Packaging Guidance

[brianao34]

Recently I ordered a pair of the vert specific rocker panel moldings; which are a one-piece, run the length of the rocker panel, and fairly narrow part.
Fast forward a week later and the mailman is walking up my driveway with a smug look on his face.
"Someone order a javelin?"
And there it was, the rocker panel moldings I've been hunting for a while now perfectly packaging in none other than an 7ft section of PVC pipe. Brilliant!



And as car guys we can agree that it's always a guilty pleasure to either receive a well packaged part or to take entirely way too long to package something just for the sake of ingenuity.

So, I thought it'd be cool if we had a thread to refer to for a little guidance when it comes to shipping things and costs associated.

My first entry:
Shipping a pair of 15x7 Borbet Type C wheels w/out tires.

I went and got a heavy duty medium sized box (16x16x18 ) from Home Depot. $1.98 (Very convenient to just go buy a cheap sturdy box rather than search for one that can be made to work)
Got a couple of giant cardboard printer paper rollers from work and cut them in half. Put a random box in the middle to take us some free space and VOILA!

Laid some cheap light wood I had lying around across the top of the first wheel:

Put the other wheel face down and that was that.



Everything was press fit and 100% solid.

Any ingenious ways to package stuff?

[lambo]

LJ851 sent me an i lip a little while back that was packaged very nicely. Hopefully he pops in here and reveals where he got the supplies...

[Vtec?lol]

I usually save soft plastic peices from cars and chop them up and use as a filler. that or a dirty old rug.

[lambo]

I usually save soft plastic peices from cars and chop them up and use as a filler. that or a dirty old rug.

My university has free newspapers all over the place. Needless to say I have never read a copy out of the dozens I have grabbed...

[AndrewBird]

My first entry:
Shipping a pair of 15x7 Borbet Type C wheels w/out tires.

I went and got a heavy duty medium sized box (16x16x18 ) from Home Depot. $1.98 (Very convenient to just go buy a cheap sturdy box rather than search for one that can be made to work)
Got a couple of giant cardboard printer paper rollers from work and cut them in half. Put a random box in the middle to take us some free space and VOILA!

Laid some cheap light wood I had lying around across the top of the first wheel:

Everything was press fit and 100% solid.

Any ingenious ways to package stuff?

I'm sorry, but the wood strips between the wheel is a HORRIBLE idea. While it might seem that the wheel don't move now, after some banging around, they will loosen up and then you have both faces of the wheel rubbing on a piece of wood. Needs at least a piece of foam each side to protect the paint, or better yet, a piece or two of cardboard AND a layer of foam each side.

You also have no padding around the wheel, meaning that under a hard enough hit, the wheel is going to get hit and either be chipped or dented.

You might have gotten lucky and they showed up ok this time, but if I received that box, I would be pissed!

Rule of thumb for me is a box 50% larger than the thing I am shipping. Then fill the rest with enough padding that once boxed up, if shaken, you cannot hear anything inside moving.

[brianao34]

I'm sorry, but the wood strips between the wheel is a HORRIBLE idea. While it might seem that the wheel don't move now, after some banging around, they will loosen up and then you have both faces of the wheel rubbing on a piece of wood. Needs at least a piece of foam each side to protect the paint, or better yet, a piece or two of cardboard AND a layer of foam each side.

You also have no padding around the wheel, meaning that under a hard enough hit, the wheel is going to get hit and either be chipped or dented.

You might have gotten lucky and they showed up ok this time, but if I received that box, I would be pissed!

Rule of thumb for me is a box 50% larger than the thing I am shipping. Then fill the rest with enough padding that once boxed up, if shaken, you cannot hear anything inside moving.

Well the wheels are being sold with the sole purpose of being refinished as is so as long as they didn't encounter anymore gouges I'm good.
Also, wood is wedged in there against the box and the round tubes, no way they're moving.
And as far as the padding, the only contact points on the wheel are the tubes on the corners.

I could shake that box all day and not hear a peep. Haha,

[kronus]

This is a nice PM I got back when I ordered a bunch of M10 turbo stuff. Great packing job.

It was nice outside today so I packed everything up in the backyard:) Here are the supplies.



The manifold and mount are at the bottom.





I put the Cometic HG and camshaft on foam.





Added the VR stuff and put a new 'floor' in the box.





Built some compartments for the pistons/rods and oil pump, then added some packing material and another new 'floor'.









Then I bubble wrapped the remaining stuff, packed it all in and then capped it off.

[Danny]

^Wow. Excellent. I shipped a turbo kit once and it was no where near as neat as that.

[AndrewBird]

Well the wheels are being sold with the sole purpose of being refinished as is so as long as they didn't encounter anymore gouges I'm good.
Also, wood is wedged in there against the box and the round tubes, no way they're moving.
And as far as the padding, the only contact points on the wheel are the tubes on the corners.

I could shake that box all day and not hear a peep. Haha,

It doesn't matter that the wheel were not touching the sides. The side will bend in and hit the wheels. That's why you need padding.

And like I said, even though they weren't able to move when you packed them, does not mean they didn't wiggle loose and start moving. ALWAYS assume they will vibrate and move a bit.

[brianao34]

It doesn't matter that the wheel were not touching the sides. The side will bend in and hit the wheels. That's why you need padding.

And like I said, even though they weren't able to move when you packed them, does not mean they didn't wiggle loose and start moving. ALWAYS assume they will vibrate and move a bit.

Easy boy, it'll work.

[agent]

^ lulz

[sweet6e30]

i dont know about you guys,but for me when orderiing parts; there is nothing better than recieving a package that has been packaged well. Nothing sucks more than recieving damaged goods due to lazy who gives a fak packaging.

[brianao34]

i dont know about you guys,but for me when orderiing parts; there is nothing better than recieving a package that has been packaged well. Nothing sucks more than recieving damaged goods due to lazy who gives a fak packaging.

Agreed. Especially for fellow forum members

[LJ851]

LJ851 sent me an i lip a little while back that was packaged very nicely. Hopefully he pops in here and reveals where he got the supplies...

Haha! I was pretty proud of that one. I actually made the whole thing out of used cardboard.

Cardboard is insanely strong if used properly. I basically wrapped lambo's "i" lip like a rectangular 1 inch thick taco. This had good strength from the sides but not much support from being crushed flat so i cut long 1 inch wide strips of cardboard cut across the corrugations (very important).

I folded the strips every 3 or 4 inches to create zig zag shapes with vertical corrugations which had a footprint of 3X10 inches or so and placed a bunch them around the lip so it couldn't really move and taped them down well. I stood on it and no crush, it was stout !

If i had glued the zig zags in, it probably would have ended up as a formula SAE monocoque chassis.

[dougie30]

This isn't "my" genius packing, but instead a package I received from partsgeek.

I could only get a screen shot from my instagram, but they put my one reverse light switch in the biggest box they could find....