Hateful 8, a painful update

Callaghan

Lifetime Supporter
I hadn't thought a build log was necessary on this car but I'm hundreds of hours in with my own time and now this....

So this was supposed to be the part where I said I'm so happy to have the car finally home. Driving my lady for the first time in my new GT40 and stopping in out of the way B&B's over the Labor Day weekend. Sadly no. Crushing setback.

I'm leaving names out of this per the rules of the forum as not all has been resolved but the story is a cautionary one for those who are new to the world of hand built race cars etc..

There were problems with the engine from the start. Assurances accompanied those problems along with many dozens of hours of wrenching on a new motor and finally the car went for a chassis dyno. I knew if this motor was bad it would let go on the dyno. Mind you this engine should have been dyno'd before delivery per the purchase order. It was not. Major flag. More flags came up but they're too long to list.

Onto the Dyno it goes. Hours later I get a call: "please call the shop immediately"
Not good. They ask me to please pick up the car. They tell me they spent 5 hours with 2 guys on it and: List of things long and bad. "We're not going to charge you just please take it" they said explaining they wouldn't want to generate an invoice and thus association. Reputation blah blah. Not good.

Now one may ask, maybe they f****d up so bad they broke it. No. Not at all. They were recommended by an insider who is solid. I can tell you this was going to happen and I had to go through with it no matter what.

The engine builder has agreed to buy back the motor though I left a ton of money on the table to make an offer he couldn't refuse. That or go to war and make it hurt. He agreed to buy it back and I conceded some $$ to make sure. Part ways quick. Don't look back. Never do business with again.

This is the engine builder, not the installer, just to be clear. My installer is great and I've become good friends with him. I'd be screwed without him.

New engine, the correct engine from the correct builder is now 3 wks out. So maybe Thanksgiving it'll come home. After missing the summer of '17 with my kid, friends, family etc. I'm, shall we say, disappointed.

With all the pain and loss in the southern US it all seems really petty to moan about this. It still hurts though.

God help those poor people.


For those of you who read this and are new and thinking of getting a '40 I have a ton of advice (the most important being DO GET ONE. It's worth it but you must earn it). Feel free to PM.

I know this isn't an unusual story. I've read some like tales on this very forum. Just thought I'd share.

I will prevail in the end.

Hope all have a safe relaxing Labor day weekend.
 

Terry Oxandale

Skinny Man
The days in which a hand-shake was all that was needed are almost gone...not quite, but almost.

Good luck on getting on to the fun part!
 
Well, that does bite...but hang in there. In time it will become one of the "stories" you tell when reminiscing about the car with buddies.
 
Sucks... I hear you.. .mine let go in first 200 miles of owning it. Had it rebuilt over the following 3 months (after I spend 3 months trying to "fix it" myself.) Learned a bunch in the process and the car was great after but the wait is a pain. Feel for you
 
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