Seems like your invoice reflex what you paid for minus whatever happened to the trans that they made right and the fuel pump which I can't tell either way if it was a typo or never done. The leaks should have been fixed for sure but it might not have leaked after the first test drive we don't know.
Now if the invoice showed max ported irons ($1500) and you only got port matched or bowl work then yes.
From what I see so far, a once over should have been done after a few test drives and tighten and fix leaks as needed.
Also they should have checked the tps and maybe it was set to 4.2 with them mashing the hell out of the gas. We don't know..
Yes you have had issues but. I looks like the invoice is correct so far and you still owe a balance. Just my .02
I always say, if you want things done right you have to do it yourself. Or be super anal on it while it's being done.
Sucks you have had to deal with issues that's for sure and you didn't get what you thought you were for the price. Miscommunication?
Well, the way you break it down, it sounds like my issues are/were relatively minor. Let me make this clear: It's been a nightmare since I got car back, and that's only speaking of the issues with the transmission and the myriad of leaks, and the countless hours I've spent trying to resolve the fact the car doesn't run - are you ready? - the way it's supposed to. This is a race car, and you, and I and most importantly...Nick knows that. It always ran great at partial throttle, but I know (and I'm not anything close to a TR guru) that our cars reveal their issues at WOT. Almost every TR I've ever had that had engine troubles had them at WOT. If the story was anything like you've simplified it, I wouldn't have written the great detail I have. And in hindsight...my story was brief! Again...uncountable hours, back under the car. And as you know, I am still remembering issues (like the oil return line).
But the uncountable hours under the car, are far from the only reason I'm not paying him the balance. They're a contributor, for sure. But if I were to pay over $10K, it would have to be justified by mainly - having the internals and all the work
I so very much wanted inside the motor, along with having a car returned to me that had everything running/tuned just right.
There is every indication I got a basic rebuild ($1,500), no forged pistons, no port work, probably the forged crank ($700), the trans ($1,800), the R&R ($750; that's what I paid in the past, that's minus the tune), the $800 FMIC, the balancer and flexplate ($420), crank pulley ($159), exhaust, $400, hotwire kit, $100, and misc (we'll say $300). So far that totals $6,929. I've paid him $8,313. But you have to also add the...$150 I think I paid for the r&r of the trans, and I forget...$200 I paid to ship the old trans back to him. So that's $8,663. And again, that doesn't count the uncountable hours I've spent resolving issues he should have. I'm not going to reduce the fact he didn't put in the $250 fuel pump and just say I don't owe him $250. My time banging my head trying to figure out the problem, when he and I had 10-15 communications (phone and email) based on the assumption that the DW pump
was installed...is worth much more than $250 off what I owe him from the invoice. I've spent probably 25 hours between working on the car, and on this forum trying to resolve it. What's 25 hours worth to him? I'll tell you, it's worth something to me. And it's more than $0.
But the real question is - what would it cost me to get the motor I wanted...right now? What would it cost me to have forged pistons installed? What would it cost me to have the heads pulled, have them ported and reinstalled? Could I do all that for $2,062? I seriously doubt it. So the way I see it, Nick owes me money, or to make it right.
So I'll make him the offer (I may have said this already): If he sends me the motor I wanted, with forged pistons, and ported heads, fully machined, balanced, blueprinted...that "$3,000" build like he said I'd be getting in our first conversations, pays for the r&ring of the new motor here by a local mechanic, reimburses me for the time I've spent working on it at $20/hour (probably 40 hours total at the car), reimburses me for the trans r&ring and shipping to him, takes the existing motor back (pays for that shipping), then I'll pay the $2,062 balance. That's all I want...is the motor I originally wanted, and to be reasonably reimbursed for my time...very fair. And I'll take it from there...and continue tuning it myself.
And I always thought it odd when people complain about people who complain. When people stop challenging me, I'll stop replying, and that includes you. 
