I'm not sure if this is the correct location for this post, but I want to give due credit to Richard Clark and the guys that spend time at and work at his shop (Xavier, Pete, and Cameron). I dropped off my white T there in May of last year with the intention of going bumper to bumper and identifying major or concerning issues and getting it to run at 100%, then doing the basic go-fast mods (turbo, intercooler, alky, transmission build, etc) and tuning it. Well, other than some minor loose ends to tie up, my car is finished and I've been back in the driver's seat for a couple of weeks now.
So first off, as most of you know, the quality of work is top notch. Xavier deserves praise for his efforts there. At one point I spent 5 days in a row at the garage with Xavier helping work on my car from about 6pm to 4:30am. He works his ass off and deserves credit for all he does for the people who bring their cars to him and RC.
Second, Because I live an hour away from RCG I'm privileged to be able to spend time there during my off hours and help with the car. This also lets me be witness to other customers' experiences. Now I don't know every customer's story or situation or whatever, but I did see some disgruntled people upset about how long their car is taking and other things. I just want to say that at times I questioned why my car was there for over a year and still wasn't finished. But trust me when I say, you really wouldn't understand unless you spent a few days/nights there observing or lending a hand. They have so much work going on and a ton of customers that all want they're car done to perfection. Well, perfection takes a long time and there are few places maintaining a standard as high as RCG. If you don't want to wait, there are many other places you can go that will do the work, maybe even for less money, and have it finished quickly. But that's not what RCG is about. They do things correctly and they take the time to identify and correct any issues they come across, ESPECIALLY in the tuning process. These cars are old and some jobs that should be simple turn into multiple day projects because of bad wiring, previously completed work not using original parts, physical damage from previous accidents, rust, etc etc etc. It took us over 2 full days to get my LED tail/marker lights working (I'll make a separate post on that explaining exactly how we ended up wiring it to function correctly).
But now here we are. The finished product. We never opened up the motor, but identified it had a newish timing chain/gears. RIchard Clark rebuilt the transmission front to back to support my HP goals, replaced the entire rear end due to the axle tubes being damaged, fixed the A/C, repaired the alternator, installed the LED light kit, new exhaust, modified the downpipe, new TA-49, 60lb injectors, DW200 pump, new FPR, PTC 2800 stall converter, PTC SLIC, manual boost controller, Razor's Alky kit, blazer front brake upgrade, jeep steering shaft, boxed rear control arms, GNX rear seat brace, etc etc etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting things. After Xavier finished tuning it, it made 434 hp and 471 lbft on their Mustang Dyno at 23 psi. Not bad for not cracking the seal on the motor. The car is night and day compared to when I dropped it off. With a ball/spring type manual boost controller, the 23 psi hits instantly with a quick 24 psi spike. It's like an on off switch with the 2800 converter. It's so pleasant to drive and have everything function as it should.
Spending time at RCG is an experience that is difficult to summarize. Mr. Clark's knowledge of these cars is truly incredible, and further reinforced by his experience and history in audio electronics and electrical engineering. If you're even in NC it's worth a trip to see the shop, and I have no intention of giving anyone else the business of working on my Buick as long as Clark and Xavier can fit me in their schedule.
Here's some pics of the car. The pics under the hood are before we finished tuning and tidying everything up. The guys also did a great job of cleaning up the engine bay and making it look as new as possible.
So first off, as most of you know, the quality of work is top notch. Xavier deserves praise for his efforts there. At one point I spent 5 days in a row at the garage with Xavier helping work on my car from about 6pm to 4:30am. He works his ass off and deserves credit for all he does for the people who bring their cars to him and RC.
Second, Because I live an hour away from RCG I'm privileged to be able to spend time there during my off hours and help with the car. This also lets me be witness to other customers' experiences. Now I don't know every customer's story or situation or whatever, but I did see some disgruntled people upset about how long their car is taking and other things. I just want to say that at times I questioned why my car was there for over a year and still wasn't finished. But trust me when I say, you really wouldn't understand unless you spent a few days/nights there observing or lending a hand. They have so much work going on and a ton of customers that all want they're car done to perfection. Well, perfection takes a long time and there are few places maintaining a standard as high as RCG. If you don't want to wait, there are many other places you can go that will do the work, maybe even for less money, and have it finished quickly. But that's not what RCG is about. They do things correctly and they take the time to identify and correct any issues they come across, ESPECIALLY in the tuning process. These cars are old and some jobs that should be simple turn into multiple day projects because of bad wiring, previously completed work not using original parts, physical damage from previous accidents, rust, etc etc etc. It took us over 2 full days to get my LED tail/marker lights working (I'll make a separate post on that explaining exactly how we ended up wiring it to function correctly).
But now here we are. The finished product. We never opened up the motor, but identified it had a newish timing chain/gears. RIchard Clark rebuilt the transmission front to back to support my HP goals, replaced the entire rear end due to the axle tubes being damaged, fixed the A/C, repaired the alternator, installed the LED light kit, new exhaust, modified the downpipe, new TA-49, 60lb injectors, DW200 pump, new FPR, PTC 2800 stall converter, PTC SLIC, manual boost controller, Razor's Alky kit, blazer front brake upgrade, jeep steering shaft, boxed rear control arms, GNX rear seat brace, etc etc etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting things. After Xavier finished tuning it, it made 434 hp and 471 lbft on their Mustang Dyno at 23 psi. Not bad for not cracking the seal on the motor. The car is night and day compared to when I dropped it off. With a ball/spring type manual boost controller, the 23 psi hits instantly with a quick 24 psi spike. It's like an on off switch with the 2800 converter. It's so pleasant to drive and have everything function as it should.
Spending time at RCG is an experience that is difficult to summarize. Mr. Clark's knowledge of these cars is truly incredible, and further reinforced by his experience and history in audio electronics and electrical engineering. If you're even in NC it's worth a trip to see the shop, and I have no intention of giving anyone else the business of working on my Buick as long as Clark and Xavier can fit me in their schedule.
Here's some pics of the car. The pics under the hood are before we finished tuning and tidying everything up. The guys also did a great job of cleaning up the engine bay and making it look as new as possible.