SPLATT
11-27-2008, 09:52 PM
OK. Took the bucket of problems that is my firehawk to CMS yesterday. For those that do not know, this car had a bunch of stuff installed by a shady installer, and everything has been going on it. well, last time the dry hit on the car ran very lean so i got A wet kit conversion done while i was up there before throwing her on the dyno. After the kit was on we took a lunch break, Which was awesome to get out and hang with ryne, mike, CJ, Travis, and alex.
After lunch we got back and strapped the car down to the dyno. Got an NA run in and got ready to spray it. With everything in place, we got into 4th and let her rip. The N20 hit great and looked to be working as far as A/F and the curve. Torque hit 700. However, the car started smoking profusely. and we shut it down. Immediately ryne called a blown gasket. By this time i was completely bummed. I was to the point of actually calling AAA because i knew i had not had enough to fix a head gasket.
About 15 minutes later after getting her off the dyno, we went into the shop. As we went in i prepared for the worst. I was an hour from home and had no idea Exactly what was up with the car. Then, CJ and Ryne went to the other room and talked for a bit. When Ryne came back he told me the best thing ive ever heard in my life. He said CJ volunteered and he would let us stay and work on the car after work hours. I was so grateful i nearly shat myself. He gave me a great Deal on everything (much better than you could find anywhere, guranteed).
Fast forward a few hours. Its now nearly midnight! and Cj is there working his ass off, with me helping as best i could. we got the motor apart, heads off, and everything out. CJ and i both could not believe what we saw. It was called Earlier by CJ and Ryne, but we had confirmed it. The jackass who installed the heads put fucking Graphite Gaskets in. Why in the world you would use them for any motor, much less one on the bottle is beyond me. CJ, was awesome through the whole process, and i want to give him a HUGE shoutout for everything he has done for me. While everything was out he made sure to check everything and redo what needed it. We even did FRA mod and a couple other random things while we were in there. That guy is a perfectionist and an awesome friend. i cant Express with words how much CJ, and this shop have helped me out.
Now, It is around 345AM, and we are still going at it. Getting everything buttoned up. In the process we found a bad vaccuum line that was making the car idle like hell. Cj replaced that as well. after that we changed the oil and coolant and fired her up. Ran Great, smoked a little from the engine bay as expected. Idle was steady as a rock now, and the whole thing ran better than before the gasket blew. Now we were super happy. It was near 4 and the car was ready to go. Then as i backed up it completely shut off. Now we were scratching our heads. After another hour or so of swapping relays and chasing lines we called it a day. I believe the fuel pump may have shit as it is not coming on at all. We cleaned up and my wife arrived around 445 or so. the hawk stayed for further work by CMS
Now, this story is not meant to nutswing, Or be on CMS balls or anything. But to inform everyone that this shop is indeed an Awesome shop, and they will net hesitate to help someone in need. CJ, Ryne, and Mike know thier shit, and when you get something done there they do it right with no hesitation. They are awesome people and they have me as a customer for life. I cannot express in words how much I appreciate everything they did yesterday. and hopefully some of you will stop in there for some work soon.
So Thank you a ton Ryne, Mike, and Especially CJ for all the help and all that i have learned recently. I really appreciate everything.
After lunch we got back and strapped the car down to the dyno. Got an NA run in and got ready to spray it. With everything in place, we got into 4th and let her rip. The N20 hit great and looked to be working as far as A/F and the curve. Torque hit 700. However, the car started smoking profusely. and we shut it down. Immediately ryne called a blown gasket. By this time i was completely bummed. I was to the point of actually calling AAA because i knew i had not had enough to fix a head gasket.
About 15 minutes later after getting her off the dyno, we went into the shop. As we went in i prepared for the worst. I was an hour from home and had no idea Exactly what was up with the car. Then, CJ and Ryne went to the other room and talked for a bit. When Ryne came back he told me the best thing ive ever heard in my life. He said CJ volunteered and he would let us stay and work on the car after work hours. I was so grateful i nearly shat myself. He gave me a great Deal on everything (much better than you could find anywhere, guranteed).
Fast forward a few hours. Its now nearly midnight! and Cj is there working his ass off, with me helping as best i could. we got the motor apart, heads off, and everything out. CJ and i both could not believe what we saw. It was called Earlier by CJ and Ryne, but we had confirmed it. The jackass who installed the heads put fucking Graphite Gaskets in. Why in the world you would use them for any motor, much less one on the bottle is beyond me. CJ, was awesome through the whole process, and i want to give him a HUGE shoutout for everything he has done for me. While everything was out he made sure to check everything and redo what needed it. We even did FRA mod and a couple other random things while we were in there. That guy is a perfectionist and an awesome friend. i cant Express with words how much CJ, and this shop have helped me out.
Now, It is around 345AM, and we are still going at it. Getting everything buttoned up. In the process we found a bad vaccuum line that was making the car idle like hell. Cj replaced that as well. after that we changed the oil and coolant and fired her up. Ran Great, smoked a little from the engine bay as expected. Idle was steady as a rock now, and the whole thing ran better than before the gasket blew. Now we were super happy. It was near 4 and the car was ready to go. Then as i backed up it completely shut off. Now we were scratching our heads. After another hour or so of swapping relays and chasing lines we called it a day. I believe the fuel pump may have shit as it is not coming on at all. We cleaned up and my wife arrived around 445 or so. the hawk stayed for further work by CMS
Now, this story is not meant to nutswing, Or be on CMS balls or anything. But to inform everyone that this shop is indeed an Awesome shop, and they will net hesitate to help someone in need. CJ, Ryne, and Mike know thier shit, and when you get something done there they do it right with no hesitation. They are awesome people and they have me as a customer for life. I cannot express in words how much I appreciate everything they did yesterday. and hopefully some of you will stop in there for some work soon.
So Thank you a ton Ryne, Mike, and Especially CJ for all the help and all that i have learned recently. I really appreciate everything.