The great Gress goatf**k.

#81

Brought my Molitor motor home from Columbia yesterday and bought a cherry picker hoist. Tonight the motor goes on the stand and gets a leakdown test. Will also repeat the leakdown test on the Strictly German motor.

I had some problems doing the leakdown test Sunday night and was up 'till 0100 struggling with it. Bought a better air compressor and better leakdown tester yesterday to see if that was my problem. Kinda have a better understanding now of how to do the test too.

The objective is to figure out which is the good top end and which the good bottom end. Likely it’s the Strictly German bottom end and the Molitor head. But I’ll take the head to a machine shop for a check out just to be sure. Then put the two good parts together and open a can of whoopass at RA.

Now that I’m gaining more experience, it seems rediculous to me that a shop will want 8 or 10hrs labor to swap a head. For chrissakes if you can’t swap a head in 2hrs you need to put the beer down and use both hands.

#82

Ranger wrote:

I wish I had known you were looking for one. I have one in my garage that I would lend indefinitely (or at least until I forgot who I gave it to).

If you can get by without using your new one AND can return it, I’ll bring mine to Road Atlanta (or you can grab it next time you are in Atlanta).

Steve D.

#83

Scott, upon your final results testing with your gauge and the experience that you’ve gained, share the results with Bobby on the bum engine. What’s reasonable for the sale of such a thing? Bobby certainly didn’t know…And my used engine advise has proven to be suspect.

Lesson learned: Do a leak-down test prior to installation. I’m taking that advise on the replacement engine for Laura’s car and hoping the leak on the exhaust on its #5 cylinder is carbon or trash on the exhaust valve.

Ask Bobby for a free gearbox or other parts for all of your troubles?

Good luck, you now have experience that you can pass on to others.

Robert Patton

#84

Steve, thanks a lot but I’m in a hell of a hurry. The faster I move now, the more time I’ll have when the last goatscrew smacks me a couple days out from RA.

Robert, your advise is not suspect. You and Chuck have become the patron saints of SpecE30, or some such thing.

I talked to Bobby and he was suspicious of my leakdown #'s. I’m suspicious of them too. I’m no authority on leakdown but it seems to me like 3 cylinders at 90% leakdown would be far worse then the simply “weak” behavior that my Strictly German motor exhibited. That’s why I’m trying to do a second test.

If all goes as I hope, and I end up using the Strictly German bottom end, I’ll probably just ask Bobby for some “store credit”.

#85

Latest installment in the saga. Recall that this whole thing started by me paying Molitor to build one of his “SpecE30 Special” heads. This is where he goes thru and cherry picks the best stuff so the head is especially durable.

The report on the head from a local machine shop is in. You’re going to love this:

  1. Most rocker arms are worn out and show obvious pitting.
  2. Most cam lobes are worn out with obvious grooving.
  3. Cam bearing surfaces are massively grooved.
  4. The head’s “Cam holes”, which are the round holes that the cam bearings ride in are massively grooved. My terminology on cam bearings and head holes may be wrong.
  5. An exhaust valve is bent.

So the head is completely junk. Lol.

#86

Maybe that was the “best stuff” he had on hand at the time?

That really sucks.

#87

That sounds exactly like my “best head” that I took in to have a valve job on…that became the “all new” head on my 132hp motor…

I really think the key is to buy donor cars that you can dyno test. Imagine a $500 car that you can do leak down, compression and dyno test. If it has a good 5 speed you are halfway there. Scrap value is down around $200 now. There are a lot of guys that seem to need body parts these days also…

I think I spent $1100 on my head.

Al

#88

FARTBREF wrote:

[quote]

I really think the key is to buy donor cars that you can dyno test. Imagine a $500 car that you can do leak down, compression and dyno test. If it has a good 5 speed you are halfway there. Scrap value is down around $200 now. There are a lot of guys that seem to need body parts these days also…
Al[/quote]

Agreed, that probably is the best way. There’d be some logistic hurdles, but you could take the parts you want, and still probably end up with a profit by selling the rest. Just need a place to put the beaters.

#89

I have been trying to reach you to talk to you about what happened with Alex Molitor… I think you also talked to my bro in law in Athens about it also.
I live in Atlanta and was also scammed by Alex… actually I am about five minutes from his shop… you probably actually know me, my husband and brother in law because we all worked for Bobby. We have seen this sort of thing before, but this guy is the worst!
If you filed a lawsuit than maybe our coming forward might help your case. We were lucky enough that we weren’t really out much, but the idea that this guy is probably robbing someone else right now is upsetting…
we have all been in the business for a long time and this guy needs to be driven out of town just like he was driven out of Augusta or Columbus or wherever he was…
tkaalternate@gmail.com
Please contact me if you can.
thx

#90

Update. My brand new head has problems. After numerous phone calls to the outfit that built it, and a dozen leakdown, compression and drip tests, I’m sending my new head back to them tomorrow. I don’t care so much how it got goobered up, but it needs to pass every test with flying colors before I bolt on the manifolds and trek to BP@Atlanta for a dyno test.

The good news is that I’ve removed/installed heads now >10X. I can do it in mere minutes. Longer if you want it to work tho.

I just bought a crankscraper from Chuck. I lost mine when Molitor swiped my block and it’s new bearings. So I’m going to install the crankscraper when it arrives later this week.

#91

Ranger wrote:

I bet you’ll find the crank scraper when you locate the stolen wheels… Or was the missing crank scraper part of the SpecE30 Engine Special?

#92

I’m pleased to be able to report that the Process Servers were able to track down Molitor and formally serve him with the lawsuit papers. The suit is a go. Very nice.

#93

Scott I wish you luck, but I’m afraid you may be trying to squeeze blood from a turnip.

Tell Alex, Craig is looking for the transmission he owes him too.

Good Luck!

#94

Actually… don’t.

#95

Yeah, I think we’re all good. Please dont mention my name either, or my $500 he owes me.

DB