ZR1Pete

120 %
Done from a reputable tuner.

wdo-mkr

Get your car the hell out of that "shop". Thats a big part of the problem you are having. You can park yours behind mine at corey's. He will get to it.

zr11990broken

I heard Cory has a new baby and he turned off his phone. You may not get yours any faster than I get mine.

RatRacer

He has a new baby but he always returns his calls. wdo-mkr's advice is good. I guarantee he'll have his car back, running better than ever, long before you are zr1fixed.

ZR1Pete

I still like to know what's broken that is taking four years to fix.

Are you sure your car ain't stolen, 4 years i would report it stolen and have him arrested this way he can't do it to anybody else.

The Lurker

Hey Paul, nice to hear from you. Doing OK? Name me ONE builder of a 415 that takes 3-4 weeks! Why don't you tell the people about how bad I felt about this and told you that you owe me nothing? Did you tell them that the front end was damaged and I fixed that for nada? Did you tell them how I detailed the engine compartment, polished the suspension pieces, every nook and cranny was cleaned out and it took a weeks to do for nada? I took everything down on that engine by hand removing all casting marks so that it was perfect for powder coating. Did that make any difference? No. Did it make any difference that I took the interior kick panals out of my car to put on yours that had none? No. Now the car isn't running right. I told you long ago about that wiring harness being hacked and I had some parts to fix obvious things but it would only be known if it worked when the engine was started. Now, after talking with Cory, the wiring I put in for the ignition module to coil pack mounting plate (which does work fine BTW) was not the only thing wrong with it, yet you still blame me for that. That is fine with me though.

Truth is, yes, I got myself into a bind for a while. I readily admit that and I have tried making it up to people. The problem is, when one tries to please all the people one ends up pleasing no one. But, that is old news. I pissed Paul off even when my best efforts failed. I lost thousands on that car trying to make things right with him to no avail. And yes, I was going to stick by that car but now, well, I would still do it. Man do I feel like a sucker.

As far as broken 90, his car is ready to stab the engine in. I told him there was a car in front of him and I had to get it out. It turned out that car, with an engine that was sent to me, had a coil pack mount with a short in it in addition to two coil packs, a crank sensor that was bad, and two plug wires that didn't ohm out. I repaired that and sent the car on. 90's car is ready to stab the engine in as soon as I detail the engine compartment which is coated in oil and dirt.

As far as people dragging my name in the dirt, fine with me. It's already there. I just want people to know that I am not merrily going along thinking how much fun it is to screw people. I screwed myself and now I am trying to right what has been wronged. Whether I succeed in that endeavor or not is not up to me. At least, I tried.

A1990

I'm not sure of what is exactly going on with 90broken's car right now, but to Lurker's defense, it was in Colorado, most of the time we are talking about, possibly 3+ of the four years discussed here.

In a one or two man shop, you better just figure on 6-9 months depending on what you have done. Fact of life.

The project gets "interrupted" for other's minor repairs, etc...

DDSLT5

Jim - you've been lurking too long. I am not Paul Smith from texas, and I was NOT talking about you in the post I made. My 415 went through a whole different hell, and it didn't involve you or your shop. In fact, zr1brokken never indicated you were working on his car - I thought it was in transit to Corey's shop - but then, I'm not up to date on his saga - just that he had it at a shop up north for a long time, and now it is in texas.

PM me privately and I can tell you anything more you wish to know about my circumstances. Suffice it to say: you owe Paul Smith an apology - he is a stand up guy, and wouldn't publicly disrespect anybody. Sorry for the confusion!

The Lurker

Please, if I have offended Paul Smith, I apologise most profusely. Paul is a standup guy, great guy as a matter of fact, and I hope that my faux pax confusing him with another will not offend. It is my fault.

As a matter of fact, I wasn't trying to offend any Paul. I just read some posts where it appeared my name was being drug thru the mud. I just wanted the circumstances to be understood before being thrown under the bus instead.

zr11990broken

Hey Jim, Your not supposed to be reading this stuff your supposed to be working on vettes,when your wife will let you. This thread has nothing to do with you or how long it has taken, I understand, I dont like it but I understand. It will be right when its done. The reason for the thread was; the new Z06 is 3 times the car the zr1 is and I was wondering if I could get close to one if I parted the car out verses selling it outright and selling my 2000. We have discussed the fact that the car is worth nothing even after you get done piecing it back together after 3 people have royaly fubared it. I dont think though that I can get close enough, damn that zo6 is sweet, o well. An yes I did know there was more than one car ahead of me so Im not busting your chops. We just hit the 4 year mark however so Im hoping to see it soon,please.

PS dont forget the evans coolant its to much trouble to swap it out later and I dont want that orange crap in there.

zr11990broken

Jim I just read this this thread compleatly. I apologise if I gave the intention that you were trying to screw me or anyone else. that was not the reason for this post. Read previous post

The Lurker

No prob bro, it would make no difference to me what you said. It's going out the way I want it and that's right unless you tell me different. When a car leaves not right it's because the owner wants it that way, not me. I understand that you are dying for it so let's make this happen. Just cut the calls down to once a week

wdo-mkr

Jim your right, I have no real reason to be disappointed here. I am not going into the complete nightmare of over 18 months of trying to get my car back from you here. But lets stick to some of the the facts here and make sure everyone is aware of them since you have brought it up.

* "And yes, I was going to stick by that car but now, well, I would still do it. "

What exactly do you know mean that you are or were going to stick by my car?" I don't seem to recall you ever being willing to offer anything to me as far as a warranty here in the past. It was basically, that you couldn't finish my car, and had not completed the work as contracted for and you finally agreed that it would be picked up on a said date.
What exactly are you now offering to me here? That you will cover the costs of fixing it or the costs if Corey has to tear it back down? Let's get this straight first.

* "Name me ONE builder of a 415 that takes 3-4 weeks!"

Where the heck did this come from? I never asked you to complete the 415 build in 3-4 weeks. We spoke and emailed about having it done prior to Bowling Green which was over 6-7 months away at the time. I am not sure where that came from.

* "Why don't you tell the people about how bad I felt about this and told you that you owe me nothing??

Yes. You feel bad. We both agree that you felt bad. I feel bad too. You had the car for over a year and half, and would tell me something was done on the car. Others would go by your hanger and see that it wasn't and scratch their heads over this. Others here would email me and ask why the car wasn't still done and i would reply, "no worries. Jim will get to it." They would then tell me how the transmission still wasn't the car, or the motor was not all together still, etc. Again, I said, "Jim will get it done." I did this for a year and a half. After that I got sick of it.

I paid for every part you needed, and agreed to every bill you sent to me. I paid for the short block, head work, power coating and everything you sent to Bill K ahead of time because you were out of work at the time. I shipped you the stroker crank, cams, and other items exactly when you requested them. Finally when you still couldn't finish it, you said lets call it even. I agreed to YOUR terms again, and made arrangements to have my car towed out of your shop in an incomplete state, missing some parts and not running.

* "Did you tell them that the front end was damaged and I fixed that for nada?"
Jim, the radiator core support bar was damaged and the radiator core support was damaged as well. No arguement there. I called you, we discussed it, and you agreed to fix the core support bar it if you could.

You wanted to try fixing the core support and adding some different fans. I disagreed because I didn't want to have you take up additional time trying to fix extra stuff and experimenting with fans. I suggested a number of new parts and had them shipped to you. You received a brand new core support, and a new ron davis radiator for this part of the project from me. You then called me a couple weeks later and wanted to know if I had shipped the parts to you since you couldn't seem to locate the new core support. It then took you a couple more weeks to locate this.

Most likely the core support was blocking the box of 368 pistons you couldn't find from my original engine for over a year? You had to straighten the brackets which took you how long? three - four weeks to get around to it? I think I am being kind here. If I dig up the emails, which I did save, I bet it will be closer to several months of back and forth. Did I offer to send a new core radiator impact bar part as needed? Yep. Oh no, you would just straighten it. Did you? Yes, as far as I can tell. I still need to get the car back and get under it and see what remains to be done. I bet if we go back here we can even see where I was posting looking for this part.

* "Did it make any difference that I took the interior kick panals out of my car to put on yours that had none? "

Interesting news. This is new news to me. When I shipped the car from california to you, the interior was intact minus the carpet section under the drivers side where the steering column was. If you did this, I was not aware of it. You did call me and tell me you were not sure where all the parts where that I shipped to you in 3 seperate insured boxes. That was where the carpeted section was. How do I know? I packed the boxes.

Did you also remember when you called me and asked me what kind of bolts I wanted back in the cam covers and plenum? Remember where I had to remind you about the complete set of stainless steel bolts I had already shipped you. These are the ones the previous owner had bought from white racing? I had put several of these in the plenum and cam covers to hold the covers and plenum on. You know the ones you received in the same three boxes of parts I shipped from California?
Your reply was that you had an set or you would just run down the road there in Dallas and buy what you needed? Then the bolts got found?

* "Now the car isn't running right. I told you long ago about that wiring harness being hacked and I had some parts to fix obvious things but it would only be known if it worked when the engine was started. Now, after talking with Cory, the wiring I put in for the ignition module to coil pack mounting plate (which does work fine BTW) was not the only thing wrong with it, yet you still blame me for that. "

Again, I have never blamed you for the harness issues and it was a known problem. BTW the DIS module was cooked when Corey received the car. Your fault? I don't think so. It has since been corrected by the installation of a new harness and DIS module.

Corey will get some time and it will get tuned and running right. I never said you hacked the engine harness. I only have said, when asked by others mind you, that I was exceedly dissapointed that you could not find the time to finish my car. I think I have been very patient too. Don't you?

* "I took everything down on that engine by hand removing all casting marks so that it was perfect for powder coating. Did that make any difference?"

Sure it makes a difference. I paid you exactly what you bid for the powder coating work and paid it immediately as part of the original work. Also the cam covers, plenum and other parts were already polished prior to this as well. Did you do additional work? I am quite sure you did. Thank you. When people ask me in the future who did the polishing work and powder coating you will get the credit. No worries.

However: Did you ever happen to share with everyone how you didn't inspect the plenum before assembly and that we had to fix a hole in the plenum and the powder coat since it had been ported too thin? Something that should have been inspected prior to being shipped out to powder coat. Just so you know, I had to have Corey pull the plenum back off, and send it out to get it fixed.

* "Did you tell them how I detailed the engine compartment, polished the suspension pieces, every nook and cranny was cleaned out and it took a weeks to do for nada?"

Jim, while I appreciate the efforts, I told you at the start of my engine rebuild that I didn't want the suspension polished, etc. I just wanted the motor built and installed but that was something that could not get finished. Thats the real crux of the issue here.

Everyone is busy. I understand. Trust me. I did understand. I was working 50+ hour weeks to pay for all this. I am still paying out cash for this and I have not driven this car yet.

The short of it always has been and is this:
You were contracted to build a 415 for me using an existing 368 car that had some known problems during the previous build by another person. We both agreed that there were some known minor issues with what ever the california shop had done to the car. I have never held you responsible for these and appreciate all you have done to try and correct them.

I agreed to every new part you requested that be purchased or aquired during that time frame. I would call each month for a status report and would hear about how you had bought a new truck, another house, were painting your house, or were opening up a new business, failing a new business, taking in the PRI shows, selling another house, etc.

Anything but being over at your hanger and working on the car as contracted for?

You had a job to complete, you took my money, spent it, and didn't finish what was contracted to you, and then you went and tried to get around the fact that you never finished what you were supposed to do in the first place. Some of the work was great, some of it was not.

While I never asked for some of the other items to be done, I do appreciate the effort to make things right. Keep in mind that I just wanted the motor built, installed, and tuned in my car. You decided that since each time an extra 3-6 months went by and you still had not worked on the car, you decided to do other things the whole time you should have been finishing the engine in the car.

Also just for the record, why don't you tell everyone what state you left the car in before I had to pay someone else at my expense to come and pick it up from your hanger/shop at the airport? Remember when I called you the week before they were coming and asked if the car was ready and if all the parts were there and ready to go. You assured me that everything was there and ready to go. Were they?

According to the people who came to transport the car, they had to spend several hours scouring your shop for all the associated parts just so they could get the car loaded up.

Sorry but the victim act just doesn't work for me anymore. I am sure since I am relatively new to the zr1 community the rest of the old guard will get behind you and back you again. Poor old Jim.

It usually works that way. Such is life. But I do think you should be honest about the amount of BS you have fed me and others about their cars and what was being done and when it would be finished or how it would be done.

How about this: You ship me all the missing secondary parts from my engine before you started on it and the original ladder frame and bolts you still have from my other block that I have been emailing and calling you about for the last 8+ months and we will call this issue closed? Do this and I forgive you. How about it? I am personally so sick of all this.

4cefed

Your in good hands now Paul. It will be done someday and you can put it behind you.
What is it about these cars and having them modded? Must make mine worth a ton of money, why? Because it's done! and yours will be done someday as well Paul.
It was nice meeting you down in Georgia. Great time had by all and Anita sends her best.

I might have to go and buy me one of those new Z06's. Anyone want a completed 415? Runs like a scalded ape with it's hair on fire.

RatRacer

I'll take the engine if you can tote the note for a few years.

4cefed

For you Cam, I might just consider it. If I did then it would really bring this thread back on topic.
How much can I get for parting out a 90 model without an engine?

zr11990broken

ONCE A WEEK,come on man my favorite thing to do is call you expecially when your on a tear cuz the redhead is giving you a hard way to go. Thats free entertainment. What will I do when your finished I wont have anyone to bother. Hey I saved you from a big hassle, the wife and kids and myself were in big D last weekend and 15 minutes from you and we didnt even stop by for a visit. My son would love to "help" you work on those cool cars. Anyway you still havn't sent my pics I want to see what my red engine looks like .