Watch Engine Builders On line

I am a good mechanic. I am certified by the FAA on all aircraft engines and I have built several auto engines, mostly Chevrolet big and small blocks and Olds big blocks. Also a bunch of Harley Davidson engines and transmissions. But I have never built a first generation Chrysler Hemi. But an engine is an engine. But a guy in Fontana California had several machining abilities available to him that I don't have. Offset grinding of the crankshaft and using 7.1 inch big block Chevy rods for one. And four bolt splayed steel main caps for another. So I contracted with him to build an engine for me. He certainly talked the talk. Actually knew the difference between an engine and a motor. Really talked it up, you know. So after over running the contracted time by 139 days, I finally got the engine. He told me the engine sat in the rain for nearly 24 hours. He did not protect the engine with a plastic bag like every other engine builder, including me, does. So when the engine arrived, I pulled the oil pan and it had water in it. So I pulled a head and there was water standing in 2 cylinders. And there were no 4 bolt splayed steel main caps. After completely tearing the engine down, I found he charged me for several things that were not installed or the brand named in the contract was not used. It was filthy inside the engine. Dirt, dust, sawdust and hair were readily seen. Now I am getting a lawyer involved. I talked to the United States Attorney General's Office and they said since it was interstate fraud, the FBI would be the investigating body and if he were found at fault, he would most likely have to repay me. And then he would most likely still go to prison for Interstate Fraud and Robbery. And that's a Federal Prison. But I am still out a lot of money until he makes good. And all the fighting I have to do in court. It is just a major pain the butt, period. But I had witnesses, photographs and an ongoing written dialog as I took the engine apart.

I am posting this so that it may cause you to think a bit before undertaking a contract with someone several states away or, as in my casre, clear across the country. Just because they talk that famous talk and convince you that they are the greatest thing going for your needs, stop and think about it for a while. Be sure you have a written contract, as I did, so you have something to present if the situation goes South. Not all people are like the guy I contracted with, very few in all probability. But just think for a while and make sure you get a written contract. That contract is going to be his downfall in my case.

 

Wow, that's a real bummer. Hope all works out for you.

 

Hello Claude in central Florida. Sorry about the bad deal on the engine. Seems like if you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all. Good luck on getting this thing taken care of and get an engine in that wagon pretty soon. We're getting the 55 Chevy back together. maybe we can park next to that beat up old Dodge at Old Town sometime!PS Thanks for sendin me to this station wagon forum.

 

PS Thanks for sendin me to this station wagon forum. [/QUOTE]

So is this who we should be mad at for sending you cat You know I'm just kiddin' cat.

 

Hello Claude

just had my machine work done on my 302 at the shop that now has your block he was telling us about your problems.
hope every thing comes out ok.
will be starting my motor friday after work and break in cam and make sure all is good

Steve Winter Haven Fl

 

After working in the Performance Aftermarket for 35 years, I saw and heard more horror stories like this over the years than I can even begin to remember.

Good advice to to search and search and talk and listen to find a honest engine builder as near you as possible so you can go and keep an eye on what is going on with your investment.

 

This should probably be moved over to the 'general' section.

 

I'm starting to sound more and more like my dad when I say that the only way to make sure something is going to get done right these days is to do it yourself. Am I now officially old?

 

That's what I always say......and I'm old too come to think of it,lol.

 

Storys like these really piZZ me off, but even if you get the work done local sadly there still are the questionable shops.....

Hope it turns out good for you.

 

I'm really sorry about your experience. I hope you are able to recover all your costs. I had a similar situation happen to me a few years back with my 2.3 turbo engine for my Mustang SVO I used to own. There was a guy on another forum who was the "2.3T expert". I sent him all my parts and a deposit as he was using his core engine since he was 10 hours away. He said he'd have it done in about a month. Fast forward about 8 months, he stopped answering my phone calls and returning emails. I had his address and told him I'm coming there and whatever he has completed, I'm taking and we will have to settle how much he would owe me since I had been sending money every so often. He finally called me back after that and promised he would have it done in a week. I drove the 10 hours and picked it up. His shop was a shed with a dirt floor! I couldn't believe how much crap there was everywhere. After installing the engine I immediately had a blowby problem. However, I had moved from Florida to Colorado in the process. I took it to an engine builder in Colorado after much research. They tore the engine apart and had an extensive report on everything that was wrong with it. The only thing I could salvage was the new pistons and rods. Head was totally screwed up and the piston to cylinder clearances were too big. After spending over 2 grand with the new machine shop for labor only. I thought my problems were over. Wrong! I started to have serious blowby problems after 500 miles. I was so frustrated I pulled out that engine and stuck an engine that a buddy and I had rebuilt 20 years prior and I had been moving from place to place. I had to blow off all the dust. That engine worked perfect. I sold the second engine for pennies on the dollar and the guy who took it apart said the compression rings were all installed upside down! A ring land was broken on one piston also. I wasn't able to recoup any money from either machine shop and have since had very little confidence in auto machine shops.

 

I hate to say it but these problems with so called "experts" is an on-going problem that has existed from the moment someone wanted a faster engine. Remember....the definition of "expert" is...a guy from out of town.
Not to mention names, but, there is/was a guy that had a big company and a big name in the LT1 circuit that was building LT1 383's. He and his company were all over Chevy forums and the Internet in general. His shop was big and had state of the art equipment. He is a personable guy and he sold hundreds of these engines. Engines that were full of problems and broke in a few hundred miles. If not with the first turn of the key. He fixed some of them until he stopped answering people. The ones he fixed were dogs! Didn't go. Stock LT1's were blowing them off. And they still didn't last.
Point is, you simply can NOT trust anyone to build an engine without testimonials from many people that you know personally and have seen the results personally. With the advent of the Internet and slick looking pages...anyone can LOOK good and look successful and look big. Might even BE big. This is STILL not a good recommendation as to their abilities.
I am very lucky to have met my friend around 35 years ago that can build ANYthing on a car. His engines are premo. They go like lightening and you can beat on them and they will ask for more without breaking. I know engines because I grew up in my dad's garage and have built my share, but, I'm getting too old to do engines anymore so I can rely on my friend to build what I want without worry. I'm a perfectionist with my cars in general and especially with my engines. My friend has these same perfectionist work ethics and his experience and knowledge base is exemplary. This guy is a master and anyone that has one of his engines in their car will tell you that. And he does this in a really small shop on the edge of a really small town.
So....anyway....look at just a few of the nightmare stories here in this thread and then, if you are looking for engine work,...PLEASE be careful. I don't care how newly popular the guy is, how big his company is or how knowledgeable he sounds. Without a PROVEN track record from people you know, PERSONALLY know, and trust as good car guys....take a pass and keep looking and asking. The Internet is not the place to be looking and asking.
Remember the definition of expert.

 

Picking a machine shop for me was like dating.
I start with something simple like a block cleaning just to check out the place.
I ended up with a place called Competition Engine that builds race engines.
Went in the garage and they had a AA fueler sitting there.
I've been driving the crap out it lately on some trips and it's performing excellent!

 

The only thing I can say about this is that it cost me a bundle and I can truthfully say that it will never happen again. E V E R ! ! I am quite capable of doing this work myself, except for the machine work. And it is not worth it. And that is for sure and for certain! I am putting the engine back together myself and it will be done correctly and properly. This guy has over 1,000 feedback entries on eBay and his rating was 100%. So either people didn't didn't check his work or didn't know what was right and what wasn't. And he is still advertising. In fact he has a first generation Hemi engine for sale right now on eBay. I am not going to mention his name because I have a law suit in the works. And because it is in California and I am here in Florida, the FBI is the investigating arm and the United States Attorney General is the prosecuting arm of the case. The Guy I talked to at the Attorney Generals office said that even if the guy pays me back and makes restitution, the government may still put his butt in jail because it is interstate computer fraud and theft and they are pretty hot on that right now. Gosh, what a shame!

Denny, this is a great site. I really like it. I have only been on since April or so, but it is a great site for long roof cars.

Steve, he is as sharp as they come. He is very knowledgeable and the work I have seen in his shop is definitely first class. He is very dedicated to his work and I would not be afraid to use my name in any recommendation I gave. The clean up work he did on my block is absolutely first class. And he had his work cut out for him. He is difinitely one of the best auto mechanics I have run across. He knows his business. It is Saturday evening now, so I hope everything came out for you. Did he build your engine or just do the machine work?

Where in Winter Haven are you? I live in Poinciana, you know...Between nowhere and nowhere else.... Contact me @ mrelmer@att.net and we should try to get together. My station wagon is out at a body shop not far from Allen's.

I posted this to make people aware of just how many scammers there are out there. And as Glenn, MarkR and Fat Teddy said, you have to check it out, check it out and then check it out some more. And if you do have to ge work done, try to get it done as close as possible. So, like MarkR said, you can check up on it and see what is happening. I am not trying to kill honest people's work, but, D A M N E D ! ! , you have to be so aware anymore. Try to keep your work as local as possible.

Krash Kadillak, sorry about mis-posting this. I am not real educated when it comes to computer sites and things. This is just the section that came up when I got on the site. I'll try to do better. But, while I can build an engine in my sleep, I don't know squat about computers. Please try to bear with me. Thanks for pointing out my error and I will try to do better in the future.

 

Silverfox, I gotta say, you have hit the old proverbial nail right on the old proverbial head. And squarely, too. We should all pay attention to this advice. The bad thing is, I knew this. But with the eBay feedback he had, and the phone conversations we had before I ever sent him any money, I thought he had his stuff together. Truth is, I wanted a stroked engine done the old Donovan way. And while I did get it, the pain and the cost is just not worth it.

By the way, he was retired from NASA. He was an engineer that worked on the trajectories of the missles. I have since found out that you can truly be a "Rocket Scientist" and have absolutely zero common sense, i.e. leaving the engine unprotected in the rain for nearly 24 hours.

Everyone should read "Silverfox's" post. And then read it again. Print it, put it on the wall. I am. Thank you, Sir.