Brit Motor Rebuilds

Chucky · Post by **Chucky** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:17 pm

Just taken my heap of an engine to a Rodder called Andy, he spent 7 years at BJ's bikes and bits and comes highly recommended by them!

$40 an hour (24hr total in a rebuild) + parts, He has to be the guy that starts, runs and tunes the motor first then he'll give you a warranty

)))

I actually me the guy prior to this and he is a top bloke. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Chux

chopperal · Post by **chopperal** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:36 pm

I'd be very interested in hearing how it goes Chucky

cheers, al

Chucky · Post by **Chucky** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:10 am

After working with andy for a while I can honestly say that I wouldn't trust anyone else with my motors from now on......he's a craftsman.

PM me for his details.

I have about 3,500 in the rebuild (parts and labour) and the motor will be as good as new when finished.

Andy will also perform any work on your british engines.

So if you want a brit chop got to Pommychoppers for the chassis and andy for the motor.

Chucky · Post by **Chucky** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:26 pm

No washers on the head bolts, Stripped inlet manifold threads, lot's of oil leaks from rockers, primary case and pushrod tubes, Stripped rockerbox threads, charged me for crank balancing then later told me the crank did not need to be balanced by the engineer so nothing was done to it even though he charged me!!

Please do not use Andy for engine rebuilds.

Biggaz · Post by **Biggaz** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:59 pm

well that was a change of heart mate

pommychopper · Post by **pommychopper** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 8:27 pm

Chucky wrote:No washers on the head bolts, Stripped inlet manifold threads, lot's of oil leaks from rockers, primary case and pushrod tubes, Stripped rockerbox threads, charged me for crank balancing then later told me the crank did not need to be balanced by the engineer so nothing was done to it even though he charged me!!

Please do not use Andy for engine rebuilds.

Yeah but apart from that he did a great job

Chainblock Dave · Post by **Chainblock Dave** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:15 pm

so his warranty isn't flash either hey

Chucky · Post by **Chucky** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:12 am

Nah, I needed the head to come off to be fixed due to one of his errors (stripped inlet manifolds) he charged me!

Stoand · Post by **Stoand** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:21 pm

sounds like he doesn't know what he is doing, I could understand one oil leak, but that list suggests a serious lack of knowledge and/or effort

hemitech01 · Post by **hemitech01** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:27 pm

80% of the jobs in our shop are repairs from other shops or so called experts.
No sh*t, we've seen everything from missing or forgotten components to the filthiest rebuilds...and just when we thought we've seen it all,
in comes one with a broken conrod - rather than replace the rod/s with the damaged small end, they sleaved it (leaving stuff all metal to support the gudgeon) put it all together,
it broke causing the piston to smash the head, the rod broke the case, cams, tappets etc stuffed, metal right through the engine and bearings, and all because they thought they could save $200!!! Don't cut corners, it will come back and bite you on the a*se!

BTW, crank balancing etc is one of the most important things you should do to any engine especially Triumph. But it all has to be done right.

Food for thought - Would you take your Harley to a Suzuki place for an engine re-build? Do we take a Chrysler Hemi to a Holden bloke when we know the Chrysler bloke specialises on these engines?
Then why take your Triumph/Brit crank or barels etc. to a car place or some un-related engineer shop. Do they really know about specs and clearances etc for specific engines?

But the most important advice i can offer, if any, make sure you really know who you are dealing with and take everything in stages.
Cheap rates, pay peanuts, you get monkeys 95% of the time!
Cheers, Pedro

Chucky · Post by **Chucky** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:44 am

heard a grinding noise. lost charge.

I opened up the primary at a mates place (good mechanic) and found the 750cc primary drive on the 650 crank. I didn't know this part wouldn't work when I supplied it; but Andy didn't tell me either......he just bodged it in with a home made spacer (no woodruf keyway), then spaced the stator off the studs with old nuts that had been drilled out to remove the threads.

The result is a rotor that was only half on the crank and subsequently it threw out of alignment and tore my stator to shreds.

This was the last straw, I fixed the bike witha duplex chain/sprocket and kept the triplex basket then called Andy up to discuss it with him.....calmly.

He got full as a goog that I had taken the machine elsewhere and said that my "warranty" was void. I explained that I had done so for a second opinion form a mechanic that he knew. My reasoning was that when I took the bike to Andy with the cylinder head issue he CHARGED me to remove/reinstall it; even though the reason it failed in the first 10Km's was down to an oversight on his part in that he didn't check the state of the inlet threads before assembly.

At this point I mentioned the lack of washers on the cylinder head and no heat spacers between the carb, he said it had obviously been tampered with after him.....LIAR!

He then had the nerve to say that when I took the bike to him the cylinder head was off......LIAR! He unbolted the head with me in his shed, I made sure he was the ONLY mechanic to touch it at that point and he still ignored any warranty and charged me.

I mentioned why he had used the old nuts and he said they were already on the bike when he got it.....LIAR! only the 650 alternator studs and crank were present, NO primary drive.

My take on it is that just because you are supplied the wrong parts does not mean you fit them incorrectly, and if you find incorrect parts in an engine you do not refit them either.

So the result is that I asked for Andy to reimburse me for the Stator only, I would cover the cost of the primary chain, sprocket and gaskets as I should have supplied these in the first place. I think this was exeptionally fair. He flat declined.

here are the unedited texts so that you can make your own minds up.

"whats the problem with the trump?"

This is the point I called him to discuss as as above; I ended up hanging up on him, and subsequently called some of his (and my) mates to let them now I had a beef with him from this point on.

ANDY - "want to talk about your problem and find a solution to it. I am very proud of my work and the issue should have been raised with me and not anybody else if you wanted the problem fixedthen talk to me I dont give warranty over this ammount of time!" (bear in mind he did not give warranty after 10Km's either; which is why I went for a second opinion after taking advice from his friends in advance)

Chucky - "only solution is reinburse me for the stator; If you're not gonna do that dont bother talking to me again"

ANDY - "Due to non standard parts being fitted to the engine and the period of time elapsed after the machine was delivered to you, in good faith, regardless of klm travelled. I am unable to help. All of our correspondance will be recorded, sorry I couldn't help. Andy"

Chucky - "record the fact that you fitted the non standard parts, don't contact me again!"

So there it is in black and white, make your own minds up. I'm still deciding where to go from here.

On the plus side of all the mates that I have gained since coming here; I've only been screwed over by one....so 99% of em are ok

Chucky · Post by **Chucky** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:45 am

Oh and I replaced the rocker o-rings to stop the leak

Zoid · Post by **Zoid** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:28 pm