I need major help!

[Fisherj14]

Per forum members off my last post where my mechanic suggested that I use racing fuel every 10 tanks, I took my Cobra to a different mechanic. This mechanic is a family “friend” in that he was my son’s first girlfriend’s dad. He owns a racing team and has his own garage and works as a mechanic by trade.

I took the car in for 5 things:

1) Tune the carburetor.
2) When starting the car from cold, you had to recrank it about 10 times as it died in idling even after giving the car gas between cranks. After about 10, it would finally stay cranked.
3) Speedometer wasn’t working. Fix it.
4) Fuel gauge would work if you tapped on it but to fix it so I didn’t have to.
5) Firewall the cockpit.

This may be long, but this turned into an absolute nightmare. I took the car in and he said that the car came from FL and I live in the NC foothills so it needed to be tuned. He said there was a plastic gear that went bad in the engine that he needed to take apart to get to it to fix. He fixed the fuel gauge. He said he firewalled the cockpit.

When I went to pick up the car, he charged me $4200 for all the fixes. I noticed on the back right quarter panel that he had put a significant scratch on the car. I planned to repaint so I didn’t make a big fuss. I went to open the door and it no longer opened. He came out and I showed him and he said they adjusted the door that they said was a little loose. He couldn’t get it open either but then lifted up while opening it and it opened. He said that I should contact Factory Five and get a new door attachment and it is easy to fix on my own. I was really annoyed by that. He also said he adjusted the idle as it was idling too high at around 1800 RPMs and he adjusted it down to between 800-1000 RPMs. I went to crank the car and had the same issues. Would just die out. He said that there was nothing that could be done about that and that these old engines (347 small block) are just going to always do that. I was really annoyed when I left after $4200, but did any way. As I drove it, every time I came to a stop it would die out. Finally, it wouldn’t recrank. I had it towed back to him.

He adjusted the idle and gave it back to me a couple of days later. Drove it about 5 miles to my son’s golf match. After the match, that night in about 50* weather, I cranked the car and let it idle to warm up for 5-7 minutes. I went down to grab his clubs to take them to my wife’s car. When I came back the car was pouring smoke. I tried to turning the car off but it wouldn’t turn off. Had to hit the kill switch to the battery to get it off. Had it towed back to the mechanic. He said the radiator hose had come detached and that it overheated because I let it idle too long (again 5-7 min in 50 degree weather) and that he hoped I didn’t ruin the engine.

He looked the engine over and gave me the all clear. He added a manual choke to the car and tried to show me how to crank it with a choke. It took him 6-7 times of recranking to get it to stay cranked. He also added a temp gauge and got rid of the manual fan. Told me he would send me an invoice for the work he did on the choke but everything was fine now. I got about 5 miles down the road and I felt water hitting my head and feet but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I looked at the temp gauge and it was close to being pegged. I pulled over and the car was pouring smoke again and there was liquid on the hood and windshield. I had it towed back to him again.

He told me that another hose had come off that caused it. One of my other friends told me he needed to check the gaskets as Ford small blocks are notorious for bad gaskets. He told me he had checked that but would recheck. He came back that the gaskets didn’t pass the chemical test and to call him. Just got off the phone and he told me that these engines aren’t his specialty and that it would cost me around $5k to go through the engine to just find out how badly it’s been damaged.

Obviously, I am getting the car out of his possession. I’m really ticked with what he has done to my car. Here is what I’m considering ask for but I want y’all’s opinion:


1) I think he owes me the money back that I have paid. I brought him a perfectly good car and I feel what he’s done has ruined the engine. I am even considering asking for money to repair the engine.

2) What do you think of what he has told me are problems? I love cars but I’m not a car guy (wish I was).

3) What would you guys do from here?

I appreciate all the help guys…what a terrible predicament.

[rich grsc]

That guy is NO mechanic. Small claims court, sounds like a ripoff shop

[Jeff Kleiner]

Sorry, but you got taken for a ride. By your description it sounds like virtually everything he told you is bogus and although by rights you should expect to have a good portion (if not all) of what you paid returned there's little chance of that happening when dealing with a BS artist. Since you are in North Carolina I suggest that you get the car over to Whitby Motorcars over in Greensboro. Jeff Collins and his guys are honest, knowledgeable and experienced with these cars.

No offense intended but this is an example of what can happen when someone who knows nothing about these cars buys one, and especially if they buy it without it having fully checked over by a qualified person beforehand.

Good luck.

Jeff

[RoadRacer]

Ugh, what a nightmare.. just be aware that from your description none of what he said was likely true. And that amount of money is ridiculous.

[Mike.Bray]

Wow, so sorry you had to go through this.

As Rich and Jeff said, this guy is no mechanic and took you for a ride. A lot of states have consumer protection laws, here in Texas we have the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. From what I understand businesses DO NOT want to run afoul of it, they can get hit with attorney fees and triple damages. Because of that there are attorneys who specialize in DTPA cases and do them on contingency. You might look into what consumer protection laws your state has. Or just go to small claims court.

Best of luck to you.

[rich grsc]

Never, Never tell a mechanic, that you don't have experience with, that you don't know anything about cars. Thats just asking for the blond shop price.
Good time to social media everyone and every place about what happened.

[Mike.Bray]

Good time to social media everyone and every place about what happened.

100% Google and Yelp reviews are very effective and good to protect others from this wanker. Just be careful to only state facts. I once made a dedicated website for someone that pissed me off royally like this would have. I even paid the extra fee every month to insure my webpage showed up on the first page of Google search results. So anytime someone searched my guy (business) my page showed up right below his in the search results.

[mrglaeser]

Fisherj14 - I'm sure everyone here, myself included, really feels for you, your story is awful. The truth is most mechanic's today don't know how to work on anything pre-1990s. They just don't see any of it come in and don't learn how the components work. Current repair processes revolve mostly around replacing parts based on error codes a computer or diagnostic system tells you to replace. There is no 'Tuning' fuel injection in new cars, make sure the plugs are good, you have pressure, the sensors all work, etc. Most new cars you can't set the idle or make any adjustments without reprogramming the computer. So most mechanics no longer learn how to actually tune a carburetor, set timing, properly set a chock, or any of that. You either need to find someone who has been in business for 40 years or specializes in classic/custom cars.

The 'mechanics' will try to figure it out while charging you by the hour. He may have actually spent more than a full week working on your car (assuming a $100 shop rate for a $4200 bill) but it doesn't sound like he had the knowledge needed. If you do go after him I would suggest having the car looked at by an expert who knows Carbureted Windsor Fords have them give you a signed letter stating damage they think his improper work caused and the cost to correct it, then get an estimate to fix the door and paint, finally add in the cost of multiple tows. He really should have just said it was out of his wheelhouse and sent you on. I hope you can at least get back what you paid him but it might be a tough road depending on what was documented. Good Luck.

[Alan_C]

Dang, another reason I try to do as much of my own work as possible. Unfortunately the hobby has way too many "experts" out there waiting to take someone to the cleaners. I hope you can get some of what you paid out back as you are going to have to pay someone to undo most if not all of what this hack did to your car.

[Ted G]

I'm sure just by listing your symptoms, you could have got some good advice right here; advice you could bring to the next mechanic. Good luck going forward.

[cv2065]

Wow..this was the gift that kept on giving. Sorry to hear about your experience. Sounds like you paid $4200 for a bad tune, fixing a couple of gauges, blowing a couple of hoses, scratched paint, botched door latch and firewalling the cockpit...whatever that is. And now he wants another $5K to fix his mistakes? What a loser business. We've all seen his type to some extent before.

As has been said, it's unlikely that you'll be getting a refund, but maybe a letter from an attorney friend might scare him into some kind of assistance. He's already admitted that he shouldn't have been anywhere near your engine. I'd also be calling him out on social media as well. He's probably not on the BBB, but in the event he is, you can file a dispute there too.

[MPTech]

Since you mnetioned it and couple responses have referenced it, what is "Firewall the cockpit"? Insulate it??

Good luck with your other issues.

[Wbauman]

That’s a horror story for sure.

I am a mechanic and that give us good ones and bad rap.

For Less than $4200 you could have gone FI and problem solved as far as running issues.

Small claims court will be more trouble than it’s worth. You will prob only get a judgement anyway and he’ll never pay a dime unless he sells one day.

Cut your loses now and move on.

Sorry. That happened.

[ydousurf]

I disagree. Shame the sh!t out of that shop! Take him to court and spread the word so that he loses business. And if he races, even sponsors will not be happy or support that. Reputation is king! If you provide a service, you need to back up your work. Tell him to call Factory Five and take a few lessons and learn from the best, who provides superior customer service and wrote the book on it. Let this clown know that he overcharged you and his service sucks! Hit him in the pocket book where is clientele will tank. He needs to make it right or refund like $3000 of that bill. Remember, it’s not slander if it is the truth. Winning in court will go along way to supporting bad yelp reviews and bad publicity that he surely deserves. Reputation is everything in this world. Sorry for the headaches you didn’t deserve.

Doug

[mejhaha]

Sorry for what you are going through.

As for moving forward - where are you in NC? I’m in Hampton Roads area and have a great mechanic who helped build by 347 and could certainly take care of your car. Can message me if interested.

Good luck!

[Fisherj14]

The cockpit was not properly sealed. It had cracks between the sheet metal under the carpet. When I would drive it, I would come out smelling terrible like the engine. I shined a flashlight under the hood one night and you could see light coming faintly through the carpet and especially under the steering wheel. I asked a question on here about sealing that up. I don’t remember who but someone said it needed to be properly sealed and insulated with a firewall type of insulation. He told me sealed everything and then my feet got wet when the last hose blew. Then he told me that he called Factory Five and they said there was no way to seal it around the steering wheel “post” and so that would just have to remain open.

[Fisherj14]

Thanks guys for all the responses. Yes, it is a pain in the butt. My neighbor just heard about what is going on and he is going to help me. He has an old Ford Falcon that he’s completely rebuilt and I just learned that he has rebuilt Ford engines since his 20s. He’s now 80. He told me to buy a smaller carb (he gave me the model AVS2 Carburetor #1906 650 CFM with electric choke, Satin finish Edelbrock) and that he would put it on. He is going to do a gasket check when it arrives today. He said he can put new gaskets on it if it needs it. He says the engines are almost indestructible and while this guy may have done a number on it, it can still work without a hitch if done correctly.

[CraigS]

Did you pay w/ a credit card? If so dispute it w/ the CC company. Copy paste your post into an email and a paper letter.

[Fisherj14]

No. He claimed that he only took check.

[gbranham]

I don't think a home-built car is what you need...especially one built by someone else. With your lack of knowledge of cars and all their subsystems, you need a mass-produced car with a manufacturer's warranty.

[rich grsc]

No. He claimed that he only took check.

THAT seems a major warning. SCAM shop

[Jeff Kleiner]

Aren't you the same guy who told us " I took it to 7k RPMs in first gear the other day and slammed it down into 2nd and the front wheels completely left the ground."? Sounds like it must have been running pretty good then

Jeff

[Wbauman]

Aren't you the same guy who told us " I took it to 7k RPMs in first gear the other day and slammed it down into 2nd and the front wheels completely left the ground."? Sounds like it must have been running pretty good then

Jeff

I wanted to say it earlier, but there are always two sides to every story and you’re hearing one.

[rich grsc]

Well no more from me. I don't do with bs. Half of this is a rehash of your post from October last year.
Just to clarify, this is referring to the OP.

[Fisherj14]

Aren't you the same guy who told us " I took it to 7k RPMs in first gear the other day and slammed it down into 2nd and the front wheels completely left the ground."? Sounds like it must have been running pretty good then

Jeff

I am that same guy. The car started having problems like the speedometer, fuel gauge but really what made me take it in was the car hit a pot hole and I about lost control of it. Found out the front wheels were sliding about 6” side to side which made the front end really unstable when I hit a pot hole or something in the road. I also asked for the car to get a tune up as the car had started stuttering some when I was coming out of first to second gear even a time when I went from second to third.

I realize that some of you guys don’t think that people should own cars like this unless they work on their own cars. I read and heard from lots of people that there was a small contingent that thumbed their noses at people that didn’t build and work on their own Cobras. I’m here to enjoy the car as I always loved them growing up. Am I a mechanic? Nope. I have money to pay for the work to be done, I just want it to be done correctly. You guys thought I needed to find a new mechanic during my last conversation so I found one that owned a race team. Just so happens that this guy is also a scam artist it seems.

My neighbor has done a lot of work on the car today. We took out the plugs and checked the psi in each of the gaskets. The PSI averaged 175. He thought that might be a little high but wanted some others opinions from the board. We are changing out the Holley double pumper carb to the Edelbrock that he said is more for street use than high performance racing like the Holley. He said we might also need to change the cam. He adjusted the timing belt as well. The car is purring right now. He double clamped the radiator hose. Our next step is the carb to be switched out when it comes in. What are your thoughts on the PSI?

[mejhaha]

So I'll bite here.

I do think everyone should be able to enjoy these cars no matter mechanical aptitude, however by the nature of these cars if you do not have the ability to follow algorithmic logic to troubleshoot issues when they occur you will need to have an individual/shop to go to. Obviously you are aware of this, and have had some not great results thus far.

This neighbor sounds positive, especially if "payment" will be in the form of beer, etc - but it really sounds like you need to find somewhere to take your car to get it truly "dialed in" exactly how you want it. For instance; what was the reasoning for changing out the carb? Do you feel the acceleration of the mechanical secondaries was too aggressive for your driving style? Yes a double pumper is a higher performance carb but any decent mechanic with experience should be able to get it to behave at idle, cruising as well as when you need full throttle performance. I would ask the same question about the possible cam swap - I would venture to say there probably isn't TOO MUCH cam, but probably something nice especially if someone at some point chose to put a double pumper carb on for induction. Again, I think the key would be to relate to someone what you want - to me taking off the double pumper and potentially swapping for a more mild cam is like the recent thread of the guy wanting to "de-tune" his 427; it is like being TOO smart, TOO rich or TOO good looking.... My double pumper holley on my 347 is perfect FOR ME, so I know they can be made to work!

What I do think is a requirement when you have basically chosen to make a "race car" something you find enjoyment in driving is at least a basic knowledge of what you have/what you want and the ability to communicate that to people that matter: your mechanic, forum members, your friends, etc. Decent mechanics/friends with knowledge who are altruistic should be happy to answer questions - and you should have a lot of them. When you all did the compression test, asking "what are you testing and why" would get you the answer you were checking cylinder compression which can give insight into head gasket integrity, as well as valve function, etc. Sounds like you all also adjusted the timing, probably didn't see or touch the timing belt, which almost certainly is a chain, but in asking about that you certainly would ask why he is messing the distributor as well. Which would have potentially resulted in talking about how timing can change engine temperature and the potential for overheating.

Personally, the last point is why I like these cars - they are inherently simple once you understand the concepts, and you get to learn these concepts while driving around in a ROCKETSHIP that looks incredible. Buy books, talk to mechanics, take stuff apart and put it back together. Learning is never a bad thing.

Sorry for the long response - I purposely did not answer your question on compression because I feel like there is a bigger factor in play, so I apologize for that!

[BRRT]

This story is getting more far fetched with every post.

[egchewy79]

he had me at "Found out the front wheels were sliding about 6” side to side".

[Fisherj14]

Ok. I get it guys. You have a community that is obviously based on your little clique that try and laugh at other people instead of helping. For info, I did get under the car with it on a lift with the mechanic and he slid the front passenger tire about 6 inches. I also did about run the car off the road when I hit a pot hole and the car jerked straight left into the car beside of me. I am not really concerned with if you believe me or not as I understand unless you see things for yourselves, keyboard warriors tend to sit behind their screens and make fun of others. I am sorry I troubled you with my questions and I do hope you all have a nice day. I’ll find another forum for help in the future.

[rich grsc]

he had me at "Found out the front wheels were sliding about 6” side to side".

Oh, I thought adjusting the timing belt, sure thing, right after the wheelie

[john42]

He bought this car right?

[Jeff Kleiner]

Oh, I thought adjusting the timing belt, sure thing, right after the wheelie

Not to mention the gasket pressure.

Jeff

[rich grsc]

John, where did you find that clip? I think that's my grannies car

[john42]

John, where did you find that clip? I think that's my grannies car

I mean honestly.... all fun and games. I don't want to disparage the OP. I'd like him to come clean, not embellish, get down to earth so the really brilliant people (not me!) on this forum could get him legit help. We're an overly helpful group with a lot of tongue in cheek. :-) You're not gonna get any BS past this group, too many have been in it way to long!

[rich grsc]

John, I count you as part of this family, and you're right, any 'non-tongue in cheek' BS will be called out.
Most of us have multiple builds, and years of experience, but we're just 'keyboard warrior's.

[edwardb]

Ok. I get it guys. You have a community that is obviously based on your little clique that try and laugh at other people instead of helping. For info, I did get under the car with it on a lift with the mechanic and he slid the front passenger tire about 6 inches. I also did about run the car off the road when I hit a pot hole and the car jerked straight left into the car beside of me. I am not really concerned with if you believe me or not as I understand unless you see things for yourselves, keyboard warriors tend to sit behind their screens and make fun of others. I am sorry I troubled you with my questions and I do hope you all have a nice day. I’ll find another forum for help in the future.

For the record, your assessment of this group is completely off-base. If you spent any time here at all, you'd know that a bunch of us spend a lot of time and effort helping other builders. You would also see there is little/no making fun of others. Common in other forums. Not this one. Some occasional snide remarks, but usually in good humor. Most of us have a lot of actual experience and are from from only keyboard warriors. I stayed out of this discussion early on because my "BS" sense was going off too. If that's not you, that's unfortunate. But it happens occasionally. If you are and your issues are real, good luck getting them sorted out. And just for the record, taking off a double pumper carb and replacing with an Edelbrock is usually not the best idea for these cars. Multiple examples. If your buddy made the swap because that's what he knows about, I guess. But if he knew these cars (or one of both of you followed this forum) you'd know that's generally not the best course.

Mods, I'd suggest closing this thread. It's beyond any useful purpose.

[David Hodgkins]

I am going to close this down. As the OP is the principal antagonist I’m going to warn you sir that calling people names and throwing around accusations of cliques and keyboard warriors will not be tolerated. This forum is dedicated to helping members of our community. We’re also good at sniffing out folks looking for conflict. When that happens it gets attention right away. I suggest you step away for a while and think about what you want out of this forum. Advice and help with a car (whether you built it or not)? We’re here to help! If you are looking for justice warriors who will be your mob to incite? That doesn’t fly here.

I strongly suggest that you take some time off the board and decide on what terms you want to be a member. Or maybe this really isn’t the place for you.