those of you with the AES 390
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
As i sit here and read this thread, wishing i had not delt with aes prior...I'll give a little history of my dealings with aes...fresh 324 cubic inch mod motor build, all 8 pistons clearanced themselves on the crank, the had failed to check for this...that was my first dealing...now as i sit in my garage just having taken apart a fresh less than 200 mile build, looking at a cracked crank,3 busted rods,a block with 2 holes in it...it looks like a spun rod bearing, after 200 miles, breaking in the motor properly, no passes, no dyno time,i had just taken the beak in oil out of it.and somehow i imagine they will blame the tune.
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 234
Likes: 1
As i sit here and read this thread, wishing i had not delt with aes prior...I'll give a little history of my dealings with aes...fresh 324 cubic inch mod motor build, all 8 pistons clearanced themselves on the crank, the had failed to check for this...that was my first dealing...now as i sit in my garage just having taken apart a fresh less than 200 mile build, looking at a cracked crank,3 busted rods,a block with 2 holes in it...it looks like a spun rod bearing, after 200 miles, breaking in the motor properly, no passes, no dyno time,i had just taken the beak in oil out of it.and somehow i imagine they will blame the tune.
That is ALWAYS the fall back.
As i sit here and read this thread, wishing i had not delt with aes prior...I'll give a little history of my dealings with aes...fresh 324 cubic inch mod motor build, all 8 pistons clearanced themselves on the crank, the had failed to check for this...that was my first dealing...now as i sit in my garage just having taken apart a fresh less than 200 mile build, looking at a cracked crank,3 busted rods,a block with 2 holes in it...it looks like a spun rod bearing, after 200 miles, breaking in the motor properly, no passes, no dyno time,i had just taken the beak in oil out of it.and somehow i imagine they will blame the tune.
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: rockhampton, australia
i got an AES 390. apparently my tuner didnt tune in the proper clearances on a couple of pistons, and it caused said pistons to collapse skirts. or it was the bad fuel i use in australia. hard to be sure.
also looking at the state of all the bearings, in the motor, the engine builder i used to rebuild my engine, thats life could only be measured in hours, not kilometres or miles, says it was possibly assembled dirty.
pistons.
bores. some of the bores were .002 of an inch tight in the centre. not all of them. had to get them torque plate honed.
you can view other pics here.
http://s741.photobucket.com/user/bts...?sort=3&page=1
mike was great to deal with....right up until i handed over money. then he kinda backed off a bit. but still was ok to deal with when i could get him on the phone. shipping was a pain in the ****, but there was multiple reasons/excuses for this. not being there i will let shipping time slide, because some of the reasons are legit i am sure. and i am in australia. so extra paperwork etc....
the car was run in at the performance shop, and on the dyno. frequent oil changes. like they recommend and like i would do to a boosted car that is really only running on idle or wot. it did a few runs at the local strip, and started making a ticking noise. i thought it might be a stuffed lifter, but no, the sound was found to be the pistons rocking in the bores excessively due to the centre of the bore being tight. mike told me it was due to the tune. then bad fuel. for the record fresh fuel was put in before every meet.
when we pulled it all apart, and i sent mike pics of the bores etc, he said "race motor, no warranty". he did supply me new pistons at cost, so that was nice of him. after i had the machining done, and said to mike that machining cant be tuned in, and i appreciated having to spend about $3k rebuilding my new engine, he blocked me on facebook and messenger. no sense of humour.
i have called the shop twice and just get the run around. basically, i just gave up on them, and will never use them again. i learnt my lesson, and i will just pay more to have it locally built next time.
i wouldnt recommend them, purely on the service side of things. they may do great work, machining and all the rest, but my short block wasnt an example of it. very unhappy. anyways, best of luck to the guys who go them.
also looking at the state of all the bearings, in the motor, the engine builder i used to rebuild my engine, thats life could only be measured in hours, not kilometres or miles, says it was possibly assembled dirty.
pistons.
bores. some of the bores were .002 of an inch tight in the centre. not all of them. had to get them torque plate honed.
you can view other pics here.
http://s741.photobucket.com/user/bts...?sort=3&page=1
mike was great to deal with....right up until i handed over money. then he kinda backed off a bit. but still was ok to deal with when i could get him on the phone. shipping was a pain in the ****, but there was multiple reasons/excuses for this. not being there i will let shipping time slide, because some of the reasons are legit i am sure. and i am in australia. so extra paperwork etc....
the car was run in at the performance shop, and on the dyno. frequent oil changes. like they recommend and like i would do to a boosted car that is really only running on idle or wot. it did a few runs at the local strip, and started making a ticking noise. i thought it might be a stuffed lifter, but no, the sound was found to be the pistons rocking in the bores excessively due to the centre of the bore being tight. mike told me it was due to the tune. then bad fuel. for the record fresh fuel was put in before every meet.
when we pulled it all apart, and i sent mike pics of the bores etc, he said "race motor, no warranty". he did supply me new pistons at cost, so that was nice of him. after i had the machining done, and said to mike that machining cant be tuned in, and i appreciated having to spend about $3k rebuilding my new engine, he blocked me on facebook and messenger. no sense of humour.
i have called the shop twice and just get the run around. basically, i just gave up on them, and will never use them again. i learnt my lesson, and i will just pay more to have it locally built next time.
i wouldnt recommend them, purely on the service side of things. they may do great work, machining and all the rest, but my short block wasnt an example of it. very unhappy. anyways, best of luck to the guys who go them.
Last edited by BTS666.0; Apr 19, 2015 at 08:18 PM. Reason: bad spelling. grammar. still not good, but better :)
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
From: metro detroit, mi
i got an AES 390. apparently my tuner didnt tune in the proper clearances on a couple of pistons, and it caused said pistons to collapse skirts. or it was the bad fuel i use in australia. hard to be sure.
also looking at the state of all the bearings, in the motor, the engine builder i used to rebuild my engine, thats life could only be measured in hours, not kilometres or miles, says it was possibly assembled dirty.
pistons.
bores. some of the bores were .002 of an inch tight in the centre. not all of them. had to get them torque plate honed.
you can view other pics here.
http://s741.photobucket.com/user/bts...?sort=3&page=1
mike was great to deal with....right up until i handed over money. then he kinda backed off a bit. but still was ok to deal with when i could get him on the phone. shipping was a pain in the ****, but there was multiple reasons/excuses for this. not being there i will let shipping time slide, because some of the reasons are legit i am sure. and i am in australia. so extra paperwork etc....
the car was run in at the performance shop, and on the dyno. frequent oil changes. like they recommend and like i would do to a boosted car that is really only running on idle or wot. it did a few runs at the local strip, and started making a ticking noise. i thought it might be a stuffed lifter, but no, the sound was found to be the pistons rocking in the bores excessively due to the centre of the bore being tight. mike told me it was due to the tune. then bad fuel. for the record fresh fuel was put in before every meet.
when we pulled it all apart, and i sent mike pics of the bores etc, he said "race motor, no warranty". he did supply me new pistons at cost, so that was nice of him. after i had the machining done, and said to mike that machining cant be tuned in, and i appreciated having to spend about $3k rebuilding my new engine, he blocked me on facebook and messenger. no sense of humour.
i have called the shop twice and just get the run around. basically, i just gave up on them, and will never use them again. i learnt my lesson, and i will just pay more to have it locally built next time.
i wouldnt recommend them, purely on the service side of things. they may do great work, machining and all the rest, but my short block wasnt an example of it. very unhappy. anyways, best of luck to the guys who go them.
also looking at the state of all the bearings, in the motor, the engine builder i used to rebuild my engine, thats life could only be measured in hours, not kilometres or miles, says it was possibly assembled dirty.
pistons.
bores. some of the bores were .002 of an inch tight in the centre. not all of them. had to get them torque plate honed.
you can view other pics here.
http://s741.photobucket.com/user/bts...?sort=3&page=1
mike was great to deal with....right up until i handed over money. then he kinda backed off a bit. but still was ok to deal with when i could get him on the phone. shipping was a pain in the ****, but there was multiple reasons/excuses for this. not being there i will let shipping time slide, because some of the reasons are legit i am sure. and i am in australia. so extra paperwork etc....
the car was run in at the performance shop, and on the dyno. frequent oil changes. like they recommend and like i would do to a boosted car that is really only running on idle or wot. it did a few runs at the local strip, and started making a ticking noise. i thought it might be a stuffed lifter, but no, the sound was found to be the pistons rocking in the bores excessively due to the centre of the bore being tight. mike told me it was due to the tune. then bad fuel. for the record fresh fuel was put in before every meet.
when we pulled it all apart, and i sent mike pics of the bores etc, he said "race motor, no warranty". he did supply me new pistons at cost, so that was nice of him. after i had the machining done, and said to mike that machining cant be tuned in, and i appreciated having to spend about $3k rebuilding my new engine, he blocked me on facebook and messenger. no sense of humour.
i have called the shop twice and just get the run around. basically, i just gave up on them, and will never use them again. i learnt my lesson, and i will just pay more to have it locally built next time.
i wouldnt recommend them, purely on the service side of things. they may do great work, machining and all the rest, but my short block wasnt an example of it. very unhappy. anyways, best of luck to the guys who go them.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Launching!
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
Hi Guys l got 468 tall deck rhs engine built by Aes back in Fraser days took ages.I learnt my lesson deal local may seem more afordable but in long run cost lot more customs etc getting stuffed around .Im hoping engine was built with care still waiting for final tuning l always paid on time not good enough.
cheers
cheers
i got an AES 390. apparently my tuner didnt tune in the proper clearances on a couple of pistons, and it caused said pistons to collapse skirts. or it was the bad fuel i use in australia. hard to be sure.
also looking at the state of all the bearings, in the motor, the engine builder i used to rebuild my engine, thats life could only be measured in hours, not kilometres or miles, says it was possibly assembled dirty.
pistons.
bores. some of the bores were .002 of an inch tight in the centre. not all of them. had to get them torque plate honed.
you can view other pics here.
http://s741.photobucket.com/user/bts...?sort=3&page=1
mike was great to deal with....right up until i handed over money. then he kinda backed off a bit. but still was ok to deal with when i could get him on the phone. shipping was a pain in the ****, but there was multiple reasons/excuses for this. not being there i will let shipping time slide, because some of the reasons are legit i am sure. and i am in australia. so extra paperwork etc....
the car was run in at the performance shop, and on the dyno. frequent oil changes. like they recommend and like i would do to a boosted car that is really only running on idle or wot. it did a few runs at the local strip, and started making a ticking noise. i thought it might be a stuffed lifter, but no, the sound was found to be the pistons rocking in the bores excessively due to the centre of the bore being tight. mike told me it was due to the tune. then bad fuel. for the record fresh fuel was put in before every meet.
when we pulled it all apart, and i sent mike pics of the bores etc, he said "race motor, no warranty". he did supply me new pistons at cost, so that was nice of him. after i had the machining done, and said to mike that machining cant be tuned in, and i appreciated having to spend about $3k rebuilding my new engine, he blocked me on facebook and messenger. no sense of humour.
i have called the shop twice and just get the run around. basically, i just gave up on them, and will never use them again. i learnt my lesson, and i will just pay more to have it locally built next time.
i wouldnt recommend them, purely on the service side of things. they may do great work, machining and all the rest, but my short block wasnt an example of it. very unhappy. anyways, best of luck to the guys who go them.
also looking at the state of all the bearings, in the motor, the engine builder i used to rebuild my engine, thats life could only be measured in hours, not kilometres or miles, says it was possibly assembled dirty.
pistons.
bores. some of the bores were .002 of an inch tight in the centre. not all of them. had to get them torque plate honed.
you can view other pics here.
http://s741.photobucket.com/user/bts...?sort=3&page=1
mike was great to deal with....right up until i handed over money. then he kinda backed off a bit. but still was ok to deal with when i could get him on the phone. shipping was a pain in the ****, but there was multiple reasons/excuses for this. not being there i will let shipping time slide, because some of the reasons are legit i am sure. and i am in australia. so extra paperwork etc....
the car was run in at the performance shop, and on the dyno. frequent oil changes. like they recommend and like i would do to a boosted car that is really only running on idle or wot. it did a few runs at the local strip, and started making a ticking noise. i thought it might be a stuffed lifter, but no, the sound was found to be the pistons rocking in the bores excessively due to the centre of the bore being tight. mike told me it was due to the tune. then bad fuel. for the record fresh fuel was put in before every meet.
when we pulled it all apart, and i sent mike pics of the bores etc, he said "race motor, no warranty". he did supply me new pistons at cost, so that was nice of him. after i had the machining done, and said to mike that machining cant be tuned in, and i appreciated having to spend about $3k rebuilding my new engine, he blocked me on facebook and messenger. no sense of humour.
i have called the shop twice and just get the run around. basically, i just gave up on them, and will never use them again. i learnt my lesson, and i will just pay more to have it locally built next time.
i wouldnt recommend them, purely on the service side of things. they may do great work, machining and all the rest, but my short block wasnt an example of it. very unhappy. anyways, best of luck to the guys who go them.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
From: metro detroit, mi
I had to buy another block, and I reused the pistons, rods, crank. The block had gouged cylinder walls. But my pistons had no scrapes, and were Sent to diamond to have them checked. So that tells me they used a junkyard block that they bored 30 over and still didn't clean up scraped up bores, and called it good Anyway. The motor/heads were redone locally, and I just dropped it in my tbss tonight.
Hi Guys l got 468 tall deck rhs engine built by Aes back in Fraser days took ages.I learnt my lesson deal local may seem more afordable but in long run cost lot more customs etc getting stuffed around .Im hoping engine was built with care still waiting for final tuning l always paid on time not good enough.
cheers
cheers
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
From: metro detroit, mi
i have my RHS 461 getting build there im starting to loose my mind already my **** never got finish they gust keep giving me the run around. mike the supposedly engine builder that is never at the shop or always at the flow bench or at the dyno is hard to get a hold after you handle him your money. hopefully my **** get finish already and holds together because it has to make 2000hp.
i have my RHS 461 getting build there im starting to loose my mind already my **** never got finish they gust keep giving me the run around. mike the supposedly engine builder that is never at the shop or always at the flow bench or at the dyno is hard to get a hold after you handle him your money. hopefully my **** get finish already and holds together because it has to make 2000hp.
Brian is older than Mike and is customer service oriented. Mike is younger and more technical but also customer facing. Their is about 15 other dudes in that shop that people never interact with.
I took some pictures of the shop (they encouraged me to do so). They had about 40 completed engines ready to ship out. About 40 in the waiting line. Probably 100 cranks tagged and ready for turning, polishing etc...
Like I said, their are some big speed shops in Chicago and near Chicago - not all LSX shops - that use AES that people
about. Interesting. Their were a few LSX block builds. A few 4 bolt headed LS motor builds like mine. Some dart block builds. BBC builds. SBC builds. Ford builds. Mopar builds. 4G63 builds and on and on and on.
I'll report back about how my motor performs both on the dyno and the track. The guys at AES actually let me watch final assembly of my motor as well as entertained my 7 year old boy with lot's of stickers and giving him a sneak peak at their KOTS car etc...
I can't defend anything that has been reported in this thread. Only offer an alternative view point. That is all. Hope everyone else finds resolution to their issues.
I usually avoid these vendor-bashing and mud-slinging discussions. Was hoping there could be some resolution to my dispute with them, but now I just have to chime in.
Even though I am really pissed, I am not going to get into a long drawn out public discussion of my issues with them. I am retired and just trying to enjoy the tail-end of my life and decided to cut my losses and take it up the butt-cheeks from them. Won't go so far as to call them crooks, but they are unethical with bad business practices and a total disregard for the customer, with the end result the same.
Based on what I am reading, there seems to be 2 sides to AES, the one that caters to the racers and $$$ customers and those they deal with mail-order. I may be just another irate guy spewing words behind his keyboard, but based on my experience dealing with them, I would strongly advise anyone out there considering a build to look somewhere else.
That is all.
Even though I am really pissed, I am not going to get into a long drawn out public discussion of my issues with them. I am retired and just trying to enjoy the tail-end of my life and decided to cut my losses and take it up the butt-cheeks from them. Won't go so far as to call them crooks, but they are unethical with bad business practices and a total disregard for the customer, with the end result the same.
Based on what I am reading, there seems to be 2 sides to AES, the one that caters to the racers and $$$ customers and those they deal with mail-order. I may be just another irate guy spewing words behind his keyboard, but based on my experience dealing with them, I would strongly advise anyone out there considering a build to look somewhere else.
That is all.
I usually avoid these vendor-bashing and mud-slinging discussions. Was hoping there could be some resolution to my dispute with them, but now I just have to chime in.
Even though I am really pissed, I am not going to get into a long drawn out public discussion of my issues with them. I am retired and just trying to enjoy the tail-end of my life and decided to cut my losses and take it up the butt-cheeks from them. Won't go so far as to call them crooks, but they are unethical with bad business practices and a total disregard for the customer, with the end result the same.
Based on what I am reading, there seems to be 2 sides to AES, the one that caters to the racers and $$$ customers and those they deal with mail-order. I may be just another irate guy spewing words behind his keyboard, but based on my experience dealing with them, I would strongly advise anyone out there considering a build to look somewhere else.
That is all.
Even though I am really pissed, I am not going to get into a long drawn out public discussion of my issues with them. I am retired and just trying to enjoy the tail-end of my life and decided to cut my losses and take it up the butt-cheeks from them. Won't go so far as to call them crooks, but they are unethical with bad business practices and a total disregard for the customer, with the end result the same.
Based on what I am reading, there seems to be 2 sides to AES, the one that caters to the racers and $$$ customers and those they deal with mail-order. I may be just another irate guy spewing words behind his keyboard, but based on my experience dealing with them, I would strongly advise anyone out there considering a build to look somewhere else.
That is all.
Sad to see the sheer volume of wronged customers. It isn't right, nor should it be tolerated. Looks like Thunder Racing Part II in my eyes.
When they're out of business, they'll have quite a bit of free time on their hands to contemplate all of their negligence. Brian wants to cry wolf for people "talking **** on the internet", but doesn't want to take care of the people who keep him in business, not to mention that Chevy of his sponsored..
