Custom machined crank PROBLEMS - Please help/suggest legal ideas!

[yellow2000S/R]

I've been waiting FOREVER to get my engine/crank/rods/pistons/bearings back from the machine shop, that I dropped off mid December 2010 with a $600 deposit and another $200 in Feb 2011. Now, 11 months later, I get this hunk of **** crank back that the shop screwed up after me SPECIFICALLY saying how I wanted it done, and how others do it.

The crank is for a Honda D16z6 engine, which people ALL OVER THE WORLD have had modded to fit in the g16 engine used in the Sidekick/Tracker/Vitara (if you know anything about Honda D16, vitara pistons are one of the choice pistons for 'budget' builds).

Basic rundown with what I had done to the crank to fit my application:
Snout shortened ~1/2"
Keyway recut
Mains machined down near 3mm to accept OEM Suzuki main bearings
Block machined to place thrust bearings in the d16 location (using OEM size Suzuki thrust bearings)
Spun rod journal ground down, welded, and machined / polished
All journals polished.


The welds didn't machine down at the same rate as the d16 crank, and there are imperfections in the welds that were machined into, and when drilled/tapped, it feels like the welds moved slighly (which concerns me).

September 23rd I received a voicemail that everything was done so I went in after the weekend, but I noticed they didn't recut the keyway. I left it with them and the machinist said 1-2 days. I call on October 4th and the guy at the desk said he'd give me a call when it was done as it wasn't worked on yet (6 work days later). Fast forward to Thursday, October 28th I sent an email (so I would have more time stamps) asking if the crank was done. October 29th I received a voicemail asking to give them a call. Monday October 31st I gave them a call and the guy at the front desk told me that the crank was done and was ready to be picked up.

From the start, they said they were going to press a seal saver on it but when I picked the crank up, it isn't there. I've had a HUGE issue with the shop now since the work took forever and they had a large deposit up front stating it was more then enough down to do the work.


Am I now screwed? Their 'warranty' disclaimer at the bottom of the invoice states the parts are covered if assembled by them, but not if somebody else does it. I have $1,700 into machine work between head and bottom end/crank along with another $1,200 or so in internals/gaskets/etc. I still have to sink near another $200 into nitride treating the crank so the journals really last, but at this point, I don't want to use the crank.

Issues:








Below is an overal pic, directlly from the end. I told them from the start I wanted the holes done like the bottom photoshopped picture, they told me no matter how they rotated the flywheel, that it would fall on the welded (old) holes. I insisted to just turn it 30* to place them in the middle and they still insisted it wouldn't work. It only falls on 1 old hole (as seen in the pic), so they could have just filled that hole as well and only MAYBE had issues with that hole.

They also said they were going to press a sleeve on. At this point, I'm scared to even use the crank.

[jpalamar]

Your a moron for not saying f' you a few weeks after dropping off the parts and them not being done... for paying them extra money after your work wasn't done in a reasonable amount of time... and for not researching their warranty beforing having major work done.

Your only option is to ask them for a refund and to replace the parts that are damaged by them and if they won't pay file in civil court. Get the judgement and hope to collect.

[DPancoast]

Yeah you shouldn't have paid for the work before it was done.

Don't quite get why you put a deposit on it let alone why you had to.

I agree with jay. Ask for a refund. If they say no, you can file a civil suit but if you already signed the invoice signifying completion of work and took the parts home, you're gonna have a hard time time stamps or not

[yellow2000S/R]

I had to put over 50% down because it's 'one off' work. I've had 3 cylinder heads done by them and the work was great. They came reccomended to me by a few members on PATuned and one of the shops on there use them.

I guess doing the work on the end of the crank was out of their ability.

As for timeline, I got on them after 5 months and they showed progress. Then it came to filling those 6 holes and drilling/tapping the new ones. It was said AFTER they plugged the holes and welded them, that they didn't have an efficient way to machine the new holes as they would be going through 3 metal hardnesses at once (crank, bolt plug, and weld).

This is when I told them to wait (Early July) and I started lookig into EDM to get the holes made. Not a single shop got back to me out of 8-10 that I emailed and I tried calling a few with no returned calls. August 7th I went to Indiana for a month to help a new warehouse open for the company I work for and I returned Sept 10th. A few days later I finally contacted the machine shop and they already started on the holes.

It took me a month to finally find a shop willing to nitride treat the crank in eastern PA cause it's unheard of according to the businesses to do a car crank and they are used to aviation and high end machines being done.


This whole project has been a huge headache and would have been more cost effective to just get a donor vehicle and swapped a v6 in.

[dumpleRL]

personally I would not accept the work because of the one hole looks like it has jbweld holding it together,

[OMGz Turbo]

Originally Posted by yellow2000S/R

I had to put over 50% down because it's 'one off' work. I've had 3 cylinder heads done by them and the work was great. They came reccomended to me by a few members on PATuned and one of the shops on there use them.

I guess doing the work on the end of the crank was out of their ability.

As for timeline, I got on them after 5 months and they showed progress. Then it came to filling those 6 holes and drilling/tapping the new ones. It was said AFTER they plugged the holes and welded them, that they didn't have an efficient way to machine the new holes as they would be going through 3 metal hardnesses at once (crank, bolt plug, and weld).

This is when I told them to wait (Early July) and I started lookig into EDM to get the holes made. Not a single shop got back to me out of 8-10 that I emailed and I tried calling a few with no returned calls. August 7th I went to Indiana for a month to help a new warehouse open for the company I work for and I returned Sept 10th. A few days later I finally contacted the machine shop and they already started on the holes.

It took me a month to finally find a shop willing to nitride treat the crank in eastern PA cause it's unheard of according to the businesses to do a car crank and they are used to aviation and high end machines being done.


This whole project has been a huge headache and would have been more cost effective to just get a donor vehicle and swapped a v6 in.

Should have asked about the nitride treatment stuff. Could have hooked you up, We had a shop cyrotreat my brothers T56 viper spec trans parts. They do that stuff too though and it was cheap per say

[yellow2000S/R]

Originally Posted by OMGz Turbo

Should have asked about the nitride treatment stuff. Could have hooked you up, We had a shop cyrotreat my brothers T56 viper spec trans parts. They do that stuff too though and it was cheap per say

I asked on here many months ago and no leads... same with other forums haha. I had a few from emails for $168-$180 but my harddrive took a crap and I lost all that stuff cause it wasn't on the mail servers anymore.

I still 'have' to get one treated, just not at this time, at least till I get this taken care of.