Guest dan4011 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Well this is a thread to let everyone know of my negative experience with Frankie of "z performance racing" of fayetteville NC's service. A few months back i was browsing eBay and found a pretty nice looking kit to turn a n/a 280z into a turbo. i bought it and called the guy, he seemed like a very nice guy, also seemed like he knows what he's doing with turbo z's and has for a long time. he offered to deliver it to me (he was about 80 miles away) and i also bought a few more things from him (afm, fuel rail, intercooler) when he got here, the stuff was in pretty rough shape, intercooler jb welded, fuel rail was scratched bad and ugly. while he was down he offered to help me install it and get it running right for a little more money (i didn't know much about forced induction at the time) so i took him up on it. so a few weeks and a few thousand dollars later he had it together, and the motor apparently needed a rebuild he said. he told me he builds race motors for z's and i knew a person he had built one for and it was a pretty quick motor. So we payed him $1700 for a COMPLETE rebuild, plus 400 to help us pull the motor and reinstall it. he was supposed to hone the cylinders, new bearings, turn the crankshaft, new rings, re-size the rods, oil seals, hot tanked and painted etc. (you know, a COMPLETE rebuild) so when we got it back, the block wasn't hot tanked and was SPRAY PAINTED, so we made him strip the paint and actually paint it right. it ran alright for about 200 miles, then started smoking from the valve cover and progressively got worse. We did a compression check and it was all off (#2 and 6 were at like 40lb), we then called him to back his work and he said he would do nothing and it was my fault it blew. we took it to a machine shop to see who was really at fault, just the other day we got a call that it was torn down, to our absolute surprise. here's what we and our machinist noticed. 1) wrong rings were on it (not wide enough to fill in the ringland) 2) ringland was cracked on 2 pistons (because of the wrong rings) 3) crankshaft had not been turned 4) he put new bearing on a bad crank 5) cylinder walls were warped 6) the rods had not been re-sized like he said 7) a very failed attempt at a hone had been done so, after finally getting in touch him, on the phone he says that he will do nothing about it and that he did what he was supped to with the motor and that it was my fault the motor blew (he originally told me he warranties all of his work) so after spending over $4000 with him just trying to get my car done. i have nothing to show for it but a horribly set up turbo car and a ruined motor SOO, I'm putting this up to let buyers beware, he seems like a nice guy, but when things went wrong he ran, wouldn't even refund half. i am a 17 year old high school student, hes a 35-45 year old ex militant. this was my first car and first real learning experience in the field of high performance motors. this guy took advantage of my youth my inexperience and the money that me and my father had to build what i thought was going to be a fun and good experience. because of this experience and my lack of knowledge and experience, and now money, i hate to do it but i have to get rid of this car, its been a project of me and my dads for the past 3 years and i hate to do it, but i think i need something more practical. I'm going to return it to n/a and maybe headers and high compression pistons. anyone who is thinking of doing any business with Frankie, feel free to call me at 252 347 8074, and take my experience into thought. he sells under the name ZPERFORMANCERACING on eBay. and thanks guys, you've been a real help to me and father in the restoration of our car. here's the pics of the "rebuilt" motor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 I've been there before. Just a different name and a very long time ago. Look at it as money spent on tuition to the school of life. Don't let one bad experience ruin a great hobby. Just learn to do the stuff your self and next time, find a guy that is recommended by several local guys or several on this board. Don't sell you project, I'm sure some one on this board has an L6 that was running when it was pulled out only to be replace by who knows what. And if someone on this board offers you a deal, get some feed back about them before you buy. Most are great guys but as always, be careful who you give your money to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juarez88 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 if you have some solid proof he didnt do the services you paid him for, i would consider sueing over that amount of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 if you have some solid proof he didnt do the services you paid him for, i would consider sueing over that amount of money. yea, it would cost alot to do so, and we dont have proper recipts to show EAXACTLY what we payed for. we are getting the block rebuilt, but i dont feel confortable setting it back up and wouldnt want to ruin a 2000 daller motor. its kinda just out of my machanical ability. and theres also no one i know near me to help me out with it. but well see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 id like to see if he would come into this thread and try to defend himself, someone started a thread about his mystery performance manifold and he came into that one.. he also claims to have the fastest 6cylender z in the united states, or so he told me. maybe he can prove that just like he proved he rebuilt my motor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 He also claims to have the fastest 6cylender z in the united states, or so he told me. maybe he can prove that just like he proved he rebuilt my motor... I seriously doubt that he has anything near as fast as the cars on this site!! But most folks talk smack too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Small claims court doesn't cost a lot, and from what I've seen, a lot of small claims cases don't have much or any documentation, so you shouldn't let that stop you. The main thing would be to be able to provide a clear and reasonable account of what you and he agreed he would do. Your description above was a good start. The money you are spending to "fix" his work becomes your damages, any documentation from your "new" mechanic is your proof, and that is what you sue him for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarang Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 I've found that alot of these shops who have all this "experience" with Datsuns and talk about how great their work is can't deliver. For machine shops, I'll usually find one that does only high performance stuff, has been around for a long time and was recommended by a few people with Z's. I was lucky to find one in my area that does great work at good prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Small claims court doesn't cost a lot, and from what I've seen, a lot of small claims cases don't have much or any documentation, so you shouldn't let that stop you. The main thing would be to be able to provide a clear and reasonable account of what you and he agreed he would do. Your description above was a good start. The money you are spending to "fix" his work becomes your damages, any documentation from your "new" mechanic is your proof, and that is what you sue him for. i dunno, i dont think small claims can actually MAKE you pay the damages. they just hurt your credit if you dont. ill look into it tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert, or even close, on small claims court. I think you are correct if he does not have any assets. However, assuming he does have some assets, I'd be surprised if there was no way to collect on a judgement from small claims court. You might want to find your local county's court system website. If yours is like mine, there is pretty detailed explanation of the entire process including a discussion of how you can collect the judgement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 yea i just checked the website, i would have to sue him in his county, and they are expected to personaly pay you or the court within 10 days, and if not the sherrif can evict certain property or cash, sell it, and pay you the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Well my friend we all feel for you....and its a dead shame that you had to endure such a huge financial loss leaving a bitter taste in your mouth - understandly so. A Few Questions & Comments: 1) I have NEVER heard of rods being re-sized - why would you do this anyway? Most folks will buy longer or shorter rods depending on their application. This would have been my first clue to run. 2) How do cylinder walls warp? I am unsure what you mean by this. 3) Most Z cranks will wrap just slightly about 4thou and have to be checked for straightness - easy and inexpensive to do. 4) What kind of oil pressure did the engine have when it was freshly rebuilt? I think you have a great case against him, and would legally pursue it. Otherwise purchase a junkyard motor or junky old Turbo ZX (maybe $500) and do the swap properly, even with 200K miles on them, these damn motors refuse to quit. You'll be surprised how healthy they are 25years later. Good luck to you - Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 1) I have NEVER heard of rods being re-sized - why would you do this anyway? Most folks will buy longer or shorter rods depending on their application. This would have been my first clue to run. 2) How do cylinder walls warp? I am unsure what you mean by this. 3) Most Z cranks will wrap just slightly about 4thou and have to be checked for straightness - easy and inexpensive to do. 4) What kind of oil pressure did the engine have when it was freshly rebuilt? Connecting rods get resized all the time. It is necessary for proper bearing crush. Cylinder walls were probably tapered, not warped, from ring wear. From the looks of the bearings the crank journals had high spots in them and look to have had adequate oil. And since it was easy and inexpensive to do it should have been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 slownrusty, by resizing, i meant what dr. hunt sead. and what my machinist seid about the cylender walls is that at some spots they were slightly out of round... if i remember correctly, and from those pistons it messed the wall up a bit, one ring actually broke in the motor. you can see it in one of those pictures. i am thinking of pursuing my original plan with the turbo, but i just dont know enough about them to really do it myself, in order to get this thing running how it should, i think i would need to set up an aftermarket fuel system (haltech, megasquirt, etc.) and i dont know how to set one up or use one. if i were to go turbo i would just have the motor rebuilt with forged or zx-t pistons. but, if anyone thats close enough to me here in nc, that wouldnt mind helping a bro out and knows how to help me set up the turbo right and any type of aftermarket fuel sytem, i would GREATLY epriciate any help once i get my motor back. and ill supply unlimited sweet tea and bbq. haha thanks for all the kind words guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240hoke Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 You should have brought it to me Youre only about an hour away. Ive been doing the same thing on matt's car, just about finsihed. Sorry to hear about your dealings with that guy. My friend bought a "turbo kit" from him. Looked pretty sketch to me with a N/A ECU but i dont think he had any negitive issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Poly Zmanaustin Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 I'm no lawyer either.... You might consider talking to a lawyer, paying him a flat fee of $50-$100 and asking him to file under municipal court for you. That's what I did when a tow truck company moved my car that was legally parked, damaged my vehicle and refused to pay. The benefit in doing this is they must have a lawyer to respond which A) costs them money requires they be organized. You can draft a list of questions and have your lawyer submit to them and they have to answer them. They will need the lawyer for that too since its additional legal paperwork. This forces expenses on the other parties side. The best part is that it is time sensitive. It's been too long, I believe they have 30 days to respond. Most of the time these guys don't even know they need an attorney or just blow it off. If that happens you just won your case. By the way, don't sell your car. You are going to feel terrible about it later if you do. If you opt to give up a hobby then do just that, but on your own terms. I think most of the people on this board at one time or another were taken advantage of (in a great sexual way for 280ZFORCE) or know someone that has in a similiar fashion to what you have described. Knowledge is power; learn from this to do on your own. Everyone makes mistakes and how we deal with them is part of what defines who we are. Okay, I will jump off my soapbox. Best of luck, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 You should have brought it to me Youre only about an hour away. Ive been doing the same thing on matt's car, just about finsihed. Sorry to hear about your dealings with that guy. My friend bought a "turbo kit" from him. Looked pretty sketch to me with a N/A ECU but i dont think he had any negitive issues. yea, if i knew of you at the time, i deff would have. if i could do it right, id like to get this thing back on the road, but my dads the one who pretty much just wants to get it out of his sight and doesent want to spend anymore money on it (understandable) ahh i dunno, if i do bring it to n/a, think i should throw some flat tops in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-tom Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 You said it was past your ability to get it running again. there is a wealth of know how on this board and alot of people that will give you hand when you need it. I make my living on ebay and cant stand people like this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators BRAAP Posted November 15, 2006 Administrators Share Posted November 15, 2006 As an engine builder/machinist myself, I’m not up for slandering another shops work. In looking at the pics of your bearings, something definitely went wrong, whether it was the fault of the shop that built the engine or not. The thrust bearing, (middle bearing), is very suspicious compared to the others for sure, and the shop that built the engine should at least be wiling to look at and evaluate the engine as a whole before blaming the customer. If this was an oil supply issue, all the bearings, especially the rod bearings, would show signs, but the center main bearing to me indicates a clearance issue. Of course, I’m just speculating based on one picture without seeing the entire engine in person. Your experience is not the norm and I am sorry this happened to you. We hope your next engine is everything you hope it to be. Paul Ruschman Rusch Motorsports Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dan4011 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 As an engine builder/machinist myself, I’m not up for slandering another shops work. In looking at the pics of your bearings, something definitely went wrong, whether it was the fault of the shop that built the engine or not. The thrust bearing, (middle bearing), is very suspicious compared to the others for sure, and the shop that built the engine should at least be wiling to look at and evaluate the engine as a whole before blaming the customer. If this was an oil supply issue, all the bearings, especially the rod bearings, would show signs, but the center main bearing to me indicates a clearance issue. Of course, I’m just speculating based on one picture without seeing the entire engine in person. Your experience is not the norm and I am sorry this happened to you. We hope your next engine is everything you hope it to be. Paul Ruschman Rusch Motorsports yea, its not an actual machine shops work, its a single guy, who claims to be an engine builder, he just takes individual parts to a machine shop. he told me on the phone when i told him to take a look at it that he wasent going to come within 100 miles of me. and that he will never sell to me again. hope he sees these pics then, i think i might email them to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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