New QLD Member

[RAP260]

Yep , tell me about it. Old cars are like the painting of the Harbour Bridge. Just when you think you have reached the end it's time to start at the beginning again.

 

As I type, I have a V8 XB Ford sitting in our garage due for its second rebuild.

[MATTY]

hmm XB falcon you say. You had my curiosity. But now you have my attention lol

[RAP260]

Yea , she's a beauty, well was... Now due for a rotisserie level rebuild. Most people would say scrap it , but my wife has owned it for 25 odd years, and she loves it.

 

Currently exploring restoration options. There's at least one business in brissy who specialise in restoring muscle cars and a few down south. Either way expecting to spend 20k on the body alone. Ouch....

[MATTY]

its all a labour of love.

 

either way personally its worth it. just be sure the zed doesnt get negelected now and its all good haha

 

plus sometimes you cant really put a value on something that you have an emotional bond with either.

[RAP260]

No worries about the zed being neglected.

 

Thinking of which, this arrived today.

 

 

 

[MATTY]

No worries about the zed being neglected.

 

Thinking of which, this arrived today.

 

YAY shiny bits, where'd you snag that from??

[RAP260]

Imported from the good old US of A

 

No Kameari's , but they should be more than adequate for the L26. OBX is the brand , 16 gauge stainless steel and have a thick flange , which means I won't have to machine as much off the intake manifold.

[MATTY]

so no over night parts from japan??

 

bloody oath they should work a treat be better than the dirty old factory one i have. seeing all the shiny parts you have brought make me want to go spend some coin on my old girl lol but ill see how that pans out.

[RAP260]

No..no overnight parts from Japan...yet , lol

 

I really have to learn to control myself. I still have to pay for the rebuild , and then to have all the shiny new parts installed.

 

After all of this I will have to take it easy for a while....of course the body could do with some work and while I think about it the seats could do with recovering 

[RAP260]

My engine has now been in the workshop for 6 weeks and they haven't even started working on it. 

 

Starting to think it's time to move on to someone else.

[MATTY]

where abouts in town did you take it??

 

i had a similar problem with getting a my gear box rebuilt. it sat for three months before i checked on it then they got all shitty when i said i couldnt pay it all off as i had to spend the money i had a side 3 months ago on bills as it was nearing Xmas.would have been ok if they rang when it was done would have paid it all then and there but oh well

[RAP260]

Hey Matty , I'll PM you shortly , you will know the name.

 

I don't want to rubbish this business in a public forum, as there may be a legitimate reason for the substandard service I have received. Even though I don't believe there is such a thing ( having been in the service industry for over 20 years )

 

This is a well known business , not only locally but interstate , who promise to involve the customer in the whole experience . Well my experience has been anything but involving.

 

After the first week I called to see what was happening , to be told ... Yea we should be able to open it up tomorrow , I'll give you a call then.

 

Well a week and a half passes, so I go in and see them in person ,  I am then told that it will be three weeks before they can look at it.

 

Well three weeks have come and gone and still nothing.

 

I understand that things happen in business that can cause unexpected delays , but the number one rule of business ( in my experience ) is to let the client know , therefore making them feel that you actually give a damn about them. I am happy to spend in excess of 5k ( excluding the 3k+ I have already spent on parts ) to have this engine rebuilt. Now I am sure this is nothing, compared to what some people spend on their engines, but for an L26 I think it's rather considerable.

 

And I would  like to add that no apolgy or explanation has ever been given.

 

Sorry , just needed to vent. 

[gav240z]

I would get it out of there, pack it up ship it to Peter Mac to work some magic on it. Of course he is probably very busy but you've seen what he can do with an L-series.

 

In my opinion go with someone who others on here have had a great experience with. Nobody has complained about the work Peter does to date. It's top class. Might cost a tiny bit more than you anticipated but do it once do it properly and you'll save money in the long run IMHO.

 

There are other options also closer to QLD.

[RAP260]

Cheers Gavin , thanks for the feedback.

 

Would love a Peter Mac engine  , the only problem is that I would end up sleeping in the car , not because I couldn't pay the mortgage, but because the wife would kick me out of the house. Of course many would say "The problem there is...... ??"  ,  lol

 

While the options are endless , I am currently throwing around the idea of buying another engine , closer to a workshop I want to use , and getting it rebuilt and shipped up to me. But I then have to find someone here who I trust to install it and set it up correctly ( triple webers / full electronic timing control , ect ). And I also have to give up my original engine.

 

I may have to realistically look at Brisbane based options , I will start a thread shortly to see if any Brisbane based members have any suggestions. That way I can ( economically ) ship the engine first followed by the car when its ready.

 

I think I will have to chew on it for a few more days , I have a weeks leave starting on the 1st of October , till then work commitments are going to keep me too busy to really do much.