Looks like I have to rebuild or replace my 350 in Houston area

[Grit dog]

Wow, @Steppin Razor seems you somehow found the worst shop in town!
Aside from generally enjoying working on “stuff”, growing up doing it out of necessity or as a paying job, now my biggest issue is exactly what has happened to you.
Unless one knows the shop or company personally or gets a solid personal reference, it’s a crap shoot and I’d rather not have the frustration with the cost piled on top to deal with a hack mechanic.

 

[Frankenchevy]

Yes, lol. Your lucky it had enough traction to make it up the ramps.

…or have to adjust the ramps once the front axle was on the trailer

 

[Steppin Razor]

What a nightmare! That sucks! Sorry to hear that. It's hard to find a good mechanic that does it right.

I had thunderbolt rebuild my transmission in my 05 Dakota for 3,300. It was advertised much cheaper but y'all know how that goes by the time they're done. It ran good for about another year or so then started shifting crappy again so I just traded it in.

Over the last almost 15years I guess, I have been finding it difficult to find anyone who does anything right anymore. A couple of times I've had good people doing good work, but few and far between. If I were in a different position, I would've done it myself, but I'm also having trouble finding the time to do all the things I can't trust anyone else to do.
At least this time, they didn't hit me with a bunch of add-ons. Just spark plugs and harmonic balancer.

Wow, @Steppin Razor seems you somehow found the worst shop in town!
Aside from generally enjoying working on “stuff”, growing up doing it out of necessity or as a paying job, now my biggest issue is exactly what has happened to you.
Unless one knows the shop or company personally or gets a solid personal reference, it’s a crap shoot and I’d rather not have the frustration with the cost piled on top to deal with a hack mechanic.

The funny thing is, I did get a solid personal reference. I know a guy who has a machine shop who told me to go there because he was too backed up and doesn't do the removal/install. Turns out, since I still don't have my truck, the time frame ended up not to matter. I would've paid more, and still needed a mechanic, but at least the engine rebuild I would've been good with.
At least so far, they have taken it back to work on to try and fix it without argument. The big thing now, as I talked to the mechanic and he agreed it was the front crank seal, is if they will actually fix the AC or just recharge it and hope I don't come back when it leaks out of whatever holes they made. I'm debating whether I will or not, because it is a PITA to go there and back, especially knowing they're half-assing to begin with.

 

[RanchWelder]

Learning is important part of mechanician, Like these guys, this I have done. I thought it was fun. Now I can completely tear a truck or car down and put it back together, maybe a few times to get it right. Don't care what anybody thinks, I wanna learn.

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How many people noticed the dude with the come-along, hanging upside down from the swamp maple tree?
(Hanging head first from the branch with all the engine weight?)

Is he wearing a 12" bandage on his left arm from the last time he fell into the engine bay head first?
(WE cannot see his head bandage, just that he climbs trees in his Dingo Boots).

Remember it's a Plymouth.
This is not a proper example of doing anything correctly.


The car is no where near level and the crew looks stoned?

Right or wrong?

The Pinto really tells the tale.

 

[Steppin Razor]

I picked it up today. The AC is recharged, will have to wait and see if any leaks out. If it does, I will probably take it to the guy who installed my conversion.
It's hard to start, and I replaced the battery the first time I picked it up. Also idle is set pretty high (by ear, I don't have a pulse tach), and the temp gauge is around the middle which is not normal. I have the 165deg t-stat in it. I test drove when they were done and they monitored engine temp and it was around 160s at the hoses, 210 shooting the laser thermometer on the block. Said that was fine.
Got home and checked ignition timing. Not only is it way off, I've got to check the wires are going to the right cylinders. I would think it'd be unstartable if that was the case, but they had issues trying to get it started the first time I went there, so I won't take it for granted.

On the plus side, it does not appear to be leaking oil, and this time, they cleaned off the crossmember to see if it leaked, so that's good at least. They have two separate shops, the machine shop and the mechanic shop. To date, it seems the issues have been with the mechanic side, but of course time will have to tell if it was rebuilt well. I've at least got a 3y/36k for that.