Shops that can rebuild motors in STL area

[Scott231]

Jeff - Do yourself a favor and pick up a steel crank from Eagle. Price is supposedly about $600 (although many vendors have tried to undercut one another). Mike might be able to get it for you for less. Do some research!

Who knows what the "used" crank you are getting is going to be like?

You should also contact David Day over in IL. If I recall correctly, he works at a GM dealership.

Incidently, I used to race my GN at Gateway back in '89-'92 and met Bill on several occassions. As such, I can verify the comment that he has been in this business as long as anyone.

 

[boosted231]

Any updates?

 

[jpratt]

Block was ok. Waiting on cam, studs, and billet caps from ATR.

 

[jpratt]

Now I found out that the block was damaged and cannot be repaired. Mike at G&M said that he has another block with a stnd bore that I can buy. Should have the machine work done this week. My luck is that I will have the car back by Christmas. Maybe I should just start looking for a WH1 to buy that way maybe I can drive a TR while the other is in the shop. Anybody got a WH1 for sale?
Jeff

 

[GNRick]

Is it just me, or does anybody else get the feeling that Jeff is getting the shaft here? Seems to me that Jeff shouldn't have to pay for labor OR parts. The engine builder should stand behind the parts unless a prior agreement was made. Or unless the car was being raced with high boost or punished in some other way. Jeff- since you have a boost guage, was it constantly showing some knock? Apparently detonation wasn't an issue, so it seems that either the motor failed due to bad parts, bad machining, or a combination of both. Usually the mechanic marks up the price of the parts to cover any problems such as this. What do you guys think?

 

[GNRick]

Originally posted by GNRick
Jeff- since you have a boost guage, was it constantly showing some knock?

I meant "knock" guage.

 

[jpratt]

The knock gauge did not show anything till the last few seconds. There was evidence on the con rods of detonation. I know I am getting screwed, but dont know realy what else to do right now. I am in search of another block for another engine that I will build mostly myself. I was hoping to just pay a few thousand and get my car back quick. Well it seems that is not happening. Everytime I talk to the machine shop he says that the block will be done shorlty and now Bill is in and out of the hospital with heart problems. I think that maybe I am not supposed to have that car.

I am hoping to find a good engine or block at the Nats so I can start on my standby engine.

I never had a chance to race the car or even stay at high bost for more than a few seconds. Never even reached 13PSI. I do not know many people in the TR community yet so that is why I am just paying the screw job on my engine. Live and learn.

 

[GNRick]

Jeff- My GN came from Ebay. Previous owner lives near St. Louis and Bill did alot of the work on the car. A week after I bought it, I wiped a cam lobe. I don't know how the car was driven by the previous owner. I, too, was just driving down the expressway at 65 mph when it happened. The oil pressure was low before it happened so I guess I should have suspected something wasn't right. Previous owner came through and helped me out with the rebuild, even though he didn't have to. I had it rebuilt locally. Headed to Bowling Green now. Take care.


Rick

 

[rgs455]

Jeff.......If you're interested in another car, I am considering selling the modded GN in my signature. I plan on taking it down to BG this Friday. Please let me know.

 

[jpratt]

Bob, I would be interested in another car but not for a while now, unless the price is right of course. I hope to see you there. I think we meet outside of Hooters earlier this year at a GSCA meeting.

Rick, I also bought mine off of ebay but it came from Florida and Ohio before that. No idea how hard mine was driven and how bad it was before I got it.

I will be staying at the Baymont driving my wifes blue Jeep Wrangler. I am leaving in the morning sometime. If you see me make a point to say hi. I would really like to meet someother people around Missouri who are aas crazy as I am about the TR's.

Jeff

 

[rgs455]

Jeff.........I'll be staying at the Baymont, too, arriving Friday morning. I am hoping it doesn't rain so I can drive the car. If we hook up, you can take it for a spin!

 

[its turbo time]

I would really like to meet someother people around Missouri who are aas crazy as I am about the TR's.

I'm near St. Louis, got a t type that was maintained by Bill and didn't have any problems for the month I had it before I got T boned. I met the guy once and it seemed like he knew what he was talking about, and I actually saw your car while I was down there, where did you get that tricky tach mount that comes out of the cigarette lighter?

 

[jpratt]

WHen were you at Bill's?
Was my engine there yet?
THe tach mount came from http://arizonagn.net/New_Products.htm
It is a nice location but now I have to add another cig lighter in the glove box for whatever. Bill is very knowledable about these car that is for sure. If you go back there, ask him to see his GN.
Jeff

 

[its turbo time]

I was there about two weeks ago and your engine wasn't there. If yours was a T type and he hadn't started fixing the engine yet, I would of offered to buy it from you because I have an LC 2 sitting at home. I didn't get a chance to see his car, I asked him about it but it was right as we were leaving so I didn't get to see it.

 

[jpratt]

Still waiting for MIke at G&M to finisht the block. He told us that it would be done around the Nats. Then promised it would be done Monday (Memorial day.) Still waiting for him to finish it. Never thought that it could take anyone this long to build a block virtually stock, billet mains is the only upgrade.
Jeff

 

[jpratt]

Just got off the phone with Mike at G&M he said that he will done with it tomorrow. We will see. He said that becaused Bil was sick he put the block on the "back burner."

 

[GNRick]

Originally posted by jpratt
Not sure on the crank yet. I have it with me at my shop. I will check it out later. The bearings showed some signs of detonation, but the head gasket was perfect. Mike at G&M is going to rebuild my block labor free. He says that I either ran with lots of detonation or it was small amounts all the time. NOt sure why things happened but they did.

Still sounds like horse**** to me. Do you use watered down regular gas? The bad luck should be theirs, not yours. Oh well, probably most engine builders would find some excuse to screw their customers. The first guy who did my motor in my TR was waiting for the "warranty" to expire so he wouldn't have to fix my oil leaks. i told him that his so called warranty never started since the motor leaked from day one. i told him if necessary, we'll let a judge decide. The second guy who rebuilt my motor in my GN (not the TR) was a bit more reputable and has been around for ever. I did blow a HG, but it was at the track with 25 lbs of boost. It was a Felpro 1000. Now he put in Cometic HG's and no probs.

 

[jpratt]

OK here is that scoop up till now. May sometime, Bill had some heart problems and needed a minor surgery. Mike heard heart problems and that was all, so he put my engine on the back burner and did nothing to it. Bill had a stint put in and was back to work a few weeks later. We waited and waited for MIke to get the engine done. July, finally he found out that we needed it done so he finished it up and we went to get it. Got back to Bills and started to put it on the engine stand when I noticed that there was no seal on the cam shaft at the rear. So loaded it back up and went back to Mikes while he put it in. Back to Bill's and on the engine stand. A few days later we start re-assembly. Now we find that the front cover is shot. The oil pump gear will not spin. The housing is galled and the shaft is bent. Not a big problem? Wrong the front cover is back ordered and not avail til end of August.
Sept now and the front cover is on. Everything else is together. Had a new AC compressor, 4 core radiator, and other stuff installed. Engine is in the bay and getting hooked up. Looks great. See link below and look at the last 4 pixs. I have having Bill install the 3Bar MAP sensor and boost harness for Turbo-Link. And some other little things that are easier to do now instead of later. All in all now things are really clicking and should be a few more weeks before it is back on the street.
I will post more as I can

 

[rgs455]

Jeff..........Can't wait to hook up to see your car!

 

[its turbo time]

Hey I went up to bill's today to get some vacuum lines and other things situated on my brother's car because he had my lc 2 put in his 85 GN but anyway I saw your car up there and to the untrained eye it looked to me like the only thing that needed to be done is to put the MAF sensor in, but I should warn you, that untrained eye is very untrained!! We actually used your motor to look off of to get all the lines situated so thanks for that. Those GNX rims rule