Engine builders near Washington, DC?

[pkschul]

Can anyone suggest good tubo buick engine builders around DC? Virginia, DC, Maryland? Thanks. Just looking for stock to slightly modded.

 

[G-Racer]

Give me a call

 

[Intercooler]

I can do it for you. Or we can get together and I will help guide you through doing it yourself! It is a lot of fun!

 

[JayC]

Billy Anderson at Anderson Performance in Baltimore. You arent going to find a better engine builder on the east coast for these engines.

 

[Intercooler]

Originally posted by JayC
Billy Anderson at Anderson Performance in Baltimore. You arent going to find a better engine builder on the east coast for these engines.

Hey now!

 

[turbofrank]

Chuck Ash---------------410 742 4213 Salisbury MD 7-9pm m-f
Walt Cervenka---------410 255 0061 balt Md 9-10am/8-9pm s-s

And they will not leave your wallet dry. email if you want to know what i had done and how much

 

[peterkin]

alright dogoneit, i see two people here in my area. where have you guys been hiding? i'm in manassas, where are you pkschul? sorry to jump in on your thread like this. from what i've heard man, there are plenty of shops that will put together a motor for you. burtonsville machine, vernon's automotive, billy anderson, intercooler , the list goes on and on. it all depends on who you trust, and who you've known to go to these people. i've heard good and bad about anderson performance but never used them myself so i don't really have any input. burtonsville is used in the circle of people in maryland i hang out with so that's what i know.

 

[J Banning]

Originally posted by JayC
Billy Anderson at Anderson Performance in Baltimore. You arent going to find a better engine builder on the east coast for these engines.

Call Billy and have him do the work.

-Banning.

 

[EightSecV6]

Hey Peterkin, what is the bad? Please dont say "they are slow" or "the price is too high". That is not BAD.These unfounded comments are the kind of BS really frosts my ass.
My shop is spotless, my work is top quality and I provide service after the sale. Ask anyone that has dealt with me to dispute this.
We build the quickest and fastest GN's on the East coast bar none, I have the time slips to prove it. I will admit, I am not cheap but you get what you pay for. Do you go to a guy who builds 9 second cars for himself and his customers and ask him to build something that will run 8's? I think not!!!
Sorry to the rest of the bunch if this sounds a little rude but this crap gets me wound up!!
Bill Anderson
410-282-9335
Available at this number 7 days a week

 

[EightSecV6]

Another thing..... an engine builder is not someone who picks a bunch of parts from a machine shop, ASSEMBLES an engine, and prays when it fires up it has good oil pressure and does not knock!!!!
PKSCHUL if you have any questions regarding your project please dont hesitate to call.
Bill

 

[Intercooler]

Bill does have the cleanest shop I have ever seen and everything to go with it! Bill is your best bet!

 

[EightSecV6]

Thanks Jesse, hopefully nobody will get the wrong impression from my post. I am not soliciting, in fact if you guys decide to do it and run into any snags, give me a call. I'm just questioning the good and "BAD" comment. I take alot of pride in what I do and I if someone has been unhappy I want to know about it because they have not expressed this to me personally, I dont like the he said she said game.
Bill

 

[pkschul]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm just trying to get an idea about who's in the neighborhood that can do a quality job at a reasonable price. Recommendations appreciated.
Oh... by the way peterkin, I'm in Burke.

 

[Snorman]

Talk to Chuck at Burtonsville Performance in Burtonsville, Md.
They did the motor for my 'Stang a few years ago and do tons of TR motors. Chuck has (at least) one TR and everytime I was in the shop they had Buick motors in various stages of assembly. I've heard nothing but good about them.
S.

 

[peterkin]

i wasn't trying to offend you mr. anderson, or spread gossip. most of it was about pricing, so i'm assuming you've heard some of it. it's like anything else, you hear good and bad. i don't really want to get into that because it's really trivial. i've seen one of your cars and know of a couple more that you have built that run really strong. one of the guys i know of, his car trapped very well the times i've seen it at the track, he couldn't go all out because of not having a cage in the car. it's a black t if you're wondering. i've heard he has one now, plus alot more stuff. i apologize if i offended you in any way, or i singled you/your shop out. what i have heard has all been opinion and we both know the saying about opinions. i've seen your work and i PERSONALLY was impressed.

 

[ijames]

Originally posted by EightSecV6
Hey Peterkin, what is the bad? Please dont say "they are slow" or "the price is too high". That is not BAD.These unfounded comments are the kind of BS really frosts my ass.
My shop is spotless, my work is top quality and I provide service after the sale. Ask anyone that has dealt with me to dispute this.
We build the quickest and fastest GN's on the East coast bar none, I have the time slips to prove it. I will admit, I am not cheap but you get what you pay for. Do you go to a guy who builds 9 second cars for himself and his customers and ask him to build something that will run 8's? I think not!!!
Sorry to the rest of the bunch if this sounds a little rude but this crap gets me wound up!!
Bill Anderson
410-282-9335
Available at this number 7 days a week

Bill, I believe Godfrey and I both heard the same story from the same source. I checked with him tonight to make sure I had the facts straight and to make sure that he didn't mind my posting this. I'm not trying to stir anything up, but I do believe that you deserve to know what people are saying about you. Granted, this was not an engine that you built, but here's the facts as I saw and heard them (I got to the shop just after he got the caps off and heard his side of a few of the phone calls involved). He needed a new engine and you sold him a turbo motor that was supposed to have 44,000 miles on it and be all original, in good running condition, ready to drop in and use. Just to be on the safe side, he pulled the oil pan and checked the crank and bearings before putting it in his car, and while everything looked good it was not a turbo crank (did not have rolled fillets). He contacted you, and your first question was "Why did you drop the pan when I told you it was a good running motor?", which I consider a dissapointing B or C answer compared to the A answer "Okay, how do we make this right?" Your first offer was to give him a crank turned at least 20/30 (my memory says 20/40 but I'm not positive of this), and after a lot of haggling you sold him a std/std crank that needed turning and cleaned up at 10/10, for $100, and he had to pay to get it turned and pay for new bearings to get his "ready to drop in" motor running. No, this was not advertised as a motor you built but when it turned out not to be what you had advertised, you made the business decision to be hardnosed about not living up to what you had promised to deliver.

I've also heard lots of good experiences (and the usual slow/expensive grumbling ) people have had dealing with you, so to me this one incident is not nearly enough to decide not to ever give you my business (and if you check the archives I've mentioned your shop several times when others have asked the question that started this thread) but it is something I will consider whenever I do need to make that decision, and it tells me that I need to make very, very sure that every detail is spelled out in advance so there won't be any opportunity for misunderstanding.

 

[EightSecV6]

Hey Carl,
I remember the engine in question, I cant remember his name but I think he had spun a bearing or something to that effect in his original and didnt want the expense of a rebuild.
I built a mid 10 sec engine for a customer (you may even know him) and took his factory engine out of his 44,000 mile car (he bought brand new as a core for the engine we sold him. I sold his engine to the guy you are talking about as a good running engine, I knew it was as it had been driven over 120 miles to get to my shop. This guy calls me and says, "we have the pan off this engine and it does not have a turbo crank" My response was "why did you take it apart, I told you it was a good engine?"agreed....
Now consider this, I removed the engine from an original owner car and I dont know this guy I just sold it to, How do I know he wasnt just trying to score a crank from me? (not suggesting that he was).I offered to him to bring the entire engine back and would refund his money.Not an option in his eyes he said he needed it because his was trashed and he just wanted me to GIVE him another crank. This gets me a little concerned.He brings a N/A crank to the shop with rolled fillets on the mains only and said it came from the engine I just sold him. While I had my doubts, without seeing the complete engine, I took his WORD for it and again,I gave him the option of a refund (not acceptable to him) I then opted to GIVE him a fresh 20/30 turbo crank, that was not good enough either. I then offered to pull down another std/std engine that I had sitting and remove the crank from it and let him have that one but not for free as I had to dig it out of storage and tear it down($100 is reasonable ....I think!).Nearly all the factory cranks in my opinion need to be turned as most of them are a little scored or out of round after years of abuse. After refusing the first two options I gave him, I can't possibly understand why you would make the statement about me being hardnosed and "not living up to what I have promised".We all know,the internet is a very strong tool that can easily be abused.
Carl, I dont think I have ever met you but I feel that is a very strong statement from a third party you have made before even hearing my side or actually putting yourself in my shoes on this situation.
As far as the money/time thing goes, stop by the shop just to shoot the bull or check things out and you'll see where that comes into play!!! I have no defense for that one!
I stated before, I take alot of pride in what I do an If that was the "BAD" part of the "good and bad" I'll sleep a little better now.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, practically none of this is even remotely related!!!!
Thanks again for clarifying,
Bill

 

[ijames]

Originally posted by EightSecV6 Hey Carl,
I remember the engine in question, I cant remember his name but I think he had spun a bearing or something to that effect in his original and didnt want the expense of a rebuild.
I built a mid 10 sec engine for a customer (you may even know him) and took his factory engine out of his 44,000 mile car (he bought brand new as a core for the engine we sold him. I sold his engine to the guy you are talking about as a good running engine, I knew it was as it had been driven over 120 miles to get to my shop. This guy calls me and says, "we have the pan off this engine and it does not have a turbo crank" My response was "why did you take it apart, I told you it was a good engine?"agreed....
Now consider this, I removed the engine from an original owner car and I dont know this guy I just sold it to, How do I know he wasnt just trying to score a crank from me? (not suggesting that he was).

See, here's the problem. You didn't know him and he didn't know you. He took your word that it was an original turbo motor and expected turbo internals in good shape, but just to be safe he wanted to see the bearings to see how badly it had been beat on. I have to think that that's reasonable on one of these engines, because I agreed with him when he was wondering if he should look or not before he decided to pulled the pan. Your response makes it sound like you didn't want him to pull the pan because you already knew what he'd find (read that again, please, I said "makes it sound like", not "you did"). You know what they say about first impressions and all that? Now here he is, the proud owner of "not what he paid for", needing to get his car back on the road, and you are wondering whether he's trying to scam you out of a crank and he's wondering if you were trying to scam him in the first place.

I offered to him to bring the entire engine back and would refund his money.Not an option in his eyes he said he needed it because his was trashed and he just wanted me to GIVE him another crank.

In his eyes he had already paid for a rolled fillet crank so having you replace the na crank with a good one was perfectly reasonable. Yes, giving the motor back and getting a refund was an option but he needed a motor and made the decision that whatever arrangement you and he came to it would be better than any other alternative he had at the time.

This gets me a little concerned.He brings a N/A crank to the shop with rolled fillets on the mains only and said it came from the engine I just sold him. While I had my doubts, without seeing the complete engine, I took his WORD for it

Have you ever dealt with Vernon's Automotive in Laurel? That's where the engine was opened up, in front of at least two people and at least one more (me) saw it before the front cover and crank were removed from the block. On your side, you "knew" the history of the motor and none of us knows how that crank got in there in the first place.

and again,I gave him the option of a refund (not acceptable to him) I then opted to GIVE him a fresh 20/30 turbo crank, that was not good enough either. I then offered to pull down another std/std engine that I had sitting and remove the crank from it and let him have that one but not for free as I had to dig it out of storage and tear it down($100 is reasonable ....I think!).

I agree that $100 for a crank that will clean up at 10/10 is a good price by itself, but remember the context here. To him, you still hadn't delivered what he had already paid for, and wanted him to pay more.

Nearly all the factory cranks in my opinion need to be turned as most of them are a little scored or out of round after years of abuse. After refusing the first two options I gave him, I can't possibly understand why you would make the statement about me being hardnosed and "not living up to what I have promised".

Well, in my view, he paid for a complete turbo motor, with turbo internals, and you didn't deliver that for the agreed upon price. You did offer a refund, and I do give you full credit for that. However, put yourself in his shoes (I think I've tried pretty hard to see things from both sides). He needed a motor, thought he had found one at a certain price, and then in order to actually get the motor in his car he now had to spend several hundred extra dollars on that motor or start over looking elsewhere for a motor. Your expenses came out higher because you had to pull that other crank out, but to me that means that you should have set a higher price in the first place, not raised the price at the end. Once you two agreed on the price for the complete motor I think you should have stood by that and given him the replacement crank. I'm not in business for myself selling engines or parts, but that's my opinion, and to me anything short of that is less than fair.

We all know,the internet is a very strong tool that can easily be abused.

Which is why I had lots of mixed feelings about posting in the first place, but I didn't want it to look like Godfrey was spreading unfounded gossip. He's a good guy who doesn't do that. I forget when he moved up here but he either saw the motor or heard the story soon after meeting us. I don't think we disagree on the facts of what happened: na crank in motor sold as a complete turbo motor, resolved by you selling a useable crank for additional money. We just disagree on what we consider an equitable solution to the situation.

Carl, I dont think I have ever met you but I feel that is a very strong statement from a third party you have made before even hearing my side or actually putting yourself in my shoes on this situation.

We may have said hi once several years ago Labor Day at Englishtown, but I'm sure that to you I was just another of hundreds of strangers walking by admiring your gorgeous GN. I've seen you a few times since but just at tracks when you were very busy; I'll make a point of introducing myself the next chance I get. However, that also means that you don't know me, and yet you've made the assumption that I didn't even try to put myself in your shoes when considering the situation. I try very hard to be fair, and I tried fairly hard to consider how you saw this situation from your side when it was unfolding. As I saw it there were two choices: you knew what crank was in the engine or you didn't. I had never heard anything about you that led me to belive the former (despite the way your first question could be considered), so from the start I assumed that you were as surprised as my friend was. After that, your choices were: do I believe him or not, and if I do, do I stand by the agreed upon price or not, and I think I've covered my thoughts on those choices above.

As far as the money/time thing goes, stop by the shop just to shoot the bull or check things out and you'll see where that comes into play!!! I have no defense for that one!

I'd like to see your shop, and especially that new car you are building. Let us know when you take it up to Cecil Co.

I stated before, I take alot of pride in what I do an If that was the "BAD" part of the "good and bad" I'll sleep a little better now.

Which is the other main reason I posted this. To me, knowing is alway better than not knowing.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, practically none of this is even remotely related!!!!

Thanks again for clarifying,
Bill

I have to disagree with you on that one a little. This thread is about who the mechanics are in this area, and I think that knowing more about one of them is a good thing. I do think it's time to wrap this up, though, so feel free to respond again if you feel the need, but I don't think there's anything I can add to this.

 

[EightSecV6]

Originally posted by ijames

Have you ever dealt with Vernon's Automotive in Laurel? That's where the engine was opened up, in front of at least two people and at least one more (me) saw it before the front cover and crank were removed from the block. On your side, you "knew" the history of the motor and none of us knows how that crank got in there in the first place.



I agree that $100 for a crank that will clean up at 10/10 is a good price by itself, but remember the context here. To him, you still hadn't delivered what he had already paid for, and wanted him to pay more.

Carl,
Just trying to defend my integrity here. I have no idea who Vernon's auto is or what they do but I wasn't there nor were any of my employees when the engine was torn down.I would not have had a problem pulling the pan right in front of him before it left the shop, I had nothing to hide, hell I had just pulled it out of a good running car we could have rectified any problem before any money changed hands. I got a call from the guy that bought the engine and I took his word for it that the crank wasn't the correct one and offered a FULL refund, then offered a FRESH 20/30 crank FREE to "uphold my end of the deal" I didnt charge him an additional $100 for the std/std crank, I charged him $100 to pull it out of storage and disassemble a complete engine and gave him the crank.I also would not have had a problem letting him dig it out and remove it if that is what he wanted to do. I am willing to whatever it takes within reason to satisfy the customer, I thought our agreement was reasonable. I guess you and I can agree to disagree on this one!!!

As far as the shop goes, if you are in the area, make it a point to stop in introduce yourself. I may not seem like the most outgoing person at times but If you see us at the track(hopefully by spring!!!!!) stop by the trailer and say hi, we may be busy but I'm nearly always available for at least a minute or two,(however the clutch may tie us up a bit more than usual


Thanks,
Bill

thats it...I'm finished with this one!!!

 

[peterkin]

i apologize also to the owner fo this thread for the takeover. i just have one question for you mr. anderson. would you run a 20/30 crank? this is just a general question, not a flame or anything. we have another guy in our group who will hopefully be pushing a 30/30 crank this spring at the track. i was just wondering if you would run one ( in a fast street car, not in that monster you're building ) ? i personally don't know what the difference between that ( 20/30 or 30/30 ) and a N/A crank is, but from watching jbanning i would run an N/A crank.