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There are so many products on Ebay like the electric inline turbo (FLOP) that actually robs Hp and mileage, as well as that swell Ebay car tuner for what $30 that actually does nothing but lights up LED making you think it is doing something. Dyno test prove that absolutely no gains or losses from this scam. Then real upgrades, CAI, cams, roller rockers, Programming VS value (some tunes boast 10 hp and 10 ft lbs tq.) In the end, they fudge the numbers hoping we do not notice them. Great deal for just $400.
As an old school car guy, I always looked for Hp and mpg. Often finding it with just going around the engine making sure everything is tight, not plugged up, or dirty. Then bolt on mods like exhaust and CAI to increase flow. Bigger more powerful fuel pumps and injectors. I could go on and on.
The point. To many people are getting ripped off by con men selling on Ebay. Even mechanics telling people they will gain 35 hp by using a K&N CAI on their little Honda Civic.
Then there is the Unicorn power we find when we put on some shiny part and when we decide to start the motor we some how believe we have a completely new motor with 100 extra ponies under the hood when really, we did nothing to change anything.
I like your vids. Nice to see someone using common sense and honesty in repairs. Its easy to replace good parts and hand a customer a bill. Real mechanics fix what caused the problems and any components messed up due to the cause.
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I seen the first vid. Missed the later one. I am looking to soak serious coin under my hood to up my Mustang. People do not realize, if you want real power, you need the motor to create it and expensive parts in that motor. $10-15k in my motor, and that is nothing. Honestly nothing to put into the engine. Then I am going after the suspension and braking. A ton of money there. A $30 part is doing nothing for you. I like how you put the ignorance bit. The whole point just because someone claims you will get 25-45hp does not mean they are telling the truth. You pay for gains like that.
You put it well. If you want these gains, you will suffer in other areas. You cannot have it all. Slammed cambered cars, eat tires, and suck driving in a straight line. Huge waste of money, and performance plus to anyone who knows, these people look “ignorant” I think bottom line, they look stupid. Surely they bought a few sets of tires. Then you look at the actual tire surface hitting the road and keeping you on the road. I am ranting on this, because when I bought my car, the first thing I needed to un-modify was the cambered out tires. Then buy tires. 600 for 2 tires, eats at your wallet.
Just because Johnny Slick down the street with the JDM F-350 thinks you need to do this or that. Spend the time shopping and searching like you said. KNOWLEDGE IS FREE via the internet!!!!! 😛 Why do we still have see this stuff?
Thanks for the response Eric, I will stick with my nice blocks and rotating assemblies. Take care.In a way the #FairmontProject is designed to walk someone through the steps of how to ‘properly’ modify a vehicle as well as educate on all the different automotive systems and how they operate.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=172432]In a way the #FairmontProject is designed to walk someone through the steps of how to ‘properly’ modify a vehicle as well as educate on all the different automotive systems and how they operate.[/quote]
Really appreciate this by the way. I have not seen even one video out there so far that will go in detail about car mods. Oliver may be the one to teach a thing or two hopefullyWatch your 8.8 vids. I loved the reality check in them. I worked in a dealership, 60 mechanics. We were swamped day in and out. However, the service managers and assistant managers would put trainee’s where they thought they would best fit, and when it came to mechanics according to their specialties if they had any. Trans guys did nothing but transmissions. So they could rip out a trans in record time because they knew them inside and out. I was in drive-ability, suspensions, top-ends, ac, electronics, brakes, alignments, and so on. When I moved to a smaller shop (4 mechanics and 2 porters) they dropped a heck of a lot more on me. For me this was bitter sweet. This was again a dealer but they would work on any car. So no manuals for off brand cars, and limited help on any repairs.
Bottom line, because a lot of it was new, we just had to figure it out and get it done as fast and as professional as possible. Which was like your axle job. I had to re- sleeve a Eagle Premier’s engine I am pretty sure is what it was. Had a lot to learn with that one. Then after that head gaskets on a Subaru. So you were constantly learning new systems. Never really getting a chance to stop learning. Which was cool, but it just was more frustrating and took more time.
I noticed in your shop you are working on a wide variety of cars and with a wide variety of issues. A mechanic who specializes just in axles would of turned out that axle in minutes. You took the time to do it right, which is good. A lot of guys would say “Good enough for who it’s for” and move on. Though frustrating, and obvious a pain in the donkey, I applaud your patience. I like that you showed all the hardship. Being a wrench has it’s downsides. The up side is the pride in doing it right no matter the cost.
Now the frustrating part is billing the customer. You put 20 hours into a 3 billable hour job. Punching the clock would be just so wrong. You are just gonna have to eat it. I appreciate you doing it right and showing some true reality. You do not get that from MCM, or even with the Roadkill, Roadkill garage, or Engine masters. Good work Eric.[quote=”iron” post=172469]Watch your 8.8 vids. I loved the reality check in them. I worked in a dealership, 60 mechanics. We were swamped day in and out. However, the service managers and assistant managers would put trainee’s where they thought they would best fit, and when it came to mechanics according to their specialties if they had any. Trans guys did nothing but transmissions. So they could rip out a trans in record time because they knew them inside and out. I was in drive-ability, suspensions, top-ends, ac, electronics, brakes, alignments, and so on. When I moved to a smaller shop (4 mechanics and 2 porters) they dropped a heck of a lot more on me. For me this was bitter sweet. This was again a dealer but they would work on any car. So no manuals for off brand cars, and limited help on any repairs.
Bottom line, because a lot of it was new, we just had to figure it out and get it done as fast and as professional as possible. Which was like your axle job. I had to re- sleeve a Eagle Premier’s engine I am pretty sure is what it was. Had a lot to learn with that one. Then after that head gaskets on a Subaru. So you were constantly learning new systems. Never really getting a chance to stop learning. Which was cool, but it just was more frustrating and took more time.
I noticed in your shop you are working on a wide variety of cars and with a wide variety of issues. A mechanic who specializes just in axles would of turned out that axle in minutes. You took the time to do it right, which is good. A lot of guys would say “Good enough for who it’s for” and move on. Though frustrating, and obvious a pain in the donkey, I applaud your patience. I like that you showed all the hardship. Being a wrench has it’s downsides. The up side is the pride in doing it right no matter the cost.
Now the frustrating part is billing the customer. You put 20 hours into a 3 billable hour job. Punching the clock would be just so wrong. You are just gonna have to eat it. I appreciate you doing it right and showing some true reality. You do not get that from MCM, or even with the Roadkill, Roadkill garage, or Engine masters. Good work Eric.[/quote]Thank you very much for that. When I started the #FairmontProject I had always intended to use it as a ‘teaching tool’ for the very reasons you mentioned. I hadn’t seen any detailed videos out there about building a car that showed all the hardship involved. Most of that gets cut out. I’ve always wanted to show the reality of a build like this so that people had a better idea of what they were getting into before they dove in. Selfishly, I’ve always wanted to build a car like Oliver too.
But I also wanted to show that things like that differential you mentioned, cost overruns, and the endless trips to the hardware or parts store to get the things you need are all part of the process. It’s a labor of love, but it does come at a price. It also comes with an intimate understanding of the vehicle you build when you’re done. Something you just can’t get any other way.
Thanks again for your comments. Kinda made my day actually.
Glad it made your day. Looking for more episodes on that motor build… Your face when you seen the pitting in the cylinder wall. HAD THAT EXACT DAY. On my 3406E Cat motor. Then the dings on top of the pistons, then on the block from the rotating assembly. Do you expound on what caused all that? Great for learning. Someone got a little ambitious with that motor it looked like. I am thinking to harsh of a cam/crank/lifter combo in the hunt for more compression without doing the math or knowing the internals. Which brings us to another reality check. It is not just you if you are a mechanic thinking so. We all have days like that. It’s just part of the game.
You are dead on right. Never ever expect things to go your way. Power on, the end result is totally worth it. The pride and joy of knowing it is done and right.[quote=”iron” post=172523]Glad it made your day. Looking for more episodes on that motor build… Your face when you seen the pitting in the cylinder wall. HAD THAT EXACT DAY. On my 3406E Cat motor. Then the dings on top of the pistons, then on the block from the rotating assembly. Do you expound on what caused all that? Great for learning. Someone got a little ambitious with that motor it looked like. I am thinking to harsh of a cam/crank/lifter combo in the hunt for more compression without doing the math or knowing the internals. Which brings us to another reality check. It is not just you if you are a mechanic thinking so. We all have days like that. It’s just part of the game.
You are dead on right. Never ever expect things to go your way. Power on, the end result is totally worth it. The pride and joy of knowing it is done and right.[/quote]It’s simpler than that. Water got into the engine. It was probably sitting in an open field at one point. You can clearly see the lines in the effected cylinders where the pistons were when the water got in.
I think that is what happened to my big truck. Sat for to long. It cost a ton of money to pull off a head. So 6 months of driving it, and my cylinders were so pitted it was going to cost me $6500 to fix it. That was no good.
That is what happened to a Frieghtliner I bought. It was sitting, and I did not know it was for so long. It had a 3406E Cat motor in it. Moisture some how got in the cylinders, pitted them out pretty bad. 6 months after I took out a loan with my sketchy boss, the cylinders got so bad it finally fully blew out the gasket. The boss had been starving me out of the truck. Which is typical of dodgy trucking outfits. Basically only giving me a load or 2 a week for months trying to get me to walk away. I knew he was doing it, and I found out later was taking my fuel money as well. At first some, then all of it. So basically he handed me a quote for the repair if I decided to get it fixed. $6500 to re-sleeve the motor and gasket sets. I told him with only a load or 2 a week I would never be able to pay for that. Suddenly he said he could make sure I had more loads. Yeah right. I cleaned out my truck and left.
His business went under after ripping off most of the drivers. Taking paycheck money and leaving town with it. Which was typical of this guy. He had the IRS on his backside, and a bunch of legal troubles when it was over with. I think several of the other drivers were suing him.
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