Call your credit card company and cancel that charge

Post a WTB ad in the forum marketplace. Also, there is Riggs in CA: https://www.riggsvintagemazda.com/

 

Just a small update, I made the 7 hour drive to 10 mile rd. in Detroit this past week and as expected, I just ended up knocking on an silent door. No answer. His next door neighbors did show up and they just said they have not saw him in months. Said they have saw other people loading stuff up and taking it away, but no Chip. I asked how they gained access without him but they just shrugged. They did say that the buildings landlord usually told the other tenants when a vacancy becomes available in the building and that so far, they have not received such a notice.

In addition, the mailman came by making deliveries and I spoke with them for a little bit. They haven't saw him either and told me that he had not emptied his mail box in about 2 weeks. I looked and sure enough, the box had a dozen or so letters still inside. The mailman said that after so long they collect them up and take them back to the post office and that there has not been any forwarding address setup. Even the mailman said they thought he was being sued and that he was driving a different vehicle. No idea how or why they thought that. I do believe that Chip still occupies the space but is choosing to remain out of reach.

I suspect that Chip has more problems than just the customers he's screwed over. Too bad, even his next door neighbors said he once had a thriving business and was always busy. Chip, if you're reading this, all I can say is that many times in life, things have a way of catching up with you. The world can be a small place, especially something like the Rotary community. It's always better to step forward and resolve your problems on your own terms instead of letting the situation degrade and turn around on you. Thats when things become forced on you and normally its done with extreme prejudice exercised against you. I hope you can find a way to do the right thing.

 

says the guy not capable of handling even such light criticism without even the slightest allowance of a possible misunderstanding, before going straight to the “done went full woke” cancel mentality club …

https://www.rx7club.com/ne-rx-7-foru.../#post12608553

but go ahead and say what you’re going to say, to think what you’re going to think, and believe what you’re going to believe. Because whatever it is, is meaningless, without value, and irrelevant as far as I’m concerned. Not that I’m in the slightest agreement with Chip leaving anyone hanging. I offered him to do whatever I could to help resolve these siutations. Only to be accused by the likes of yourself of being complicit in his actions, his direct accomplice even. I suppose my offer to help him and everyone else at even my own expense will be called untruthful now, as well as you did before.

Given the complete lack of discernment of some people on this forum, suffer it to be so in the all-knowing and all-perceiving, self-righteous social media generation. Even still, I’d give you the one and only shirt off my back if you needed it. Though clearly based on the linked reply, I’d be on your same cancel list pronto if I ever thought even twice to try and give you a penny of my business going forward.

The thread linked above, IRP, Elite Rotary, etc.; they all still go forward despite your big “rotary community” words nonsense. I don’t agree at all with them doing so any more than Chip, but anyone who doesn’t view that as a bunch of big swaggering, egotistical BS in the face of the obvious reality is completely blind to it continuing onward even now to this day. no different than the last 20 years, and still going forward …

again, I don’t agree with it, but am honest enough to see it for what it actually is. And yet … it’s not too late to to turn the corner. To be the bigger man and say, “Maybe I reacted too quickly and should have given more consideration”, as even you insist that Chip should do in the post above? And then put me in the same light to do as well regarding yourself and my own previous words? Or will you hold to such pettiness from the vanity, pride, and arrogance, to verify being so full of such puffed up conceit? Because I don’t have the slightest hesitance to do so if you lead the way

The entire forum is watching, both you and me; what sayest thou?
.

 

@TeamRX8 Might want to have a closer look at those usernames...

 

I'm pretty sure @Banzai-Racing is going to sayest to himself, 'Dafuq?' and happily go about his day.

Remember that time I mentioned introspection? Yeah this is another one of those.

 

I think maybe TeamRX8 is confusing me with Banzai Racing. Sorry but no connection between them and myself. Banzai was my nickname back when I raced Motocross in my teens and 20's. When I bought my 1st Rx-7 (new off the lot in 79) when I was 19, my nickname was a natural fit for a personalized license plate for my new car.

Still have the car and the plate this being my 45th year of ownership. Now a days, it more of the cars name than my own and thats fine with me. Pretty sure I used the name before Banzai Racing came around. Since then, I've acquired a few more SA's and now spend my retirement time working on and restoring my little harem of cars in an effort to help preserve them for future generations of enthusiasts.

This forum is still the best place to come to learn and share knowledge about these cars and thats what I use it for.

 

Any update to this?

 

introspection is a many splendored thing. I’m wrong plenty, and well aware of it as much or more than anyone else. When I was falsely accused of being in cahoots with Chip nobody stood up for me, nor do they need to, but the usual suspects are always lurking for their own moment to jump in and cast dispersion. They never put that into their own introspection pipe and smoke it though.

I’m sorry for all the people that ended up on the wrong end of the stick with Chip. I’m just as sorry for Chip too. Because that’s where introspection road leads to; just as I need forgiveness, so I too forgive. Just because I won’t take a knee for men or the world doesn’t mean I won’t kneel to the highest power who will recompense each person for all their own wrongs.

For the record, Chip got me on a pair of solid 1-pc 13B dowels. I received them, but they’re ~60mm too long. I can’t even figure out what engine combo they’d fit in. He was going to send replacements, but I never heard from him again. Even in light of my own minor issue, I still hope the better for him as much as any other person.
.

 

Hey guys I commented about 6 months ago to update about what I know about Chip as his shop neighbor. Looks like he is dropped off every morning around 8am by some lady in a small car. Have never seen him leave or get picked up

 

Interesting, and thank you for the update. Hopefully he is, or going to, make things right. I am still waiting for my dry sump front cover. But I saw that he deleted his Instagram and personal Facebook profile recently. Such incredible work, all lost to history. His Facebook business page still remains.

 

I wish there was just a way for us who have parts there to just say hey man if your not done your not done, but give us our property back. I have 2 semi p housings that he did with water cooling jacket modifications as well as exhaust port inserts and port work. Even though there wrong id like to have my stuff back. You guys know that he has another business that he runs ther too rite? He subcontracts for manufacturers or at least he was. I assume hes doing that to pay rent, if he wasn’t paying bills he wouldn’t have power / place to stay ect. He’s making the payments on his equipment/tooling still. He’s not making new money by “finishing” orders. If he robbed peter to pay Paul he’s going back to the manufacturing/private label type work if you ask me

 

Hello all,

Many appear to have sent "Chip" Ciprian Ursu - known as Chips Motorsports in Michigan - their money and/or rotary engines but not received either back.

I have made a police report regarding my one misfortune, and am including the claims of others with their documentation. The police are interested in other's claims. If you know someone who this happenned to please let them know about the investigation and have them contact me directly.

If this has happened to you, please contact me this week by email Jeffrey@Antonelli-Law.com and I will forward your documentation to the police. Please note that I am doing this *as a fellow racer* and not your attorney in any way, shape, or form. Anything sent to me is NOT confidential and you have no expectation of privacy for anything sent to me regarding this matter regarding Chip.

Thank you.

Jeff Antonelli

 

Janton9736
email sent my freind
jp

 

Janton9736

emailed you

 

E-mail sent.

 

well you can come to his defense when the mountain of claims pile up I guess.

bump for an update - I'm also local.

my last contact with him, wanted me to pay and drop off parts whenever, IE take the money and run.



he was already 6 months late on my 2021 build/project. I hope he actually did balance the motor, I have no way of knowing if he did the work he said he did. aside from the rotor modifications that I was able to see with my own eyes.
it took from may to october to get the work done paid and ghosted but I got parts.

sorry for everyone who got screwed here, such a shame but yes he was difficult to deal with. even in person

 

The list just keeps growing. Wonder what the total he swindled actually is? The single highest claim I know of is 80K.

https://www.rx7club.com/rotary-car-p...-95-a-1168535/

It's not that big of a community, I fail to understand for what reason and at which point, does a legitimate business turn on its own customer-fellow enthusiasts and deliberately screw them over.

 

Y'all should contact Rob Wolchek "hall of shame" Fox News Detroit. He's famous for tracking down deadbeats like Chip. Rob will hound this guy on camera.
https://www.fox2detroit.com/person/w/rob-wolchek

 

Kind of a very sad story this topic. I hope it will get sorted for the people who gave their trust, parts and money to him. If people go there and take 'whats theirs' by forced entry its offcourse just a atter of time before some criminal minded will find out and clear the place I fear.

Not a-lot to do with the topic but about lapping is not the kind of surface treating you want on rotary side housings. the issue w lapping is sure the surface is about as planar as it can get, sure, but the surface isn't parallel anymore to the backside, simply because the center of gravity and/or the weights or 'pushers that are added to speed up the process aren't in the center of the surface that touches the wheel. This surface (and thus local surface pressure and rate of material removal) also changes during the lapping process when the wear area between the plugs goes away bit bit bit ..

What I can recommend is Blanchard grind the housing flat, this guarantees parallelity within +- 0.01mm if the machine is set up right, then send it out for nitrating, 24h in oven, then just before using the housing Blanchard grind it again w a fine wheel taking off the 'withe layer', 0.02mm roughly. housings that don't directly get used i'm temped to leave the withe layer on as it protects very good against surface rust. I am doing this since 4-5 years now and the wear rate is similar to that of OEM mazda housings. (I built an engine w a new mazda side housing and reground/nitrated side housing and measured the wear after 2 seasons of circuit racing). oh and down forget to remove all freeze and brass plugs as they have lost their tension from the nitrating

 

pretty much, nitriding is a specialized business and not something a rotary shop does inside its own business. i farmed out a few irons to be nitrided before but it's a very specific process, requires basically stripping everything off your irons and replacing the bits, including brass drift plugs, core plugs, press in water port fittings, steel dowels, etc, etc. anything not part of the cast iron needs to come off before treatment.

 

The steel dowels for the stat gears Ive always left in.. just shorten the front one so the housing can lie flat on the magnetic table for grinding. But yes as you say anything else must come out

 

Veering further off topic, is flame sprayed cermet a good alternative to nitriding an iron?

Mazda uses it for the aluminum side housings on the new 8C engine, and Racing Beat did something similar on the aluminum side housings they used to sell.
I'm not sure because the 8C acts as a range extender and only operates at certain loads and not continuously, and the Racing Beat plates were meant for race engines that get rebuilt more frequently.

 

pretty sure it has been tried, though specifically on the chrome housings with poor results. Almost nothing physically bonds with chrome though, but iron wear is not usually the big issue in rotary engines. Nitiriding works fairly well as it stands and has a proven record, with any coating you run the risk of delamination, which can actually hurt performance instead of aid it. Nitriding isn't a coating, it's chemical bonding a treatment process which is why mazda kept using it for decades.