Learn from my MISTAKES
08-16-2008, 10:55 AM
#1
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Learn from my MISTAKES All my mistakes, the story of my car……learn by them please
After you go through any near death experience you can rethink a lot of things. I came very near to being dead in Iraq in 2005. I got shot in my right hand/arm and my chest. Instead I spent 8 months in a hospital and that’s where this all started. I had lots of time to think about all those things I always wanted to do but never quite got around to doing. Drag Racing was one. Just streetable stuff nothing to crazy.Once I got back home I told my girlfriend at the time, now my wife that I was buying a fast car. Picked out a Z06 and she said she would leave me if I spent that kind of money on a toy. Lots of fighting blah blah I ended up somehow on LS1tech later on and then it all started.
WS6,SS,Firehawk, LT1, or LS1? Vette, Fbody or GTO? Choices were basically limitless. For whatever reason I ended up with a low mileage HAWK. I think I have gone through every BAD phase of getting a car like this and modding it. The only one I probably have not is lack of using the SEARCH tab. I think I got into the modding thing right at the point where I knew just enough to be dangerous. And these are the things I have learned.
ONLY take your car to a reputable lsx shop. If that means travelling 3 extra hours to get there then do it. I live on the Canada/New Hampshire border with no one closer than East Side Performance or Dez racing. Both between 5-6+ hours away. I did this in the winter so that meant RollBacking it to wherever. 6+ hours in a rollback is not fun and at 55 going downhill makes a 6 hour trip 7+. At least the rollback is family owned so I only paid fuel at $5+ a gallon. And the heater did not work which I did not know until we left.
Moving on to the shop. Yes we have done ls series stuff is what they said. I told them the car was in storage from Sept to May so I was in no hurry. I was told two weeks roughly to get it all done if I was not in a hurry. Months pass and yes I was pissed but I did tell them I was in no hurry and he always had a excuse. And the car was being stored inside according to the shop.
So now its late May and I am ready to kill some one cuz I don’t have my car back. I head to the shop and tell him I am taking the car back regardless of the progress. I am told it will be done by the time I arrive. I show up and the car is strapped to the dyno and wont start. It looks like it has been sitting on the side of I-93 for two months in February its so dirty. This is a car that I don’t drive in the rain, at night, we have lots of moose, deer, drunk rednecks on the roads up here and is always garaged. I am more or less limited to the use of just my left hand so cleaning this **** off took me the better part of a week inside and out, under the hood etc. Any how they get it running by the end of the day and I leave. The car rips *** and I am fairly pleased although my n20 kit/tune is not finished.
Mods done PRC 5.3 2.5 heads, 233/239 112 lsa cam, Fast 90/90, 150 dry shot not done yet but in the car, True Duals, QTP longtubes but Pacesetters ended up on he car? Said he was trying to save me money? All supporting mods like injectors, 2nd fuel pump, Wolfe 6 Point, harnesses, Line Lock, Wheels, Drag Radials, S60 with 4.11s, steel d/s it goes on and on.basically took the car down to the short block and replaced everything but the seats.
Few lessons learned by this point? Why the hell didn’t I just order a long or short block with the money already spent?
The shop says seeing as I already paid for dyno time, that once he figures out whats wrong with my nitrous setup they will straighten it. Yeah right.
But I had paid so I waited and now its August and he says they are ready. In there defense I was not able to make it down the month prior due to all my over time. Hobbies are best paid for in cash always remember. So I drop the car off and 3 days later they tell me I am all finished. Nitrous tune is done and I head down to pick up the car. Now when I had first picked the car up in May I was at 450ish rwhp and 410ish rwtq. The only graph I had in hand was 432 and 411 but that was my first pull before major tuning. And my nitrous pulls were tappin high 500s on a 150 shot. So I was shocked when I pick the car up and I get handed a dyno sheet saying 395rwhp and 345 rwtq. I was like this is unacceptable, that’s barely more torque than I made stock and my nitrous pull was barely more than I made on straight motor in May. He said my maf was jacked and he could only spray a 75 shot. I said how the hell could you think this is right when you look at my previous numbers. Tells me that’s is just all the car is capable of ??? So now I’m beyond pissed but luckily the V.A has me medicated for anger issues/PTSD so I refrained from commiting a capital crime. I start the car to leave and its sitting there backfiring. I tell the shop owner I guess you think its supposed to do that right? No response and I tell him well I only have a 4 hour drive home I hope it does not blow up and leave. Car runs like *** and now I still have to bring it to a reputable tuner/shop.
So besides running like ****, wasting all this time, my paint job being screwed, full of scratches, and someone left a wrench or some **** on the IROC spoiler I just had to have on the HAWK and the rust stain goes straight into the paint staining it. **** must have lain there for a month outside to rust that bad. So that was a additional however many hundreds to get the car cleaned up. My interior scuffed/scratched and covered in grease stains that just wont come out. I am understanding enough to know that with the amount of work I had done that something would get dinged or scratched but I almost swear it was done on purpose. I mentioned it after the first time I dropped the car off and this time the interior was covered in rusty grease. Its on the mats which can be repalced cheaply enough unless I want the Firehawk specific ones they ruined which are probably 150 dollars from SLP.
So how many lessons learned ??? Take your **** to a reputable shop that can do your stuff right the first time. I will not let another shop touch my stuff unless they are listed on this site as a good shop regardless if I have to haul it ten hours. Or just do it yourself. If I was not gimped up I would have done that and probably been no worse off and saved a ton of cash and just brought it for a tune.
On a happy note I would like to thank all the sponsors that helped, Texas Speed, Fast Toys, Midwest Chassis, are all great people to talk with if you’re a noob and need lots of stupid questions answered. And try to remember when modding leave room to grow. Don’t paint yourself into a corner with a certain item like heads or whatever if you plan on going bigger cubes down the road. It might not make the best power possible on your 346 but might save you from buying a second set of heads. This is in no way a complaint on what I have when it was runnin OK. Just ask when you talk to the vendor if they can grow with your future plans. And unless you absolutely have to don’t sell your stock **** until your done. I bought a Volant setup which was a royal PITA and just ended up buying a stock radiator support and Fast Toys Lid. Much more expensive than just putting your stock SLP lid and Radiator support back on cuz you sold it in the parts section.
After you go through any near death experience you can rethink a lot of things. I came very near to being dead in Iraq in 2005. I got shot in my right hand/arm and my chest. Instead I spent 8 months in a hospital and that’s where this all started. I had lots of time to think about all those things I always wanted to do but never quite got around to doing. Drag Racing was one. Just streetable stuff nothing to crazy.Once I got back home I told my girlfriend at the time, now my wife that I was buying a fast car. Picked out a Z06 and she said she would leave me if I spent that kind of money on a toy. Lots of fighting blah blah I ended up somehow on LS1tech later on and then it all started.
WS6,SS,Firehawk, LT1, or LS1? Vette, Fbody or GTO? Choices were basically limitless. For whatever reason I ended up with a low mileage HAWK. I think I have gone through every BAD phase of getting a car like this and modding it. The only one I probably have not is lack of using the SEARCH tab. I think I got into the modding thing right at the point where I knew just enough to be dangerous. And these are the things I have learned.
ONLY take your car to a reputable lsx shop. If that means travelling 3 extra hours to get there then do it. I live on the Canada/New Hampshire border with no one closer than East Side Performance or Dez racing. Both between 5-6+ hours away. I did this in the winter so that meant RollBacking it to wherever. 6+ hours in a rollback is not fun and at 55 going downhill makes a 6 hour trip 7+. At least the rollback is family owned so I only paid fuel at $5+ a gallon. And the heater did not work which I did not know until we left.
Moving on to the shop. Yes we have done ls series stuff is what they said. I told them the car was in storage from Sept to May so I was in no hurry. I was told two weeks roughly to get it all done if I was not in a hurry. Months pass and yes I was pissed but I did tell them I was in no hurry and he always had a excuse. And the car was being stored inside according to the shop.
So now its late May and I am ready to kill some one cuz I don’t have my car back. I head to the shop and tell him I am taking the car back regardless of the progress. I am told it will be done by the time I arrive. I show up and the car is strapped to the dyno and wont start. It looks like it has been sitting on the side of I-93 for two months in February its so dirty. This is a car that I don’t drive in the rain, at night, we have lots of moose, deer, drunk rednecks on the roads up here and is always garaged. I am more or less limited to the use of just my left hand so cleaning this **** off took me the better part of a week inside and out, under the hood etc. Any how they get it running by the end of the day and I leave. The car rips *** and I am fairly pleased although my n20 kit/tune is not finished.
Mods done PRC 5.3 2.5 heads, 233/239 112 lsa cam, Fast 90/90, 150 dry shot not done yet but in the car, True Duals, QTP longtubes but Pacesetters ended up on he car? Said he was trying to save me money? All supporting mods like injectors, 2nd fuel pump, Wolfe 6 Point, harnesses, Line Lock, Wheels, Drag Radials, S60 with 4.11s, steel d/s it goes on and on.basically took the car down to the short block and replaced everything but the seats.
Few lessons learned by this point? Why the hell didn’t I just order a long or short block with the money already spent?
The shop says seeing as I already paid for dyno time, that once he figures out whats wrong with my nitrous setup they will straighten it. Yeah right.
But I had paid so I waited and now its August and he says they are ready. In there defense I was not able to make it down the month prior due to all my over time. Hobbies are best paid for in cash always remember. So I drop the car off and 3 days later they tell me I am all finished. Nitrous tune is done and I head down to pick up the car. Now when I had first picked the car up in May I was at 450ish rwhp and 410ish rwtq. The only graph I had in hand was 432 and 411 but that was my first pull before major tuning. And my nitrous pulls were tappin high 500s on a 150 shot. So I was shocked when I pick the car up and I get handed a dyno sheet saying 395rwhp and 345 rwtq. I was like this is unacceptable, that’s barely more torque than I made stock and my nitrous pull was barely more than I made on straight motor in May. He said my maf was jacked and he could only spray a 75 shot. I said how the hell could you think this is right when you look at my previous numbers. Tells me that’s is just all the car is capable of ??? So now I’m beyond pissed but luckily the V.A has me medicated for anger issues/PTSD so I refrained from commiting a capital crime. I start the car to leave and its sitting there backfiring. I tell the shop owner I guess you think its supposed to do that right? No response and I tell him well I only have a 4 hour drive home I hope it does not blow up and leave. Car runs like *** and now I still have to bring it to a reputable tuner/shop.
So besides running like ****, wasting all this time, my paint job being screwed, full of scratches, and someone left a wrench or some **** on the IROC spoiler I just had to have on the HAWK and the rust stain goes straight into the paint staining it. **** must have lain there for a month outside to rust that bad. So that was a additional however many hundreds to get the car cleaned up. My interior scuffed/scratched and covered in grease stains that just wont come out. I am understanding enough to know that with the amount of work I had done that something would get dinged or scratched but I almost swear it was done on purpose. I mentioned it after the first time I dropped the car off and this time the interior was covered in rusty grease. Its on the mats which can be repalced cheaply enough unless I want the Firehawk specific ones they ruined which are probably 150 dollars from SLP.
So how many lessons learned ??? Take your **** to a reputable shop that can do your stuff right the first time. I will not let another shop touch my stuff unless they are listed on this site as a good shop regardless if I have to haul it ten hours. Or just do it yourself. If I was not gimped up I would have done that and probably been no worse off and saved a ton of cash and just brought it for a tune.
On a happy note I would like to thank all the sponsors that helped, Texas Speed, Fast Toys, Midwest Chassis, are all great people to talk with if you’re a noob and need lots of stupid questions answered. And try to remember when modding leave room to grow. Don’t paint yourself into a corner with a certain item like heads or whatever if you plan on going bigger cubes down the road. It might not make the best power possible on your 346 but might save you from buying a second set of heads. This is in no way a complaint on what I have when it was runnin OK. Just ask when you talk to the vendor if they can grow with your future plans. And unless you absolutely have to don’t sell your stock **** until your done. I bought a Volant setup which was a royal PITA and just ended up buying a stock radiator support and Fast Toys Lid. Much more expensive than just putting your stock SLP lid and Radiator support back on cuz you sold it in the parts section.
Last edited by 02HawkTA#195; 08-16-2008 at 11:01 AM.
08-16-2008, 11:59 AM
#3
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Damn, that blows. You make some very good points here, though, and at least you learned from it. There are truly quite a few people that are new to modding cars that could learn a lot from your story if they actually take the time to read it.
08-16-2008, 12:07 PM
#4
Staging Lane
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jk. But seriously if you have some pics of the car when you got it back and it was all dirty and interior was messed up show some before and after pics.
I definatly had a similar lesson learned when i first started getting my car fixed. Car was having an random starting problem that was similar to a vats problem. Kicked it when i was having oil changed down the street at an oil change/mechanic place. I had them look at it and they said fuel pump and charged me $1,000.00. Month later started again. They said computer and charged me another $700. Didnt start when i left the shop so they got a new ignition/key and gaev the car back with an SES light on from a crappy programming job that they said would fix for me when they got the software. (6 months later no call, i had it fixed at a dif shop that i trusted.)
Think the problem is if the less reputable/ethical shops see you come in wililng to drop a lot of money to work on a car they asume you have deep pockets and mess with you. The repairs i had done took way too long, they spent over a week diagnosing my computer being broken, which in the end was more likley they toasted it during their testing.
Looks like a similar situation happened to you where they treated you like ****, you should definatly file complaints and try to get money back if they really messed up your paint and gave you a filthy car back. If you brought your clean car in to do that much work the least they could do is hose the thing down after the work.
08-16-2008, 12:11 PM
#5
Closed Sponsor Account
iTrader: (32)
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: South Florida
Posts: 386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We try to explain this to customers ALL THE TIME. When they see what things cost in the HIGH PERFORMANCE WORLD, they tend to go to the **** shops, only to end up BACK at our shop to have things fixed...people forget that a proper tune/install/build will cost money and that going to the cheapest place is NOT neccesarily the best idea.
Like I always say, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
In some instances though, you can still pay a shitload and just have badluck. Choosing a good shop is just as important as choosing your parts. Sounds like you may just have had some back luck...I would def be pissed my man!
Like I always say, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
In some instances though, you can still pay a shitload and just have badluck. Choosing a good shop is just as important as choosing your parts. Sounds like you may just have had some back luck...I would def be pissed my man!
08-16-2008, 12:17 PM
#6
Staging Lane
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ya i wish i had a good ls1 shop closer by just to throw ideas off of for what i want done/get advice/pointers. I need to move to so-cal and join the marines to get in the loop lol.
Trending Topics
08-16-2008, 12:48 PM
#8
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
it was not a issue of money so much as distance. 4-5 hours flat beddin it or 7-8. one way. i grilled them fairly good about experience but not good enough. they had pics and graphs of ls1 etc cars on there site. learn the hardway i guess
08-16-2008, 02:33 PM
#10
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Lewis, WA.
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yea im curious to know this as well, its one thing to screw somebody but its another to screw someone who took a bullet, i'd burn that place down to the ground my friend.
09-19-2008, 01:29 PM
#15
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Damn thats horrible. I know you spent a **** ton of money just by the mods you have. Maybe you'll never get anything from that shop but you should scream how horrible the shop is to the top of your lungs to everyone around you in that town and local boards.
09-19-2008, 04:45 PM
#18
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Spurs City!!! SA, Tx
Posts: 1,360
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
didn't sound good one bit
we all live & learn man
I learned my lesson taking my tranny to a neighborhood trans shop about 2 1/2 yrs ago.. I don't even want to begin
we all live & learn manI learned my lesson taking my tranny to a neighborhood trans shop about 2 1/2 yrs ago.. I don't even want to begin
09-21-2008, 10:35 PM
#19
Which is why, call me crazy, I do almost EVERYTHING myself. If I wasn't able to? I would just wait until I found the right people to help out or do it for me. I hate leaving any of my cars anywhere that I can't easily spot them. Call it paranoia but it does have its benefits....
