Anyone have any good experience with any engine shops in the Phoenix area? I've got the cash saved up to start working on my engine prior to the blower install and would like to do it local. Any help is appreciated.
I signed up just to post here. Chucks Speed Shop is a rip off. They are a joke. Have fancy equipment but they are not straight up. I took a Trans Am into tune it, and they were all sweet as pie when I took it in, then they stalled all day on doing a DYNO tune as if they were very busy. I called the shop 1.5 hours before they closed and they told me they wouldn't be able to get to it today, no biggy I want the job done right was my thought.
I got off the phone with them and in 20 minutes they called me back and said the car was done. I asked about this and they told me my car ran so good it didn't need much work. SO UNTRUE! I had just had the motor rebuilt with Ram Air III heads etc, and the car needed some good adjusting, so I knew this car didn't run good, its why I was taking it to them to fine tune the carb, timing etc.. There is no possible way you can tune a car in 20 minutes, it takes 5-10 just to strap it on the dyno.
So then I go to pick the car up, its sitting in there lot. I go in and pay for it before I can get the keys and the guy gives me some ridiculous DYNO sheet saying this motor was putting out nearly 400 horse power, wow I said I didn't realize it was that strong. So I pay the 400 or whatever the bill is, I go to the car and my wallet had fallen out of my shorts, guess what? Low and Behold here is my wallet on the seat exactly where it had fallen out where I had parked it when dropping it off!! So my next step is to touch the hood, its cold to the touch! So wouldn't you think that if it had just come off the DYNO to show nearly 400 horsepower that the hood would be even a little warm???
So I figure I'm being stupid, so I get in the car and head home. I don't abuse my cars, I want them to run very well, but I always take care of them and I spend a lot of money on them. So I'm heading home and I'm not doing anything harder than normal, an occasional punch here and there and it seems not to really feel any different then when I dropped it off. It ran exactly the same as why I was taking it in initially. So a few weeks passes and I get a chance to put my car on a DYNO at another shop (not going to say the name of the shop because this post isn't about promoting someone else's business its about Chucks Speed Center.) So this other shop they run it on the DYNO and the results came back at 295 horsepower. Which is why I knew something was up, this motor was to be reliable and fun not radical raced out in anyway. So 389 horsepower or whatever the number was, was way over 295 horsepower.
Anyway that's my story on Chucks Speed Center. I wouldn't go back to them if they paid me, and since that time have heard other types of bad experiences thru the different car clubs and car shows I attend locally in Arizona.
The best advice I can give anyone regarding building a car is get your quotes written down, find out give or take 300 bucks, what the "out the door price" is going to be, this is the tough part for everyone no doubt, but it keeps things up and honest. Do your homework on any shop you are going to take your baby to. Other people don't care about your car the same way you do, they just want your money. Honesty in the Auto Service and Performance industry in my opinion is at an all time low. Its not every shop, but its a majority of them. It's really a shame, hope they sleep well at night. People pay good money for stuff and the seller of the product only cares about the bucks, not in anyway about you or your car.
Where did this book come from that tells how fast a good mechanic is, I guarantee that every mechanic is different, so why does there have to be a book that determines how long a job takes.
Shops want 6 hours for pulling a motor, I've seen friends do it all the time in a lot less time, and they don't even make a mess doing it.
I've been burned a few time in the past 15-20 years dealing with the cars Ive loved from my youth when I couldn't afford them.
If you don't know how to work on cars, you better have a buddy that knows what's up. I hate taking my cars to shops, I trust very few shops now. Ive got a mobile mechanic now, that way I'm right there watching what he does and I pay for all the parts that I find on my own, using anyone else for parts those people are making something from it and that drives your cost up, do it yourself.
Ask a shop for 5 references of the cars they worked on and how to contact them. Any guy/gal that loves cars will be glad to talk to you about there experiences. Also don't be afraid to contact the BBB, this agency isn't perfect either, but see what rating the BBB gives them and see if they have had any complaints in the last 24 months. Asking for 12 months is useless, it takes nearly that long to get a complaint into the system.
Pay with a credit card if you can, that way you have some protection, credit card companies will "Charge Back" to your account while it is investigated, ask your credit card company how long they will back any major purchase you make with the card. Usually its not longer than a year, sometimes only 90 days. If you think you'll just take them to court if it goes bad, think again, you may win a judgment with the courts but collecting the money is a whole new animal, and more than likely lost money.
This is all my opinion but at least I let people know so they can watch there butt! I've been burned by some big name companies in Phoenix, but Ive learned a lot and now I just try to advise people that might head down the same road as myself. Know who your dealing with when speeding your hard earned cash, if you don't you could end up spending alot of that money redoing things.
I feel better now!
I know this is an old post but its the reason I signed up from finding a link on Google.
hey whats up my names denver and i have a question i have an 03 mustang 3.8 everything completely stock and i'm looking to start doing a few upgrades and for starters i was to put a single turbo kit on it does my car need any other upgrades before i add this to it
hey whats up my names denver and i have a question i have an 03 mustang 3.8 everything completely stock and i'm looking to start doing a few upgrades and for starters i was to put a single turbo kit on it does my car need any other upgrades before i add this to it
Most likely you will need a few upgrades.
What comes in this kit?
Look into bitter intake plenums, bigger injectors and fuel pump, good high flowing exhaust....
It all depends on how much power your looking to put down. Your not going to be pushing that much boost on a stock engine... so you wont need many upgrades to make it work.
Mind you, your hp/tq will be VERY limited due to a stock engine...
Biggest thing is the tune. You need a good tune.
If this does become reality, make sure you have a good tuner first. and make sure your car is dyno tuned by a reliable tuner before you do any big racing or anything stupid.
We've all been there before.