Should have known better
11-08-2011, 02:47 PM
#1
Should have known better Biult an ls3 crate engine for a boat application. During and endurance race a friend of a friend blew up his ls3. I sold him the one that i biult. The organol one dropped a valve or something but need less to say a lot of carnage. Any how this thing has a remote filter, water/oil cooler, Oil thermostat and an acussump that holds 3 litres of oil. So he picks up the motor at around 11:00 pm and once he gets it in the truck says that I can get the check for it in the morning at the start of the next days race. I should have just unloaded it right then but I figured my budy said this guy is a straight shooter so i let it go.
In the morning I go to get the check and he tells me it is in his dads truck waiting at the finish line. This guys slips up and tells me that they actually had hooked up the oil lines backwards but they changed them quickly after only running the engine a couple of minutes. I told him that I hope it is ok. Well its not, it looses oil pressure 5 min into the run.
He asked me what I think happened and i tell him that all the debris from the last blown engine go back flushed into the new engine and took out the brgs. (the oil system on this engine goes from the engine to thermostat then splits to the accusump and oil cooler then the oil filter and back to the engine normaly so when it was hooked up backwards presto all the crap that you can never get cleaned out went right into the engine.
2 months later I finally get a chance to take the motor apart and sure enough there is debris embedded in everything, crank brgs,con brgs ,cam brgs, pistons, Bad enough that it even wore the crank. Proof of what happened is that there was no debris in the oil meaning that the oil filter was working when connected properly.
3 more months go by after I send pics to the guy explaining what happened and that it is next to impossible to clean oil coolers and such with just varsol. I even go as far to tell the guy that I feel bad for him as it is his first year racing and offer a comprimise to help him out.
Another month and I get a text telling me that he has talked to some mechanic somewhere and has been told that the engine was toast before I gave it to him and that he will NOT be paying me anything. This engine had a brand new GM block that had never been bolted to anything before. Pretty easy to tell if it is a new or used block plus the guy changed oil pans for his application.
So I know none of you are as stupid as I am but just in case MONEY FIRST.
Sorry about the rant but I had to vent
In the morning I go to get the check and he tells me it is in his dads truck waiting at the finish line. This guys slips up and tells me that they actually had hooked up the oil lines backwards but they changed them quickly after only running the engine a couple of minutes. I told him that I hope it is ok. Well its not, it looses oil pressure 5 min into the run.
He asked me what I think happened and i tell him that all the debris from the last blown engine go back flushed into the new engine and took out the brgs. (the oil system on this engine goes from the engine to thermostat then splits to the accusump and oil cooler then the oil filter and back to the engine normaly so when it was hooked up backwards presto all the crap that you can never get cleaned out went right into the engine.
2 months later I finally get a chance to take the motor apart and sure enough there is debris embedded in everything, crank brgs,con brgs ,cam brgs, pistons, Bad enough that it even wore the crank. Proof of what happened is that there was no debris in the oil meaning that the oil filter was working when connected properly.
3 more months go by after I send pics to the guy explaining what happened and that it is next to impossible to clean oil coolers and such with just varsol. I even go as far to tell the guy that I feel bad for him as it is his first year racing and offer a comprimise to help him out.
Another month and I get a text telling me that he has talked to some mechanic somewhere and has been told that the engine was toast before I gave it to him and that he will NOT be paying me anything. This engine had a brand new GM block that had never been bolted to anything before. Pretty easy to tell if it is a new or used block plus the guy changed oil pans for his application.
So I know none of you are as stupid as I am but just in case MONEY FIRST.
Sorry about the rant but I had to vent
11-08-2011, 05:08 PM
#2
I have had close to the same thing happen before but not with a whole engine.
You want to help a person out but in the end you get burned. Like you said MONEY first.
I just opened a shop with a buddy of mine. He has been working on cars for damn near 20 years and I used to work at a dealership but haven't been in the auto repair business for over 11 years.
He has told me 2 things he has learned:
1. You don't give a customer or a person you are buying from or selling to any options.
2. Never sell anything and accept a check. Only accept a check for work done or a deposit on a big job like an engine swap.
You want to help a person out but in the end you get burned. Like you said MONEY first.
I just opened a shop with a buddy of mine. He has been working on cars for damn near 20 years and I used to work at a dealership but haven't been in the auto repair business for over 11 years.
He has told me 2 things he has learned:
1. You don't give a customer or a person you are buying from or selling to any options.
2. Never sell anything and accept a check. Only accept a check for work done or a deposit on a big job like an engine swap.
11-09-2011, 01:48 AM
#3
A note about getting the money first, the machine shops that I have used always made me pay before I could get my motor. Most shops wanted part of the bill paid up front. You were in a shitty situation with a complete motor that was yours. No matter what you can't let people in this world have the ability to **** you when it comes to money. You would think it was common sense, but more often than not it isn't. I've had this kind of **** happen to me in construction as well.
Yea man the liqour stores near me have lists off all the people that bounce checks for their booze. If someone will write a hot check for 30 bucks of beer, they'll damn well do it for anything.
Yea man the liqour stores near me have lists off all the people that bounce checks for their booze. If someone will write a hot check for 30 bucks of beer, they'll damn well do it for anything.
Since he has the ***** to not give you any money for that motor, have the ***** to serve his as papers to appear in court. 
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11-11-2011, 09:08 PM
#8
Obviously, you sold him at least a $10,000 motor. Slash his tires and bust the windshield. Keep doing it until he has to shell out about 10 grand in tires and windshields. Just kidding.
Don't worry people that do things like this usually get it 10 times worse when it comes back to them.
Don't worry people that do things like this usually get it 10 times worse when it comes back to them.
11-11-2011, 10:35 PM
#9
Now, if you had something in writing or cash in hand at the time of sale...well...you've figured that out.
I'd ride that *** and at least pay a lawyer to write up a nice threatening letter just to see if you can settle out of court.
11-12-2011, 01:34 AM
#11
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You would obviously sue with lawyer fees includes + x + y + z and it totals to around ya know like 30K. Or give him the option to settle for 12k.
There are 0 warranties in racing, if it fired up even for a second it's his!
There are 0 warranties in racing, if it fired up even for a second it's his!
11-12-2011, 09:00 AM
#15
You don't know any performance shops that drop a $10,000 engine in your car and let you drive away without payment or bill or sale do you?
