda thing before?

Also I've only made 5 for now as a test so people could see what they looked like, etc etc. I'm going to be making a LOT more now, which will be a TAD smaller (in width, maybe line 1/8") and a lot lighter. It does seem a little thick, however we have taken out a lot of material from underneath. Also from what you cannot see in the pictures is that there are 2 holds on both sides, that grab the battery (like the stock tie down) however this is all one peice.

 

Wow, nice looking bracket there. I was just going to spray mine but looking at yours now, I may have to change my mind and pick up one of your versions. You also answered my question by telling me it also has the side brackets to hold the battery, perfect.

As for logos, how about just MP5 on the top or for that matter the Mazda "M" logo? That way it will be even more generic. I would be more interested in it being the M as then I can paint it and then sand away the paint to reveal the M in aluminum colour. Let me know if you can do that and I will buy one.

As for price, it is not too bad considering it is a cutom piece and anodized. Quality costs.

 

I like your line! Quality Costs... plus my time! hehe, my dad's shop's been pretty busy, so i'm running these off at night, and since I work at my other job 5-9, I'm gonna be running these off from 9:30pm - wee hours in the morning!

I had considered doing a PROTEGE or MAZDA logo on them, which obivously would make them more generic as you said.

The only problem I don't want to face is trademark, etc etc, specially since I'm not giving them away for free. And I'm guessing if I asked Mazda if I could use their logo they may charge me? I dunno? Anyone got any info on this sorta stuff?

 

'Protegeclub.com' would be pretty generic, not sure if it would fit though hehe, anyways they look great, I'm definetely interested.

 

Yup, as soon as I posted I thought about it. Definately tradmark infringement so doing the Mazda logo would be not good. However, I could get one plain and pick up a mazda name plate at the junk yard and stick it on. That way no one gets in trouble. On the other hand, "MP5" should be okay since no one has that and is really a derivative of the MP3 logo.

Any other parts in the engine compartment to change .

Let me know when I can get one. Also, what is your name?

 

I for one think the pricing is a little high. That said, there aren't many other choices out there. So, since I would never pay $70 for a non-performance underhood mod like this, I may be interested in a plain anodized one.

 

damn. i really like that. and i need a tie down bad. only problem is, that little screw that it ties down to on the strut tower area broke off. any ideas on how i could fix that in order to get one?

ben

 

nice looking battery tie down. i'd also be in if you could make them for the 1st gens.

 

A few people have said that, then I told them to go and look at pricing for tie down's for cars like Honda Civics. DC makes them, and your looking around $45 US minimum. Also they only come in 3 colors (I have more of a choice), and you don't get any custom engraving if you want it. Secondly, most tie down's that are sold are a simple rectangle, with no side clamps to hold the battery, nor the top lip to connect to the strut. The design on the 3rd gen is totally different, and requires a lot more work, and also programming. Plus my pricing is in Canadian remember, so it works out pretty cheap if you consider what your getting.

Not sure Ben. Have you checked with your dealership to see how it can be fixed? I'm guessing its a simple bolt from under the strut that sticks upwards...