Originally Posted by ezss

My car has been at JD's auto repair now since last monday. I took the car there because Joe Prince @ JPR recommended taking it there, saying that JD is handling the install portion of his business now. As many of you know, I have had problems with the car since day one with the new engine. It dynoes well, but it smokes like a **** going down the track and I can not get good times out of it, it seems to have a loss of power in the upper rpm band, and just feels flat. Before the 388, best ET 11.87 @ 118, after breakin and exactly the same setup I go to atco and I cannot get the car to run faster than 116mph trap times (and slower ETs too). I thought it was just that I was a bad driver, and the clutch is tricky, but at that time it was working fine.

Back and forth with JPR, changed cams, changed cylender heads, changed injectors (twice), multiple retunes, LS6 oil management system, new rockers, the list goes on and on. The original project budget was $5500, went up to $7500, and now I have over $12k into the car's motor this year alone. I paid for everything, except I was given a break on the second cam install. Now I am told it will take $5-6k to get my car running again because of the following:
1. collapsed lifters, five (5) of them. I have never heard of Comp R racing lifters collapsing
2. glazed cylender walls -- JD says they look like a very old car's, and had to be re-honed (work already done), which will require new forged pistons and new piston rings (which were apparently shot anyhow). Stretched rods, which initially said would require new rods, but now apparently are salvageable
3. rework needed on cylender heads, with only 1500 miles on the heads, they need to be reworked for $300.
4. recommends going to solid roller and lifters because hydraulic will not hold up to 7k rpm.

They are telling me this is because i overreved the motor (at 7k rpm?! this is the rev limiter on nearly every h/c out there, and I have doublesprings,yella terra rockers, hardened pushrods, comp R lifters, forged internals, and every upgradeable part imaginable). I believe it to be a setup issue, I do not understand how you can collapse that many lifters and do the damage that was done any other way.

They are also telling me this is because I upgraded to 42# injectors from 36# (car wouldnt even start), which was done at JDs recommedation because JPR had no opinion on why my car appeared to running out of fuel in the upper rpm band on the dyno. The computer was sent in, without ever moving the car (it wouldnt start, bogged right away) once the injectors were put in to Bryan Herter, who did the tuning at JDs and both JD and Bryan said it should not be a big deal to make this adjustment. I autotapped the car when i got it back and it ran, found it to be running very rich still, and adjusted the tuning with a MAF Translator until it went back on the dyno again. Anyhow the injectors are cited as the reason why the cylenders are screwed up, the rest of the damage from overreving.

My theory? Valvetrain set up wrong, too much preload or some other issue, collapsed the lifters and the valves would not open all the way, forcing unburnt gas back in the cylenders, causing excess crankcase pressure and the oil problem (which incidentally the last time I ran they kicked me off the track for the huge cloud of smoke I took down the track, and oil was everywhere in my engine bay, pooled on the airfilter, on my strut tower bar, pooled in the intake, everywhere.) I wouls appreciate other people's thoughts that are more technically oriented than myself on how all of this could have happened.

Either way, I cant see how I should have to pay all this additional money on top of the $12k into the motor just to get me up and running. The car has been there two weeks, Joe prince apparently works for JD now, and neither of them will give me any kind of break or special consideration under the circumstances. I have tried to contact JPR, but he has not called,emailed me or anything and he knows from JD also that I have been urgently trying to get in touch with him.

I am at my wits end here, I cannot afford to keep the car as it is, and now Im asked to spend 5-6k just to get it back to where it was supposed to be in february?!?

I offered to make deals, for instance I have said I can justify in my mind (even this is pushing it) to pay for new pistons, rods, etc...if the engine is upgraded with a stroker crank to a 427. The parts for this come out to $4k (with JDs markup), but for some reason it will cost me close to $8k to make this change. I said I would do $5k everything included in light of the situation, but thats not workable apparently.

I have video, timeslips, and every email every passed between JPR and myself, and it looks like I am going to need it if I have to file suit. This has been the single worst automotive experience I have ever had, and the entire process along with the fact that I cannot afford to keep the car any longer because of balooning debt to pay for all this, has really left a sour taste in my mouth for the LS1 modification scene.

It looks like I am getting out. If anyone wants to make me an offer on the car as is, or has suggestions on how to get it fixed maybe using a stock motor, let me know. It can be a 427 soild roller setup with another 5-8k into it that should see north of 500rwhp/500rwtq NA. All specs and mods on my webpage:
www.erikz.org I will possible part it out, depending on who is interested in what, with dibs going to members of the SLFBA, my car club. This saddens me greatly, I have always wanted a camaro, I have camaro posters and hundreds of camaro miniature cars, tons of camaro memoriobilia, etc... that will require some redocoration/relocation in my house.

Thank you JPR for standing behind your work

Originally Posted by ezss

JD has offered to fix the car for free, with the exception of some assembly labor. I really dont think he thought he would be assuming any bad business liability by taking on Joe Prince, and I totally understand the situation he was put in, but he also understands my situation and doesnt want to see me walk away without having a running car. Everyone loses that way.

He says he will get my car running the way it should have been running from day one, and I think I had a f**king tear in my eye when he told me that. This has been a long and painful year.