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I did some quick math when I priced the Drop Plate. If I sell 20 pieces it covers the time and materials to design and build the prototypes. On #21 I start making real profit. My guess is about 30 per year. So after a year and thousands of dollars invested, I have less than $1000 in my pocket.
I'd be better off flipping burgers at McyDees for $15 an hour. But that is a totally different arguement.
Doing the first one would be a 5 hour addition to a cage build. Should be faster the second time around. Doing a retrofit to an existing racecar would be even more fab time.
A year and thousands of dollars to make a box for the floor of a Miata? 
Three years ago we started a small batch manufacturing business making DIY 3D printer chassis/frame kits and full machines (one of the reasons I haven't been around here). We've sold about 5000 kits. Not big but enough to keep two people employed full time and make some money. At this point I have logged hundreds of hours 2D cutting. Waterjet, laser, plasma table and CNC routing. I run about 600 parts a week in house right now, half of them CO2 laser cut.
I don't mean to be a ball buster particularly just coming back but if that part can't be made even in 20 batch at $250 retail that's a problem with the process, not the value of the part. There is narrow market value in the part but to claim near poverty on a bent metal box is stretching it a bit. I didn't want to show the math because everyone's cost structure is different and I didn't want people to get the feeling they were being fleeced. A $250 street price is right about what the pain threshold is going to be for most. My numbers are from the same models we use in like fabrication methods.
My costs...
$17.71/part based on 40" x 30" nesting footprint. That's retail on the steel, delivered. Enough material for a 20 run batch drops it to around $14.
$12 cost of cutting, padded the hell out of it, Torchmate 2/Cutmaster A80 200 ipm @30 amps, consumables, contribution toward the machine lease, real estate in the shop, power and labor (labor @ 18/hr billed at $25 to cover costs)
$12.50 bending based on $25/hr (which is padded quite a bit because if it took someone 30 mins to hand bend that they'd need a new gig...)
That's a COGS of about $43 (in a one time 20 run it would be under $40). Using the old time method of 5 x COGS to account for margin (which these days most small batch is lucky to do 3 1/2 x COGS) we're at about $215. If one is hoping to pay for a table and a press brake just to do these it's a losing proposition. If one is having the whole thing made they're retailing it and shouldn't expect as big a margin in most cases. A year and $5k in a 20 run batch before break even something is wrong unless there is a tool or facility cost that the project is trying to recoup.
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She was checking out the car on her last trip and wants to come and at least re weld the footings. I think they are fine but she told her grandmother the welds weren't good so I guess I'm out voted. 
While it's mostly an excerise for us to spend some time together, she's an ME major and a good welder, better than me. Even though the car isn't going to make it on track (with me driving anyway...) I'll put one in. It will be a good project for us. It may cost a hundred and 10 hours but the time will be priceless.
Johnny, dictionary???
