Another shop gone :(
01-19-12, 01:45 AM
#26
A demand for knowledgeable rotary mechanics that has not been filled, IMHO. I bought my first RX-7 in 2006, and I've dealt with all the Bay Area rotary/Mazda shops. I have some good things to say about some of them, but the level of service has been inconsistent and disappointing at times. Aside from Ben's, the only place that dealt with my car adequately was an NSX shop that has no significant experience with rotaries (so no, I'm not talking about Rick's Rotary) . Why? Because they were conscientious, took the time to look and understand the diagrams in the FSM, and were passionate about the detail-oriented work that is needed for proper diagnosis and repair.
I wish I could say that after six years, I've found a local shop I like. A place where I could leave my FC, tell them "Here's what's happening..... Figure out WTF is going on," and get the car back with the problem truly solved. But, I am sad to say, such a shop doesn't exist here.....
I wish I could say that after six years, I've found a local shop I like. A place where I could leave my FC, tell them "Here's what's happening..... Figure out WTF is going on," and get the car back with the problem truly solved. But, I am sad to say, such a shop doesn't exist here.....
01-19-12, 10:22 AM
#27
got one of my engines back for some rewiring, haltech install and electrical/plumbing work, tempting me with candy? the customer did do most of the work outside of the short block build.
S475 true T6 flanged turbo w/dual tial wastegates water cooled, cosmo RE engine streetported, pinned w/3mm RA super seals on 9.4:1 rotors, 5" down to 4" exhaust, Haltech E8 will be running dual .044 pumps on E85.
no camera tricks, this turbo is almost as big as the engine.
easily capable of 700WHP.
S475 true T6 flanged turbo w/dual tial wastegates water cooled, cosmo RE engine streetported, pinned w/3mm RA super seals on 9.4:1 rotors, 5" down to 4" exhaust, Haltech E8 will be running dual .044 pumps on E85.
no camera tricks, this turbo is almost as big as the engine.
easily capable of 700WHP.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-19-12 at 10:30 AM.
01-19-12, 03:05 PM
#28
over the past few days with the amount of possible sales i have been thinking that it may work out, so far i'm on track to not have to cash out the last of my retirement just to pay rent until the majority of things are sold.
so for now the rotary parking lot sale is still on for all the items i have up that really aren't necessary and haven't been selling locally.
time will tell as i plan on being here for several more months selling things that have been collecting dust but the national parking lot sale is doing a bit to saving this business.
i do want to see this one build through to smoking the tires on the dyno, that might impress the honda kids a little, maybe one of them will get sucked into this turbo.
but for moving back to the bay, still not going to happen unless we both want that. so far the florida beaches are still calling to both of us. for shuttling cars back and forth, still getting a bit tired of that as well. it is 500 miles but it is 500 miles from here to there, dedicated owners will find a way to ship the engines or do deliveries/pickups. dyno sessions not such a big deal as a simple flight in and out and a few days of my time is all that needs compared to driving 12 hours straight, making no profit during that time or for the return trips.
so far i have no issues shipping engines, i just need to keep stocked up on turbo rotors/irons so i may require at least that as partial cores for some of those builds. for full builds/installs, the money saved on the work will be spent on your gas or shipping the cars to me for the knowledge that i care about my work.
so for now and in the future i'm not going to bend over backwards to do the job, it will require that dedication and patience or lose this resource.
so for now the rotary parking lot sale is still on for all the items i have up that really aren't necessary and haven't been selling locally.
time will tell as i plan on being here for several more months selling things that have been collecting dust but the national parking lot sale is doing a bit to saving this business.
i do want to see this one build through to smoking the tires on the dyno, that might impress the honda kids a little, maybe one of them will get sucked into this turbo.
but for moving back to the bay, still not going to happen unless we both want that. so far the florida beaches are still calling to both of us. for shuttling cars back and forth, still getting a bit tired of that as well. it is 500 miles but it is 500 miles from here to there, dedicated owners will find a way to ship the engines or do deliveries/pickups. dyno sessions not such a big deal as a simple flight in and out and a few days of my time is all that needs compared to driving 12 hours straight, making no profit during that time or for the return trips.
so far i have no issues shipping engines, i just need to keep stocked up on turbo rotors/irons so i may require at least that as partial cores for some of those builds. for full builds/installs, the money saved on the work will be spent on your gas or shipping the cars to me for the knowledge that i care about my work.
so for now and in the future i'm not going to bend over backwards to do the job, it will require that dedication and patience or lose this resource.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-19-12 at 03:15 PM.
01-19-12, 03:15 PM
#29
If you come back to the bay, you've got tons of word of mouth advertisement, a great rep, and guaranteed work. I agree with 088 when he says that there really isn't a reliable rotary shop in the bay area, yet the bay area's FULL of rx-7s.
Whatever you decide, good luck Ben.
Whatever you decide, good luck Ben.
01-19-12, 03:22 PM
#30
oh i know i could probably put some of those shops way down on sales again but i'm here now.
i really do not miss all the political BS of california legistlators and am pretty much locked here now for more than just that reason. as i mentioned to the owner of the car above, i could build that setup to be 100% smog compliant in this state, never happen in california.
sometimes it made my head hurt trying to find loopholes to build these cars and still have them at least resemble something smog compliant and able to compete with a brand new camry off the showroom floor.
not trying to sound too ultimatemey but i need my weekends back, money in wallet and my sanity.
the technical calls and texts for half my day also need to end or i'm going to open a hotline and charge $5/minute so i don't have to hear about charges for running over on texts and minutes anymore also.
most of you know that you can get assistance here from me without all the bullshit of bothering me throughout the day. i have been trying to be good about answering my phone and sometimes that shoots me and you all in the foot. i do not make money sitting on the phone yet i answer questions here several hours a day at my leisure for free without any worry.
i really do not miss all the political BS of california legistlators and am pretty much locked here now for more than just that reason. as i mentioned to the owner of the car above, i could build that setup to be 100% smog compliant in this state, never happen in california.
sometimes it made my head hurt trying to find loopholes to build these cars and still have them at least resemble something smog compliant and able to compete with a brand new camry off the showroom floor.
not trying to sound too ultimatemey but i need my weekends back, money in wallet and my sanity.
the technical calls and texts for half my day also need to end or i'm going to open a hotline and charge $5/minute so i don't have to hear about charges for running over on texts and minutes anymore also.
most of you know that you can get assistance here from me without all the bullshit of bothering me throughout the day. i have been trying to be good about answering my phone and sometimes that shoots me and you all in the foot. i do not make money sitting on the phone yet i answer questions here several hours a day at my leisure for free without any worry.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-19-12 at 03:29 PM.
01-19-12, 04:08 PM
#31
Full Member
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is this a local Vegas car?
got one of my engines back for some rewiring, haltech install and electrical/plumbing work, tempting me with candy? the customer did do most of the work outside of the short block build.
Is this a local Vegas car?
S475 true T6 flanged turbo w/dual tial wastegates water cooled, cosmo RE engine streetported, pinned w/3mm RA super seals on 9.4:1 rotors, 5" down to 4" exhaust, Haltech E8 will be running dual .044 pumps on E85.
no camera tricks, this turbo is almost as big as the engine.
easily capable of 700WHP.
Is this a local Vegas car?
S475 true T6 flanged turbo w/dual tial wastegates water cooled, cosmo RE engine streetported, pinned w/3mm RA super seals on 9.4:1 rotors, 5" down to 4" exhaust, Haltech E8 will be running dual .044 pumps on E85.
no camera tricks, this turbo is almost as big as the engine.
easily capable of 700WHP.
01-19-12, 06:14 PM
#34
Full Member
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
same turbo that "islander" on this forum just blew his motor with. My project is still in pieces but hopefully ready before may. Going to see how much psi this xs engineering t04s 1.0ar hotside turbo can take. Converting to e85, dual 044's, 4xid2000 and got to wire up this haltech platinum sport 1000. Still have to weld braces on the diff and all to prevent wheel hop. plan on taking it to the track and shooting for 10's. I dont see any rotaries in vegas at the drag strip trying to compete with the honda scene. If i can pull some decent numbers then maybe it'll spark interest in them in the valley.
01-19-12, 06:49 PM
#36
Sin City Rotary
same turbo that "islander" on this forum just blew his motor with. My project is still in pieces but hopefully ready before may. Going to see how much psi this xs engineering t04s 1.0ar hotside turbo can take. Converting to e85, dual 044's, 4xid2000 and got to wire up this haltech platinum sport 1000. Still have to weld braces on the diff and all to prevent wheel hop. plan on taking it to the track and shooting for 10's. I dont see any rotaries in vegas at the drag strip trying to compete with the honda scene. If i can pull some decent numbers then maybe it'll spark interest in them in the valley.
I think one of guys was out a month or so ago was running in the 12's but I also think he is still not tuned
01-19-12, 06:51 PM
#37
Sin City Rotary
still sucks your turbo is bigger then my 12a LMAO
01-19-12, 07:08 PM
#38
Full Member
iTrader: (7)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Las Vegas and San Jose
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lmao remember this was a 3 year built with all the crazy out of no where problems thats been distracting me. but now im not taking anymore chances this car has and will be running.
01-19-12, 07:38 PM
#39
Original Gangster/Rotary!
iTrader: (213)
Well said, and I feel your pain.
In my (admittedly biased) opinion the two best shops in the NE have owners that only work there part time, because being full time isn't a possibility financially.
In my (admittedly biased) opinion the two best shops in the NE have owners that only work there part time, because being full time isn't a possibility financially.
in all honesty, you must be patient with just about any rotary rebuilder. some of my customers complain about me being slow but i don't get any complaints about the price, unlike the bay area shops who don't cut you guys any slack whatsoever.
it's very difficult to take care of everything in a timely manner when there are many things you have to do throughout the day, and some jobs get shuffled around just to save yourself some aggravation.
several months isn't unrealistic for most shops to build an engine, unless they have a crew. which is why some shops do better than others, but you will also lose some of that one on one personability. not knowing who exactly built your engine, who installed it, who did repair "x" and who tuned it. i honestly hate looking over other people's shoulder, fixing what i don't consider "proper" or opinionated building. and i really hate people who rip and tear these cars apart. i will tell you that i consider most of these to be "restoration projects" over "an engine rebuild". these cars are 18-25+ years old now, bordering into classic car territory. there is many things i fix during a rebuild that i don't even bother to tell you all about, the wiring harnesses i always rewrap because they won't last in their original condition, some clips break and that is a given, some minor issues just aren't worth mentioning either because things ALWAYS break on these cars during assembly/disassembly, that is also where other shops nickel and dime you to death.
most of the time that i am set back is dealing with those issues, it moves my whole schedule behind and causes all jobs to take longer than i say they should. just prepare yourself for it, these aren't new cars and even if i'm just bolting on a simple part, something you brush up against may give you issues that cost a day or 2 to fix, multiply that by as many cars ahead of yours and you see where i am going with it.
as far as moving back, sorry to say but that isn't in the cards either. i spent nearly $10k moving here, even if i do stay busy in california i just don't have it in me to do it all over again selling off my property to start over again, hoping it lasts, hoping to make more than a thousand a month in profit or that winter time i will have enough work to stay afloat. i have no medical insurance, after this week i will have 0 retirement left, all i will have is what's in the shop and some cars constantly breaking from neglect of spending all my time trying to make this work.
i simply don't want to be stuck working until the day i die, breathing in smoke and having my eyes burn tuning cars and starting rebuilds having just what is in my wallet and a broken car in the garage while i work 70-80 hours a week.
that is the best explanation i can give.
it's very difficult to take care of everything in a timely manner when there are many things you have to do throughout the day, and some jobs get shuffled around just to save yourself some aggravation.
several months isn't unrealistic for most shops to build an engine, unless they have a crew. which is why some shops do better than others, but you will also lose some of that one on one personability. not knowing who exactly built your engine, who installed it, who did repair "x" and who tuned it. i honestly hate looking over other people's shoulder, fixing what i don't consider "proper" or opinionated building. and i really hate people who rip and tear these cars apart. i will tell you that i consider most of these to be "restoration projects" over "an engine rebuild". these cars are 18-25+ years old now, bordering into classic car territory. there is many things i fix during a rebuild that i don't even bother to tell you all about, the wiring harnesses i always rewrap because they won't last in their original condition, some clips break and that is a given, some minor issues just aren't worth mentioning either because things ALWAYS break on these cars during assembly/disassembly, that is also where other shops nickel and dime you to death.
most of the time that i am set back is dealing with those issues, it moves my whole schedule behind and causes all jobs to take longer than i say they should. just prepare yourself for it, these aren't new cars and even if i'm just bolting on a simple part, something you brush up against may give you issues that cost a day or 2 to fix, multiply that by as many cars ahead of yours and you see where i am going with it.
as far as moving back, sorry to say but that isn't in the cards either. i spent nearly $10k moving here, even if i do stay busy in california i just don't have it in me to do it all over again selling off my property to start over again, hoping it lasts, hoping to make more than a thousand a month in profit or that winter time i will have enough work to stay afloat. i have no medical insurance, after this week i will have 0 retirement left, all i will have is what's in the shop and some cars constantly breaking from neglect of spending all my time trying to make this work.
i simply don't want to be stuck working until the day i die, breathing in smoke and having my eyes burn tuning cars and starting rebuilds having just what is in my wallet and a broken car in the garage while i work 70-80 hours a week.
that is the best explanation i can give.
01-19-12, 07:39 PM
#40
Full Member
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah that was Davis in the yellow FD. High 12's. I know he had lots of traction issues and I told him not to dump the clutch knowing how weak the diffs are when wheel hop is involved
01-28-12, 11:25 PM
#43
IMO being a mechanic for the rotary community can be hard. Many people looking for good deals and hand outs doesn't really help anyone's business in the long run. That's a hard ladder to try and climb.
Karack I hope you weather the storm, seems like you have thought this through and hopefully, at some point, these cars will star belonging to super rich dudes that have tons of cash to throw at them. Just like the weekend Harley dudes
Karack I hope you weather the storm, seems like you have thought this through and hopefully, at some point, these cars will star belonging to super rich dudes that have tons of cash to throw at them. Just like the weekend Harley dudes
01-29-12, 09:32 PM
#44
it was tough getting started in cali but eventually things levelled out and got better to a point. it is tough to build cars while trying to turn a profit while keeping them as reasonably priced as you can afford to work.
being here 2 years but things haven't gotten much better locally, the local support has just been pretty spotty. but having accumulated a bunch of parts over the years i have just decided to start selling everything that is unecessary here, on craigslist and on ebay. i usually just waited until someone asked for things but that simply hasn't been working so to supplement income i'm going to spend about half of my day just advertising misc items for sale. so far it has been doing ok.
i just bought our 3rd FC last night, 4th rotary powered vehicle we own. i really really didn't even want to but i thought i was going to see the owner of this car cry as he was getting beat up by this lady shooting him rediculously low prices, and he needed the money on the spot so he had no choice. well at least i hope i can get it sold in a timely manner or it will just be another money sink until it's sold.
being here 2 years but things haven't gotten much better locally, the local support has just been pretty spotty. but having accumulated a bunch of parts over the years i have just decided to start selling everything that is unecessary here, on craigslist and on ebay. i usually just waited until someone asked for things but that simply hasn't been working so to supplement income i'm going to spend about half of my day just advertising misc items for sale. so far it has been doing ok.
i just bought our 3rd FC last night, 4th rotary powered vehicle we own. i really really didn't even want to but i thought i was going to see the owner of this car cry as he was getting beat up by this lady shooting him rediculously low prices, and he needed the money on the spot so he had no choice. well at least i hope i can get it sold in a timely manner or it will just be another money sink until it's sold.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-29-12 at 09:36 PM.
02-16-12, 02:20 PM
#46
What to fix first?
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry to hear that your shop closed down. I was reading through and was really hoping you'd come back to the Bay Area. Paul is great, but he can be unreliable sometimes. He has too many customers. Good luck!
02-16-12, 04:57 PM
#48
Driving RX7's since 1979
iTrader: (43)
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: So Cal where the OC/LA/SB counties meet
Posts: 6,096
Likes: 0
Received 8 Likes
on
8 Posts
it was tough getting started in cali but eventually things levelled out and got better to a point. it is tough to build cars while trying to turn a profit while keeping them as reasonably priced as you can afford to work.
being here 2 years but things haven't gotten much better locally, the local support has just been pretty spotty. but having accumulated a bunch of parts over the years i have just decided to start selling everything that is unecessary here, on craigslist and on ebay. i usually just waited until someone asked for things but that simply hasn't been working so to supplement income i'm going to spend about half of my day just advertising misc items for sale. so far it has been doing ok.
i just bought our 3rd FC last night, 4th rotary powered vehicle we own. i really really didn't even want to but i thought i was going to see the owner of this car cry as he was getting beat up by this lady shooting him rediculously low prices, and he needed the money on the spot so he had no choice. well at least i hope i can get it sold in a timely manner or it will just be another money sink until it's sold.
being here 2 years but things haven't gotten much better locally, the local support has just been pretty spotty. but having accumulated a bunch of parts over the years i have just decided to start selling everything that is unecessary here, on craigslist and on ebay. i usually just waited until someone asked for things but that simply hasn't been working so to supplement income i'm going to spend about half of my day just advertising misc items for sale. so far it has been doing ok.
i just bought our 3rd FC last night, 4th rotary powered vehicle we own. i really really didn't even want to but i thought i was going to see the owner of this car cry as he was getting beat up by this lady shooting him rediculously low prices, and he needed the money on the spot so he had no choice. well at least i hope i can get it sold in a timely manner or it will just be another money sink until it's sold.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
joel(PA)
Race Car Tech
0
10-01-15 10:25 AM