Can we please figure out what the current issue is first?
How do you know that the lifters need to be adjusted? Have you done a compression or leak down test?
If you are going some by “the sound” of the lifters, that is not a way to come to the conclusion that they need to be adjusted. Your motor has roller lifters and roller rockers. It will be noisy. Some cars more than others.
Let’s just properly diagnose these issues before coming to any assumptions or conclusions.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkSteve V's Automotive <
stevevautomotive@gmail.com>
To:
TurboL15@yahoo.com
IS this what a reputable builder sends someone after taking all his money? this was dec 9. 2018, I got my car back on sept 17 2018.
Dec 9, 2018 at 2:51 PM
Phil,
I returned you phone call Friday at 11:20 AM.
I will be happy to look at your car and make a diagnosis on the current situation. It requires you bringing it to me however you choose. I would prefer that you are present and you demonstrate the issue(s) it is having. This eliminates any miscommunication and misunderstanding of the situation. After diagnosis is made will will discuss and agree of the next course of action. Going forward it will be considered a legal contract and will require a signature.
I built a stage 1 non production block, it started it's life in an Indy Lights race car. It is full of aftermarket race parts, it has race bearings, race clearances, race ring gaps, fully ported aluminum heads, big turbo, big fuel pumps, aftermarket intercooler, aftermarket plenum, ported intake, ported throttle body, stall in the transmission, no EGR provisions, no cat convertor. It not street legal in Virginia and probably not in NY as well. You have a race car you are driving on the street with pump gas only.
A turbo buick is a very tempermental automobile from the word go. Now with all the added goodies you have a vehicle that requires constant attention and adjustments. The car left here tuned and running great, videos posted all over the internet. It was not leaking oil, not smoking and started and ran just fine. I have the texts when you are asking about oil leaks saying " I don't want any leaks I will definately lose my mind". My reply was "It's gonna leak, they all do. Starts slowly and gets worse with age and WOT throttle time". Your reply was "OMG". Lol I really hate oil leaking nothing can be done to stop it?" I stated "30 year old technology, I do he best I can. It is what it is. Your reply "ok". I will also add that this block once had a girdle on it and it was machined from it's original oil pan rail surface. That may or may not contribute to any oil leaks.
There was no "BS" on this job. Yes I installed the wrong oil pickup tube and ruined the bearings and crank. I covered the entire expense and kept you in the loop and was 100% transparant the entire way. You where charged $3581 to assemble/blueprint/provide all parts. You where charged $2000 for machine work at RCG which included 12 crooked head bolts that required milling the deck on both sides and drilling/tapping/installing timeserts, all rebalancing, rod resizing, line bore/line hone. I charged $1250 to remove and replace the engine and do all engine related work under the hood. Grand total of $6831 including installation and tuning. The rest of the work was not engine related and far from a "premium". My prices are very fair for quality received. People come to Steve V's Automotive for quality not price nor turn around time.
On the final go round I installed a second set of black door locks in both doors, my personal hood liner off my wall, adjusted gaps on air damns, I gave you a nice washer bottle to replace your yellowed one, flushed the brake fluid. You never got an invoice for the parts or labor on any of this. Yes you sent a check to cover the final machine shop expense and over paid. That hood liner alone is worth $600-$800 I gave it to you because I felt terrible about the way things went.
I know on a personal note I have went above and beyond to make your car the best it could be. You are welcome to ask my wife(and others) how my sleep/stress/anxiety that project caused me. You are welcome to reach out to my other customer Jose, he was here and filming when I made the hits in your car. The bottom line here is I did do my very best, and anything that I knew about I covered 100%. I admitted messing up the 1st build, I honored all the labor from that point forward. I ate a lot of money in gaskets/rings/fluids/machine work/travel and hotel. I paid for all the machine work when we honed the block(plateau) decked it and decked the heads. I am not really sure of anything else I could have done to make the situation easier for you my customer.
You brought me a Stage Motor and one I was certainly not familier with like I am a 109 motor. And it showed from the oil pickup tube, to clearances, and oil rings. I learned by OTJ training and at my expense.
I am willing to look at the car and work with you.
I will not have anyone tell me how I will run my business. I do things in a timely manner with pride and ethics at a fair price. There's a pretty good account of that on social media and the forum. I don't have unsatisfied customers running around like a lot of these Buick shops do. Lots of peoples projects sit at shops for 2-3 years at a time with no progress on the build, no timely updates, no communication, billing customers for their mistakes and certainly no videos, picture post and documentation like Steve V's Automotive does.
That's all I have to say at this point,
Steve Vaillancourt
Steve V's Automotive LLC
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