what would you do ?

[85foxbody]

OK folks looking for suggestions, and opinoins
Heres the story i pulled the motor from my car 1985 5.0 87,000 miles original motor on dec 2016 to have it turned into a 347. Spoke to a company down south and felt good about them also had a freind who had a motor built for his 69 gto so they came reccommended. Sent the motor down before christmas called them and spoke to my contact down there at said company to make sure they got it. My motor had gt40p heads ,ford b cam and edlebrock air gap intake bla bla bla. So when talking to the company they asked me what i was looking for for h.p i said the most you can get from it, his reply was if you put aluminum heads on ill guarantee 400 h.p. and they would break it in and dyno it for #'s at that time i asked him what would be the price difference if i used aluminum vs my gt40p heads ,no difference because the work that they would have to put into the gt40p head would be a wash . Months go buy no big deal because snows on the groung. i call to in mid april find out where the build is at they tell me its done and the #'s are 391 h.p with 391 ft tq. i'm thinking not 400 but close so i dont say anything at that time . my motor shows up all neatly crated up with paper work and a dvd of the dyno run. I look through the paper work to find the build sheet nothing found. So i call and they email me one but nothing on the heads they used. I call them back and ask the question about the heads they used the response i get is " oh i have to dig throught the paperwork to find out i'll call you back" so while waiting i pop in the video and low and behold cast iron gt40p heads are on it no aluminum. I'm now pissed, i call them and he said dont know what happened and asked if the motor was in the car i told him no, he says ship it back and we'll put the aluminum heads on it and they would foot the bill for shipping but i will have to pick up the cost of the heads. Which i think is bull sh** they should be putting them on no charge and run it on the dyno again. so should i leave the motor as is and slap it in and be happy with what it is or send the motor back for aluminum heads. It just pisses me off and i feel like i got the shaft .WHAT WOULD YOU DO? thanks for any and all input/ suggestions

[BTD]

I would check your original order paperwork and make sure it's specified that aluminum heads are to be used. Verbal agreements don't count for much. Really you need to prove that they promised you a head upgrade and go from there.

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[mmb617]

I have to agree with what BTD said as far as verbal agreements not being legally binding....but it's a crap move on the part of the company if they promised you something and won't live up to their promise now. I don't think there's anything you can do about it but it would leave a sour taste in my mouth if it happened to me.

If you can't get satisfaction the only thing you could do is tell us the name of the company and hope that might cost them some business.

[Ourobos]

So they never charged you for aluminum heads, but they should owe you aluminum heads because they used some to break in the short block? Not following that line of thought

[85foxbody]

I would check your original order paperwork and make sure it's specified that aluminum heads are to be used. Verbal agreements don't count for much. Really you need to prove that they promised you a head upgrade and go from there.
stupid me no paperwork just talked over the phone i know i know im a jackass but i thought i could trust them with his word. WRONG!!!!
Sent from my F8131 using Tapatalk

So they never charged you for aluminum heads, but they should owe you aluminum heads because they used some to break in the short block? Not following that line of thought

the motor shop built the motor and never used aluminum heads they used my gt40p heads , but i did not know that until i watched the video of the dyno run of my motor. That is when i realized that it was my cast iron heads

[BTD]

Read your original post again, doesn't seem like they promised aluminum, I can see why you are upset as you assumed based on your "most you can get from it" you thought okay he's going to build me it with aluminum heads. However you also mentioned cost difference so I can totally understand them using your stock stuff, as better that then putting aluminum heads on and you going with why is it so expensive.

In short you got 9hp less than what you expected, but no surprises on your bill.

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[82GTforME]

Read your original post again, doesn't seem like they promised aluminum, I can see why you are upset as you assumed based on your "most you can get from it" you thought okay he's going to build me it with aluminum heads. However you also mentioned cost difference so I can totally understand them using your stock stuff, as better that then putting aluminum heads on and you going with why is it so expensive.

In short you got 9hp less than what you expected, but no surprises on your bill.

BTD, I was thinking similar when I read the OP's original post.

for h.p i said the most you can get from it, his reply was if you put aluminum heads on ill guarantee 400 h.p.

Is "it" your iron heads? Was the "if you put" ever confirmed "yes, i want 400 hp and I want aluminum heads" or just "what would be the price difference"?

I'm glad they are receptive at least. I suppose you could go down this path and send the engine back...then wait...and then get it back again. Then have XX more HP but if you are paying for the upgrade now, you are out time and money. Besides aren't aluminum heads $$? I'd be happy myself with the HP you have; mind you I don't know what you forked out to them. Did they port the iron heads for you?

[erratic50]

If the redid the 40's and they are now ready to rock consider your next move carefully. I've seen many guys take a great running motor and spend way too much on exotic parts and ultimately end up with an unreliable pile.

Run them. Save your money, next time it's down put on a blower.

[mmb617]

i asked him what would be the price difference if i used aluminum vs my gt40p heads ,no difference because the work that they would have to put into the gt40p head would be a wash .

I read this as meaning they could give him the aluminum heads instead of reworking his gt40p's with no additional charge. No mention was made of what aluminum heads we're talking about so I assumed they weren't name brand. I can see where no name aluminum heads might be just as cost effective as reworking his iron ones, so maybe they did make that offer. If they did, they should follow through.

It's impossible to tell from a distance what promises might have been made in a phone conversation, which is why all this should have been in writing.

If they just used a good set of aluminum heads for the dyno run then switched them back to the gt40's I would think that was borderline dishonest as the numbers they are quoting aren't the numbers the engine would post as delivered to the customer. And if they were using a good set of aluminum heads for the dyno run the 391/391 flywheel numbers sound weak for a 347. I'd expect those numbers at the wheels with good heads.

If I were in the OP's shoes I sure wouldn't want to be sending the motor back for any rework at this point. Whatever promises may or may not have been made it's just not worth the hassle now. Water over the dam.

[Matt J]

OK folks looking for suggestions, and opinoins
Heres the story i pulled the motor from my car 1985 5.0 87,000 miles original motor on dec 2016 to have it turned into a 347. Spoke to a company down south and felt good about them also had a freind who had a motor built for his 69 gto so they came reccommended. Sent the motor down before christmas called them and spoke to my contact down there at said company to make sure they got it. My motor had gt40p heads ,ford b cam and edlebrock air gap intake bla bla bla. So when talking to the company they asked me what i was looking for for h.p i said the most you can get from it, his reply was if you put aluminum heads on ill guarantee 400 h.p. and they would break it in and dyno it for #'s at that time i asked him what would be the price difference if i used aluminum vs my gt40p heads ,no difference because the work that they would have to put into the gt40p head would be a wash . Months go buy no big deal because snows on the groung. i call to in mid april find out where the build is at they tell me its done and the #'s are 391 h.p with 391 ft tq. i'm thinking not 400 but close so i dont say anything at that time . my motor shows up all neatly crated up with paper work and a dvd of the dyno run. I look through the paper work to find the build sheet nothing found. So i call and they email me one but nothing on the heads they used. I call them back and ask the question about the heads they used the response i get is " oh i have to dig throught the paperwork to find out i'll call you back" so while waiting i pop in the video and low and behold cast iron gt40p heads are on it no aluminum. I'm now pissed, i call them and he said dont know what happened and asked if the motor was in the car i told him no, he says ship it back and we'll put the aluminum heads on it and they would foot the bill for shipping but i will have to pick up the cost of the heads. Which i think is bull sh** they should be putting them on no charge and run it on the dyno again. so should i leave the motor as is and slap it in and be happy with what it is or send the motor back for aluminum heads. It just pisses me off and i feel like i got the shaft .WHAT WOULD YOU DO? thanks for any and all input/ suggestions

Hey I was born in Nashua!

I think at this point, keep what you have, those GT40 heads are pretty decent heads and if they've reworked them for you they should serve you pretty well. They're no doubt not as good as top of the line aftermarket aluminum heads, but no saying that's what they were going to put in there anyway. 391 HP in that car will be very fast, I don't think you'll care once you start running it. You have a right to be disappointed, but clearly someone forgot the agreement when they started to work on the car, and you have what you have. Look at it this way, you can put that motor in the car this weekend and be driving it whenever the rain stops up there. Have fun with it!

[gr79]

Stuff happens. No ones fault.
Common North/South/East/West long distance communications/language between strangers not clear enough.

The long delay in calling for updates was the key. Had to catch it before the irons were done.
Holding them to 400 hp figure right from the start.
The engine was still there and easily changed out vs now.

I call frequently for updates on all work stages or even stay if local and watch like a hawk. So what? i am paying.
Without being a PITA and a 'here he comes again' customer. Lots of times they had additional questions needing my help.

Id happily drop it in and enjoy it.
Test drive to make sure everything is a go.
Then pull a nice big hole shot to see what it can do.

Or if unhappy with iron heads, send crated engine back and buy the aluminum.
The free shipping is very generous.
Have them send back the irons in the crate since you paid for them.
Or will this be an even up head swap n/c for labor?
Eliminate the 'wish i' now....or wait until next build.

Get everything in writing what is desired and send copy with shipment with details and names.
Confirm plan over phone and get names insuring info is shared with others involved at the shop.
Get parts to be used info.
Really, to get 10 more hp this way is a lot of hassle with no guarantee it will be a better engine.

A lot of times, a situation was meant to be.
Painted heads like iron look better to me at a show than unpainted which look unfinished and added on.
Kind of that sneaky 'whats he hiding inside with the stock appearing' look.

[85foxbody]

Thanks for all the sugestions and input because i was pissed off and not thinking with a clear mind , now that i've had time to think and cool down thanks to you guys. Lessons learned GET IT IN WRITING. I will say the guy i talked to was very appoligetic. I thought that he was a shop foreman or some thing along those lines but i found out he was the sales guy that writes up the order. When talking to him the feeling i got was he was swamped no excuse but.....The motor will be going in when i get the chance hopefully soon. Thanks again